First and foremost, this story is inspired by 'Problem Child' written by Noble Beast and 'Deus ex Evangelion' written by ValikVicious. This story was written by the sole purpose of finally satiating my Plot Bunny. I am hesitant with this because, like the main character, it's been a LONG time since I saw this anime so my knowledge of it is very, very rusty; also, the characters are so unique in this show, so well defined, that I'm not sure I'll make them justice. I do feel I can take some liberties with it, so I'll do my best. I think I'll continue this until I find myself unavoidably stuck, if so, I'll give it some ending just to wrap things up. Until then, I hope you enjoy.
There is no beta. English is not my first language. Sorry
A rush of burning pain overcame the entirety of her senses and she knew no more. After a beat of silence that only took less than a second, yet it felt like infinity, she was born once again. The existential circle of life was shattered by the fact that she had obtained life once again - especially not a life of her own.
She opened her eyes and a wave of dizziness came like a crashing wave, causing her to drop the phone she was holding - telling her the service line was dead due to an emergency - and promptly fell on her butt.
She looked around first. The streets were empty, devoid of the absolute sound of life. Not a person, animal or vehicle could be heard in the distance. She was utterly alone. She looked at herself, wearing clothes she never owned. The white shirt felt slightly constrictive against her developing chest… wait, that wasn't right.
She took notice of the photo that felt from her pocket, next to her legs, she grabbed it and saw a peculiar view. A woman in a short skirt waved at the camera - at her - while she was inclined in a vintage looking sports car. There was an arrow pointing at her bosom and her name was scribbled at the top. It felt familiar.
"Wha-?!"
She glanced around once more. At the end of the street was a teenage girl with a dress - maybe a uniform? - And blue hair. That wasn't what caught her attention, what made her world turn upside down. It felt so familiar, so wrong, especially when the realization came like a furious train. The girl looked like her - It was her! Like a mirror. but her reflection portrayed no emotion. She was lifeless, as if there was no soul, there was no will, no-
The deafening sound of an odd looking helicopter saved her from the terrifying downward spiral that was her mind at the moment. So many things had happened in the blink of an eye, her mind couldn't keep up. And she realized it wouldn't for the foreseeable future once she notice the presence of a monster like none other than she had ever seen. It was taller than the buildings around her, its face reminded her of a skull or the masks that the old medieval doctors wore in the most infected areas of Europe. A red orb in the middle of its torso and its long hands didn't help the fact that such creature shouldn't exist. It was inconceivable, a horror like none other.
As if the universe itself hadn't have enough of her suffering, the screeching sounds if wheels in the pavement made her turn around to see a car right in front of her.
"Come on! Get in if you want to live!" The driver shouted. The voice was feminine, but not effeminate. It was the voice of a woman. A treacherous part of her mind made the remark that those words were from a movie reference. She moved, nonetheless, towards the car, noticing that the ghostly visage of herself had vanished. The girl was gone.
She looked at the woman sitting in the driver's seat, speeding away like the devil itself was behind them, which oddly enough was the truth. She glanced back to see the military choppers shooting the monster to no avail. No matter how much firepower hit the beast, it showed no sign of pain. The monster retaliated by shooting the choppers with a strange beam coming out of its palms. Looking closely, she noticed that it was solid. Soon enough the two were leaving the scene and the buildings became sparse, to the point they were riding through a mountain. The sudden stop made her bang her head in the dashboard.
"Ow..."
The voluptuous woman climbed on top of her. "What are they doing?" She said, as she glanced to the fight with her binoculars, she let out a gasp after a moment of silence "Hey! It can't be… they are using an N-2 Mine!"
Before she could reply a thunderous explosion send the car - and they included - through the sky.
Next thing she knew, she woke up in the most awkward position she had been. Somehow she had survive, and by the looks of it, this wasn't just a simple nightmare. She crawled out of the car, noting that the woman had just came about as well.
"Hey… are you ok?" The woman asked, dusting her clothes off.
"I think I broke my ass," She couldn't help it, the lame attempt at humor was her only consolation at the moment. "I think I bit the inside of my mouth, too."
"It's not the only thing," the woman said with some exasperation when she noted the swelling bump in her forehead. "Anyway, it's good to finally meet you, Akira Ikari. I'm Misato Katsuragi, but you already knew that." She winked, oblivious to her growing horror.
Ikari? Akira? That wasn't right, at all. Soon the pieces started forming the puzzle with the speed of a raging bull, bringing forth morbid thoughts of her situation. She was Akira? But it's not true, she was sure she wasn't. She knew where she was, but as much as she was sure that this world wouldn't exist, the evidence indicated the opposite. How then was she in this situation? Reliving the actions of someon else; it should be Shinji Ikari. What happened to the boy?
Wrong, wrong, wrong… her mind kept supplying, a flurry of emotions and thoughts bombarded her and she felt overwhelmed.
"Hey! Akira-chan, are you alright," Captain Misato Katsuragi approached the teen with concern when she saw her sway. "Come on, I need your help with the car." Akira seemed to come back to her senses and nodded.
"Are you ready?"
"... Yes."
"Okay then," Misato breathe, "One, two… three." They both pushed, bringing the car back into position. "Great Job, Akira-chan." Misato received no response. It turned out thatthe car's battery was damaged beyond repair after the impact, so Misato 'borrowed' one from another car, and grabbing other because she could. Akira said nothing against Misato's actions, of which the older woman was grateful.
The ride to the NERV headquarters at the Geofront was quiet, Misato eyed the girl feeling pity for her. She looked... scared for lack of a better word. Not really reacting or commenting on the situation around her; and as far as Katsuragi was aware, she was earth's final defense. Katsuragi made a call.
"Captain Katsuragi here. I have retrieved the V.I.P. Yes... yes. Prepare a lift... I'm glad you are concerned for our safety after using a damn N-2 Mine!... Yes, I'll take full responsability, it was my idea to pick her up, after all." She hung up. They weren't too happy to know that the child was so close to danger, and they were putting the blame on Misato.
Once they arrived at the elevator, the authorization was cleared and the march towards the underground base started.
"...what's going on?" Akira's voice was low.
"Right," Misato felt embarrassed, not explaining the girl what was happening. "We are heading towards NERV's headquarters. That's where your father is."
"My… father."
"Yes, Commander Ikari is in charge of several operations, he-"
"-protects the human race."
Letting a sigh, she let a sound of agreement. "Do you have the ID that was given to you?" The girl search several pockets before pulling out the card, she stared at the photo with a forlorn look. Misato was getting more concerned.
By now they could see the vast landscape that was the Geofront, it was a marvel in technology, allowing them to have biomass that conserved the remaining wild animals that survived the Second Impact in a controlled environment. Tokio-3's Geofront was solely focused on acting as NERV's hidden base. And yet the girl at her side glance at the place with wide-eyes, but not of surprise or wonder. More like…
"Why am I here?" Akira muttered, so low that Misato almost missed it.
"We'll explain it once we reach the base." The girl looked at her directly in the eyes. Misato thought it sounded crazy but it looked like something was missing in those eyes. Akira nodded and the silence returned once again.
She hadn't read the introductory manual Katsuragi gave to her, she knew about this. About Katsuragi, the monster above them and the people they were going to meet, but not about herself. Out of an entire unknown and impossible world, the only stranger at the moment was herself. She didn't belong here. At all. Who? Why? How? Those questions kept playing in her mind.
Once the lift stopped, they walked through the hallways, it shamed the Captain to admit to herself that she didn't knew the layout of the base. Yes, she was hired just recently, but it wasn't an excused. Even though she used it as such. Luckily Misato was given a map of the place to help her navigate around the facility after she was found lost for the fourth time.
It took a few minutes for the both to realize they were lost, or rather Misato had no idea where to go. Akira snatched the map from her hands and read it, suddenly taking control of the operation. Following the girl they made quick progress of advancing through the place. They took several elevators, by the fourth one a familiar figure greeted them.
"Captain Katsuragi, I was going to collect you, and your charge. You are late. I thought you were lost, again."
"Ritsuko… well," Misato let out a nervous chuckle, she was almost caught "We made it in time. After all it wasn't easy, you know? Having to survive an N-2 Mine blast, give us some credit."
"Right. So, this is her," the scientist gestured to the girl.
"Yes. Akira Ikari, the alternative Third Child, according to Marduk."
"Alternative…?" Akira asked confused at the two.
Misato let out a sigh while Dr Akagi told the girl, "You see, your brother was selected as the Third Child for the Evangelion Project. You were selected as an alternative because of your similarities - being a twin and everything - but due to his premature departure you are the only available choice."
"Eva...Evangelion?"
"Yes, Evangelion," Akagi let out a huff of annoyance, "Multi-purpose Humanoid Fighting Machine, they are earth's only fighting chance."
"What unit will she pilot?" Asked Katsuragi.
"Unit 01."
Misato frowned, but bit out any remark for the time being. They continue their trek and entered a darkened room, they walk for a while until the lights were turned on, in front of them was a giant machine, it was a monstrosity of human engineering. The giant was painted purple, with green as secondary color. To Akira it seemed the machine was staring right at her.
"Akira." The voice brought her back once more. She looked up to see…
"You…"
"It's been a while, daughter."
"Sir," Katsuragi's voice cut their moment. "Is it a good idea to bring her to the project so soon? She has no knowledge of piloting the Eva, and unit 01 hasn't let anyone pilot it!"
"We don't have any other options. We can't have Rei." Akagi said.
"That's exactly what I mean. It took Rei months to be able to synchronize with the Eva." Katsuragi retorted.
"Enough, that is not of your concern, Captain." Gendo Ikari spoke again. "Will you pilot the Eva, or not?" He asked his daughter.
There was a moment of silence before she replied, "Why should I?" Her voice was low but it was heard by everyone in the room, "Why am I here anyway? Nothing about this is right! This is some cosmic fucking joke!" She took a shaky breath "No, no. I don't want to pilot! I don't want to be here!" By the end she was yelling, and not at him. So far it had been the most overwhelming hours of her life and she was sure it wasn't ending any time soon.
Silence, and…
"So be it. Fuyutsuki, bring Rei." The sub-commander nodded before turning on a screen. "I am disappointed Akira. I would expect something like this from your brother, but not you."
Katsuragi put a hand on the girl's shoulder in comfort, she didn't expect this outburst from her. It seemed her profile overlooked her recent emotional state, most likely affected by the death of her brother. "It's ok Akira-chan. We'll leave, you don't have to worry."
The doors of the place opened, followed by a group of doctors pulling a medical bed with a heavily bandaged girl on it.
It was Rei.
The room's light blared red, followed by an emergency announcement, the Angel had started its attack to the Geofront. The place shook with debris falling. Misato tried to pull Akira close to her to protect her, but the girl slipped away from her grasp, running fast enough to catch the falling Rei to avoid any further injury.
She noticed too late that one of the falling rocks were going to fall on top of her, she closed her eyes, bracing herself for the painful impact. Suddenly, the Eva unit 01 moved its arm to shield Akira and the wounded pilot.
"No way…" Akira said faintly.
"Unit 01 moved?" Misato was incredulous. Voices all around commented on the impossibility of the machine's action. But Akira paid them no mind.
"Are you hurt?" She asked the bandaged girl.
The girl was quiet, they stared at each other. An indescribable sense of misplacement filled Akira's heart; she was staring at herself, it was like looking at a mirror, but it was wrong, it wasn't her face and yet… Rei for her part was entranced, it was a similar emotion for her, but instead of confusion, it felt like finding something she wasn't aware she had lost or was missing, if she could only… "I'm fine." her voice was soft. Akira's eyes focused and she nodded.
"Fine!" Akira stared at the commander. "I'll pilot the damn thing. But I'll make one thing clear, if I die my death will be in your hands, and every human that dies for that matter. And second, I'm not doing this for you, nor will I, ever. Only someone as wretched could use children to do their job. You're no man, you're a coward."
"...prepare her." Was the only thing he said.
She helped putting Rei back to the stretcher and followed Captain Katsuragi to prepare herself. Soon enough she was given two hair clips that in reality were Neuronal Clips, that allow her to obtain a better mental connection with the Eva; and she was set in the Entry Plug ready to be inserted to the Eva.
"So, will anyone explain this to me, or will I run like a headless chicken, before I actually lose my head?"
There was a sigh over the technical babble that her comm system was picking up. A pop up that said 'AUDIO ONLY' appeared in front of her, Dr Akagi spoke, "You are in the Entry Plug, it's the cabin used by the Evangelion pilots to control the machine. When the insertion is over we'll fill it up with LCL. Don't worry, you can breathe it. It helps with the synchronization." She stopped for a second to answer to some of the engineers, "Anyway, Synchronization. It's what will determine if and how much you can operate the Eva. The lower your synch is, the harder is to move it; if it's too low then it won't move at all, so try to clear your mind and aim for a high synch."
"Okay, but how do I move it?"
"It's based on your own movements! Now be quiet!"
It was dark. The voices announced the initiation of the LCL process. She closed her eyes, allowing the blood like liquid to fill her lungs. It was disgusting.
"Connect to main power supply"
"Transmit power to all connections"
"Commence second contact"
"Initiate synchronization"
Then, the warmth came. It filled her entire being, like a light that chases the monsters away, or the loving embrace that erases the most deepest of pains; the whispers of undying love. It completed her, and she knew it was real, making her whole and she was - she is one with it. The fragility that had shaped her so far was melting away, she felt like a feather in the summer breeze. She was safe and not alone.
"Unbelievable… that's-"
"Are the numbers right?"
"Doctor Akagi!-"
"Synchronization levels!-"
"Akira-chan, can you hear me?"
Son? ... Children... who… no! a shapeless voice spoke, it came from all her directions. It sounded distressed, and by the end there was fury.
And the darkness came again, oppressive and overwhelming; choking her, taking her breath away. Just like before she woke up here. She couldn't move. Her muscles tighten and twisted; she felt her mind melting and her heart crumbling. It wasn't real, it couldn't be real, but oh it hurts so much. Her insides were being squashed. She squirmed, sobbing, begging for the pain - no, not pain, please no more pain - to stop.
"Pl-please…stop!"
The comms channel was gone, the warmth was gone, the light, everything. Her constantly shifting reality amounted to a total sum of nothing; nothing of note, nothing of worth.
Who was she anyway? Not a name, not an expectation. Not anymore. In the end, all that she accomplished was nothing, and so, nothing mattered. But her mind screamed, she wanted something, she craved for something she knew she missed, something, or maybe it was someone. She couldn't be a zero. She wanted and wanted and wanted. The maelstrom of emotions concluded in her biggest desire, just to be and be free.
"Please…I'm sorry. Please. Don't…hurt…"
The raging fury quieted down, somehow hearing her pleas. Slowly, so very slowly the pain ceased, color came to her life again, but the discomfort was still there, letting her know, reminding her. The shakes and rumbling surrounding her disappeared, she hadn't noticed before. It was replaced by a quiet hum. The connection was restared
It was all so fast and so confusing, she was left speechless. Something completely different happened. Something beautiful. She became a star, floating peacefully in the vast array of the endless sky. She shine brightly alongside many others, she wasn't alone, she didn't felt pain. She was wonderful, and everything was fine.
"Akira-chan! Please, respond!"
"... Katsuragi…"
"Thank god. Are you okay? Suddenly all the readings went crazy and we lost communication. How are you feeling?"
There were so many voices in her head, all sounding frantic, the engineers and operators were scrambling around, trying to make sense of what was happening. It was so very different at the quiet tranquility that was her Entry Plug "...Dizzy."
Misato sighed for the umpteenth time that day, "That's good, take it easy. We'll prepare launch, I'll guide you once you reach the surface, understood?"
"... Yes, ma'am."
Misato chuckled, 'Ma'am? Not bad, I could get use to it'. "Well then, everything ready?"
One of the operators looked at Misato, "All is green!"
Misato glance at the Commander Akari. "At your command, Captain." He said blandly, barely sparing her a glance.
"Well then… Launch!"
The Eva was launched shortly after. In the Headquarters everyone stared as the giant machine went upwards to reach the surface; the only sound that could be heard were from the computers and equipment working, no one dared to say a word, no one could. This was it, the moment of truth for the entire Evangelion Project. The defining moment of humanity. If Akira fail to defeat the Angel, humanity's weapon against those monsters, and their final hope, would be destroy.
Misato was tense, probably tenser than anyone in that room. It was up to her to guide that child through the entire ordeal, and so far she knew it was a hard endeavor. Misato Katsuragi could tell there was something wrong with the girl, rather than look afraid or confused, she seemed lost. And that far away glance she had reminded her of herself after her father died, after the second impact. Her mental evaluation stated that girl was rather cold and cynical, and yet, her behavior so far was the complete opposite; granted the circumstances were abnormal to say the least.
Misato swore to herself to learn more about the girl, after making sure she survives the night.
They watched, holding their breaths as Unit 01 reached the surface. It was then that all hell broke loose.
END! For now... Let me know what you think, be honest, please. BTW, don't take the story too seriously. Now for some post-details:
I was thinking of making it longer but I guess it never works for me (making long chapters) and besides, I found the script for the first episode, and it ended right after Shinji was ready for the fight (I didn't remember that!) Anyway, in future chapters I'll explain what more of the plot.
EDIT: Thanks to Crownlessking21's insight, I corrected the huge blunder that was the previous Author's Note. I honestly didn't realize what I've done until he brought it up. So, thanks once again.
Besides that, I re-read the chapter (Thanks to FF's phone app that has a Text to Speech function) and found out the sheer amount of mistakes I made. So I re-edited and added some details here and there. Sorry to everyone that read the previous version. Once I upload the second chapter, I'll put the same notice to let the rest know.