Shinji dreaded arriving at Tokyo-3 First Municipal Middle School every day. It was boring, pro-conformist, and he didn't know any of the course material. His grades were doomed. He was learning to pilot a living weapon of destruction, so his life was doomed too. His relationship with his father seemed to be doomed as well.

His father must have felt wonderful though. "Yes, yes." Shinji imagined him grinning, "Now the boy is in the death robot, finally useful to me." What a total creep. He didn't care how Shinji felt, he only wanted to ensure that his precious job was safe.

At least Rei was in his homeroom class, though. They hardly ever talked, but it was nice for Shinji to have someone who he knew first. She hardly seemed to talk to anyone either. He wondered if he should have introduced her to Touji and Kensuke.

When the class found out Shinji was the pilot of Unit-01, everyone wanted to talk to him. Kensuke was the first person in that long line. He was completely obsessed with aliens and robots. A genuine guy, but one who would kill to take Shinji's place in the cockpit.

Touji was a beast. Shinji vividly remembered the way he punched him the first time they met. It was twice as hard as Jack Bauer, and half as hard as Chuck Norris. The night that Shinji first pilot Unit -01, you see, its head had crashed into an apartment building. This resulted in many people getting hurt and Touji's sister was one of them. Shinji's sarcastic taunting probably didn't help get them started on the right foot either.

The two of them had starting acting pretty nice to him ever since the second Angel attacked, though. Well, NERV called it the Fourth Angel for some reason. Somehow, the two of them had ended up outside during an attack. To keep them safe, Shinji pulled them into the Entry Plug with him. With his focus scattered, defeating the Angel wasn't easy.

As its A.T. Field met with Eva-01's, things had become surreal for him. He could feel himself bleeding in places the Eva wasn't bleeding. There was a sensation like he had replayed his entire life on video, but only the painful parts. It felt like he was in love, but love had somehow taken a whole new meaning. A sinister one, in which he was at the mercy of anyone who could make him happy. But still, the Angel died. The next day, Touji apologized for having attacked Shinji, and even asked him to punch back.

He wondered if Rei would get that kind of attention once she joined the fray. She was the pilot of Eva-00, after all. She had been missing school from her injuries though. The story was that during a routine test, 00 had gone berserk. While the staff were alright, Rei had no way of escaping the plug. It was actually Shinji's dad who had rushed in at the restrained unit to save her. They said he tore the way to the entry plug open with his bare hands. His hands got burns that lasted for days after. Good for him, thought Shinji, good for him. He ought to save more people who weren't his son. Maybe one day he'd burn somewhere else.

Home life was much better. Misato was constantly drunk, made terrible food, and had a crazy penguin named Pen-Pen. Shinji really didn't like school. Sure, homework was a part of home life, but it was school's fault. Turning in bad homework was the worst anyway, and Shinji would do that at school.

Then there was work. Work was hell, because work was war. Shinji spent four hours a day after school training. They put him inside something called a 'simulation body'. It was nice to pilot without the threat of death, but then he'd remember what he was practicing for.

"Shinji!" called Dr. Akagi, catching up with him as he left training that day, "I'll go home with you. Misato invited me over."

"Oh, okay." They got into the elevator together. It was average size as far as elevators went, but Shinji felt cramped. Here was the most brilliant mind at NERV, about to have a certainly crappy dinner with him. He wondered if he should say something, but he never knew what to say.

"So Shinji, how much has your father told you about the Angels?" she asked, as they exited the elevator, walking down the corridor.

"That I should kill them." That sounded stupid, but it was true.

"They're intriguing, I'll say. We've been looking at the remains of the one you took out the other day. DNA tests aren't giving us any solutions. All we can work with is the inherent wave pattern."

"Oh, right." Inherent what? Too much science talk. Shinji hadn't even done his bio homework yet; what did she expect from him?

"It has 99.89% similarity to that of humans."

"Wait, 99.89%? Does that mean they have human DNA?" That actually brought a lot of big questions to Shinji's mind (the mind of Shinji, mind you). Questions his dad probably didn't want him asking.

"We don't know that yet; it doesn't look like they do. The inherent wave pattern doesn't have to do as much with DNA as it does with brain waves. Frequencies that echo through our bodies' nervous systems. It's easier to get a pattern from an Angel than it is to get it from a dog or a cricket. Animals have them, but they're so faint. People argue over the similarities and differences.

"It's like the Angel is thinking, but in such a way that it's 0.11% different from the way they are. As if their reality is 0.11% away from our own. 99.89%. Feels kind of foreboding right? Upside down, it's nearly 666. We call it the Kozo Ratio."

"Dr. Akagi, why do we call them Angels? It kind of makes us look like the bad guys. I mean, I'm fine with taking down the messengers of God if they're gonna kill me anyway. But … that's not what they are, is it?"

"Beats me, kid. On the name part, that is. They've been called that longer than I've been involved. I think a human who would name them that would be pretty messed up. The fact we still use it shows how masochistic our species really is. You have a key?"

"Oh, right.' Shinji took out his key to Misato's apartment and opened the door for the researcher. "Misato, I'm home!"

"Ritsuko!" Dr. Akagi found herself glomped by an obviously pre-gamed Misato. "So glad you could make it!"

"I kind of live nearby. There's food, right?"

Food was one thing you could call it. It was better described as a stale blend of instant noodles prepared in a broth of water, beer, and skittles. Shinji got halfway through the closest bowl to his chair before giving up. He was too grossed out to eat.

"Oh Shinji," Ritsuko giggled, after a few drinks, "I forgot."

"You forgot? Forgot what?"

"I forgot to give it to her," she dug into her pocket and pulled out a small card, "Rei. I forgot. First Child." She pinched it between two fingers, pointing towards Shinji.

"Are you alright, Dr. Akagi?"

"Oh just get on with it!" yelled Misato, who was trying to pass out on the couch.

Ritsuko took a few deep breaths. "We got Rei a new ID card. I was supposed to give it to her today, and I forgot. Could you, maybe, possibly…. do something?"

"You want me to … give it to her?"

"YES! DO IT!"

"Girl, volume." Ritsuko advised.

"SOR-"

"VOLUME."

"Sorry…"

Shinji looked over the card.

Name: Rei Ayanami

Renewal date: 11/04/14

Rank: First Child

HIP Station: B.

Shinji was told not to worry about that last one. "Okay, consider it done! Wait, where's Rei's room?"

"Fourth floor, Room Seventy-Nine Thousand and Eighty Four."

Shinji paused. "You forgot, didn't you?"

"Don't question me!"

The next morning, Shinji found his way to the door of apartment 402. He knocked a few times, but after a few minutes of waiting, there was no answer. "Hello, Rei?" he asked. Testing the doorknob, he found it to be able to open. Well, he wasn't about to set her card outside for someone to take. He opened a small part of it.

"Hello? Rei? It's me, Shinji Ikari. I'm here to bring you your card!" Looking inside, he looked into her kitchen, which was empty. "Sorry for barging in but… I'm just gonna walk in! To bring you.. the card." When he finished his trek through the kitchen, he found her bedroom. It was full of bloody bandages and red stained her bed andpillow. She also had a fridge in there though, so it wasn't all bad.

Then something caught his eye on top of her dresser drawer. Glasses. "These can't be hers, can they?" he wondered out loud. Suddenly, he heard the clicking open of a door, and spun around to find himself in front of a completely nude Rei.

"Shinji." she spoke.

Uh oh, he had really messed up now. "Wait, Rei, I-"

"Please give me back those glasses."

His feet moved without a thought, and Shinji tripped over a stray piece of paper on the floors. Arms open, he ran into Rei, bringing them both to the ground, covered in panties. Wait, panties? Right, his foot had caught on one of her drawers.

Shinji gave a small scream, not knowing how to process this encounter. He needed to get out. He needed to apologize. He needed… something.

"Shinji," said Rei after a few seconds, "Please get off of me."

Only then did he realize that his other hand had found a place on Rei's chest. Another scream from Shinji later, the two were finally standing agaian. They were a good distance apart and Rei had her glasses back. She started to get dressed.

"I'm sorry, Rei," Shinji looked away from her as he stammered apologies. I just wanted to get it to you, I should've waited, I-"

"Let's go." she said to him, "Training is today."

"Oh, okay, right."

They made their way out of Rei's apartment, heading off to work. "Oh, Rei," Shinji said suddenly, "The reason I came in, was to give you this." he handed her the new card.
"Oh. Thank you, Shinji."

"No problem. So…."

"So..?"

"Does it.. worry you?"

"Does what worry me?"
"Piloting the Eva, putting yourself in danger? Whenever I'm not doing it, the idea scares me. And I know you had your accident, so.. how do you know that it's not going to break again?"

Rei looked puzzled at that, "Aren't you Commander Ikari's son?"

"Well, yes."

"Don't you have faith in your father's work?"
"Of course not!" Shinji argued, "After everything he's done, how could anyone trust him?"

Rei grimaced, and paused where she stood.

"Rei?" he asked, walking back up to her. She replied by slapping him in the face.

"Fourth Commandment: Thou shalt honor thy mother and father. We are almost at the base."

Then there they were: the death machines. It was time to get in, thought Shinji. Then the alarm went off.

"Calling all employees!" came the announcement, "This is not a drill. The Fifth Angel has been spotted approaching the city."

Well well, thought Shinji, now it was time to get in.

The Angel looked like a floating blue diamond, hovering into the city. "Shinji, Rei, try a quick close range strike!" ordered Misato.

As the two Evas scurried in a straight line, the diamond opened up, revealing a charging laser cannon. Uh oh, thought Shinji, and he shifted in an attempt to dodge the blast. The beam followed his movements, and gave him a searing pain in his shoulder.

"Unit-01 armor, partially burnt! Shinji, do you read me?"

"Yes…." he panted, "Loud and clear. Don't worry.. I'll get in closer and then-"
"No!" interrupted Ritsuko, "If you get closer, it won't miss. You need to lie back while we think of a plan."

And so the hours went by, and the Evas waited, as the Fifth Angel slowly made its way towards the Geofront. Rei and Shinji rested their Evas, plugged in at a safe distance. They then watched the diamond make its way through the city at a slug's pace.

"It's halfway there already," said Shinji, "You thought of anything?"

"We've been harnessing energy for a ranged weapon, but we're only one third the way to having enough." said Ritsuko.

"Alright… well… I have something. Something to try in the mean time."

"What?"

"Well," said Shinji, afraid he was about to get laughed at, "Try to get me a large shovel. Or maybe an axe. That way, we could dig a hole to trick the Angel's senses."

Ritsuko paused, thinking it over.

"It would be really risky." whispered Misato over the frequency. "There's no guarantee it wouldn't detect you from below."

"Are you willing to deal with the risks, Shinji?"

"Well, I…" Shinji stammered, as he started to really think about what could happen. That searing on his shoulder, still present, spreading all over his limbs and torso. His body and his Eva decomposing in front of his own father's eyes.

"The fact is," continued Ritsuko, "We can't afford to lose you."

"But it is equally impermissible that we let that Angel in." Rei cut in, "I apologize for the interruption. I would like to tell you that I volunteer to do the dig."

"Rei…" Ritsuko furrowed her brow.

"That won't be necessary." Trevor's voice came in, "It's not necessary, Rei."

"I don't find it unnecessary either, Commander." she replied. "I believe we are wasting time at this moment. Please, send me a progressive axe, and I can make my way to the Angel."

Misato sighed, "Fine. Shinji, I want you watching on the sidelines, as close as you can get without the Angel firing. If it makes an attack on the below, go straight ahead and try to disable it. But be careful!"

Rei tunneled underneath the city, while Shinji watched the Angel from a nearby cliff-side.

Ritsuko groaned, "What were we thinking? The damages to the city will be enormous this time if we make it out alive."

Should I get closer, thought Shinji. He inched his way towards the Angel, closer and closer. "There we go… steady, steady…" Then, the Angel opened up, its laser cannon visible again. "Oh crap!" Shinji tried backing up, but the laser still went through. It hit the cliffside behind him, and caused it to crumble. Thankfully, there were no buildings on top. Shinji still had to dodge a lot of falling boulders though.

After another pause in activity, the Angel exposed its laser cannon again. "Oh no," said Shinji, looking side to side to see where to dodge to. If he just moved without thinking, it could possibly predict his movements. But the cannon didn't point at him, it pointed diagonally towards the ground. "Rei!"

Shinji lept at the Angel, moving with a celerity he didn't know his Eva even had. When he made it to the city, there was an enormous hole in the ground from the laser. "Rei?"

The First Child jumped out of the hole, unharmed. The Angel was charging, but Shinji had his knife ready.

"Shinji." came Rei's voice over the intercom, "It's time to finish it off."

Shinji stabbed the lens of the Angel's weapon with his knife, causing it to vibrate and heat up. "Rei, I've got it locked open, now aim for the core!" Eva-00 ran at the Angel's exposed core, striking it repeatedly with the axe. Then, the floating Angel sank into the hole it had created, and extended a drill.

"The Angel is… digging a hole?" Ritsuko was puzzled.

"It's about to discharge!" yelled Misato, "It's gonna blow up, like the first one that attacked!"

"So that's your game, huh?" shouted Shinji, "Well I'm prepared this time." He took his knife out of the Angel's laser cannon. Next, he threw it on the ground of the tunnel below him, struggling to lift the Angel. "Rei, go up to the surface! I'll throw it up there!"

"If that's what you want." she obeyed.

With strain, Shinji threw the Angel up into the air. The Angel shot its cannon at Shinji, and he tried to keep it back with his AT field. The battlefield was covered in smoke from this contact.

"Shinji!" yelled Misato, "The battle's done at this point, we have to get out there!"

"Misato!" interrupted Ritsuko, as the former was exiting the control room.

"Yeah!?"

"Be careful." With an AT Field like that, thought Ritsuko, Shinji better be okay.

When the smoke cleared, the Angel was a burnt husk floating in the air with its core exposed. Meanwhile the Evangelion in the tunnel was powered off and damaged, but intact. Unit-00 wasted no time in finishing the core off, beating the Angel down to the surface, red blood oozing of it.

"Shinji… Are you..." panted Rei, "Is that Captain Downing?"

Misato had run out into the city, and climbed into the tunnel where Unit-01 lay dormant. "Come on, Shinji!" she yelled at the large behemoth, "It's time to go home! Rei, some help here!"

Rei flipped Shinji's unit over and took off the nape of the neck, causing his plug to be ejected. Misato climbed onto Eva-00's hand and opened Shinji's plug. Inside, the boy was barely conscious and covered in LCL, but he was alive.

"Shinji?"

He groaned in pain, "Misato, is that you?"

The woman pulled Shinji out of the plug and wrapped her arms around him, causing him to blush. "The mission was a success Shinji. Let's go home." On the hand of Evangelion Unit-00, the three of them went back to temporary safety.