Neon Genesis Evangelion and the Rebuild of EVangelion are owned and written by Hideaki Anno. I own no elements from the original Manga, TV show, or Rebuild films but my OC.
That said, Please Enjoy The Show!
Chapter 2: Evangelion Unit 01
NERV Headquarters, Geo-Front of Tokyo-3
It was night now in the Geo-Front, or at least that's what the reflection glasses all across the Geo-Front made Shinji feel. They'd just exited the train and Misato's Renault….
And were slowly getting lost.
"From the terminal's Western exit, head north to 3rd gate and take a right…." Misato read as her hair flowed behind her, reading the "map" of NERV HQ. "Then we need to head for Route 8 and….."
The door before the fast moving conveyor belt like walkway opened to reveal a large empty black chamber, with several other catwalks and conveyor walkways above and below the pair. "Jeez, couldn't have made the HQ any more complicated?" Misato sighed, looking back down. "Hmm…. This should be the correct route…"
Shinji looked back to his NERV handbook, reading through the history of NERV and the UN. "….We're lost," Shinji stated, yet his sentence came like a question. "Aren't we?"
Misato's sweat dropped, while her face gave Shinji his answer. "I'm not used to this base yet," she replied truthfully, before looking forward determined. "Either way, we'll get there as long as we move forward!"
Shinji looked away towards his handbook, slightly annoyed as to how they'd gotten lost. We've been standing on this walkway for more than five minutes or so, how could did we get lost so fast?
Evangelion Cage 1
"Secondary cooling cycle completed."
"We're all set here, ma'am!"
"All personal, exit the tank immediately!" an intercom stated.
"I want the left arms conductive plating defrosted and ready for battle in the next three minutes!" A scuba diver ordered, exiting the tank and taking a seat on the metal plating above the red liquid tank. "And don't forget that apoptosis data!"
"Yes, ma'am!'
"Professor Akagi: Lt. Colonel Katsuragi and one Shinji Ikari have arrived at Shaft S36." Another intercom, this one from the Command Center, spoke as said Professor undid her diving gear. "Repeat, will Professor Akagi please….."
"Great," Dr Ritsuko Akagi sighed, pulling her goggles above her short blond hair to show the disappointed look in her eyes. "She's late…."
Back with Misato and Shinji, the pair managed to find and elevator to take them deeper into NERV HQ; the problem was….
They were lost.
It came to no surprise to Shinji that Misato got them lost; the woman hardly seemed like a military commander, or even a soldier for that matter. Which made this next part only confirm Shinji's hypothesis. The elevator stopped on Level 08-31 (If it an actually floor or under construction level was beyond Shinji) and came face to face with a blonde woman of similar age to Misato, wearing a scuba outfit under a white lab coat. "R-Ritsuko!" Misato exclaimed with slight surprise.
"Lt. Colonel, you were supposed to be here almost 12 minutes ago," the blond scientist, or doctor, explained to Misato glaring at her. "We're short on staff and time; so I was asked to meet you personally."
"Oh, uh hehe…. Sorry…." Misato apologized, before adding on.
The blond sighed and nodded, her eyes looking over to the shorter boy. "So is this him?" She asked, making Misato nod while Ritsuko simply smile to Shinji. "Good, I'm the Chief Director and Engineer of NERV Project E, Ritsuko Akagi. A pleasure to meet you."
Shinji looked up, giving a smile as he replied. "Likewise, ma'am."
"I'm leaving things to you, Professor." Gendo stated, before his small lift lowered him out of Command Center. Fuyutsuki sighed; the man was emotionless as ever, and would probably remain like that when they met.
"Their first meeting in almost 3 years…" The older professor sighed, before an officer informed him of the Angels movement. "Right, all units to Level 1 Battle Stations!"
"Attention! All personnel to Level 1 Battle Stations! This is not a drill!"
Shinji, Misato and Ritsuko meanwhile, had taken up a small dingy and were cruising through the red liquid when the P.A spoke. They apparently were heading towards Dr. Akagi's "Project E" towards a rather odd…. "Wall." The wall had the letters and numbers "E-01" and "L-03," with a rather odd looking purple and green pylon attached to the wall. Shinji glanced downwards into the deep, he could barely make out something as they left into the chamber.
He barely made out the outline of a giant body.
"Shinji Ikari, there's something here I want you to see." The lighting flashed on, and Shinji gasped at the sight. Before him was a large, monster like face before him. Faded out yellow eyes could be seen under the purple helmet, with red lining on the masks eye sockets topped off with a large chin and long horn on the head. Where its cheeks should have been were large green mouth protectors, or at least that's what Shinji believed them to be. "This is ultimate man-made multipurpose fighting mecha; the artificial humanoid, Evangelion Unit 01."
"This… This monster is my…." Shinji trailed off for a moment, narrowing his eyes at the behemoth before him. "This is my father's work?"
"Indeed." Above the Evangelion, Shinji gasped as he saw his father standing in an observation platform. His emotionless face remained stoic, just like that time long ago…. "It's been a while."
Shinji stared at his father, before turning away with a glare of anger. "Not too long, I suppose….." He replied harshly, unknowingly making his father's mouth twitch. He still has his brother's temper, I'll give him that, Gendo thought to himself. It will make no difference though….
"Prepare to sortie," He stated, glaring down as Misato jumped in shock.
"Battle?! But isn't Unit 00 still….. Frozen….?" It didn't take long for Misato to put two and two together; she gasped with a look of realization at Ritsuko. "You're planning to use Unit 01?!"
"It's our last trump card; it's the only way!" Ritsuko answered, looking to the young boy beside her. "Shinji Ikari?"
"Yes?" Shinji meekly asked. He had a bad feeling of what she had to say…
Ritsuko's face was stern, yet it reminded Shinji of his father's. "You will pilot it!" She replied, making the teen gasped at her response.
"…So, this is why you called me father?" Shinji asked, looking up for his response. No, it couldn't be to-!
"It's for the same reason you're thinking right now." Gendo replied, simply put.
"So I'm supposed to just go out and fight that… that Angel?!" Shinji asked with malice trailing out his mouth. How dare he?! Shinji thought. He leave me for almost all my life, take my brother from me, and the one time we finally meet he wants me to pilot his monster?!
"Yes."
"Bastard!" Shinji snapped, making Misato and Ritsuko flinch; nobody ever spoke to the Commander like that and walked away. "This is why you called me?! And just how the hell am I supposed to pilot it?!"
"You will be guided through it."
"I thought you didn't need me! Isn't that why you left?!"
"I didn't then; now I do."
"But…. Why?" Shinji's anger slowly faded to a point where he whispered, looking away from the man he called "father." "Why me?"
"Because no one else here can."
"No…. No I…. I-I can't….." Shinji whispered, before he shouted louder. "I just can't!"
"If you will pilot it, then do it now." Gendo finally stated, a hint of annoyance and anger coming out. "If not then leave…."
"You coward." Shinji eyes widened and watered at that; but he still stood there, still. He felt paralyzed; he felt scared, angry, tormented by guilt, with so many other emotions flowing through him right now. Worst part was he was on the spotlight, with the others and technicians all staring him down; as if they were silently telling him to pilot it.
It was do or die.
Outside, Sachiel fired a cross shaped beam from its eyes, creating an explosion with developed a red cross of energy at the center. The NERV base shook harshly at the hit.
"We've been discovered," Gendo stated, feeling another tremor from above. The 4th wasn't from now; pretty soon it'd crack the Geo-Front, in search for….
"Shinji you have to pilot it!" Ritsuko stated, only prompting the boy to shut his eyes. He struggled to accept it; his father called him, all the way from Tokyo-3 just to send him out to the battlefield?! No, he wouldn't do it! It was suicidal earlier, to go out there and fight would be like signing his death certificate!
"I can't! I just…. I can't!" he replied, gritting his teeth.
"Shinji," Misato walked in front of him, her face stern like she was prepared for this. "Why did you come here?"
Shinji looked to her, then glared away. "You can't run away now! You have to face the fear of your father…." She continued, giving him a sympathetic look. "And more importantly yourself!"
"No shit, I have to…." Misato frowned; she really didn't want to start comforting this kid if he broke down like some child; not at a time like this. It was bad enough their first pilot was injured, they couldn't lose another one. "But I…. I can't….."
This is getting us nowhere, Gendo thought turning to the many screen that showed Shinji's face. "Fuyutsuki," he ordered, a screen switching to the professor in Central Command. "Wake up Rei."
"Are you sure she'll be able to?"
"She isn't dead. Patch me through to her."
"Understood." The screen swapped to a SOUND ONLY screen.
"Rei." Gendo said into the screen.
"Yes." Came the emotionless feminine voice of the character 'Rei.'
"The backup is useless. We're sending you out again." Gendo ordered, not bothering to show sympathy to the pained gasp from Rei.
"Understood."
Ritsuko glared at Shinji, angered at how this boy wouldn't accept the order he was asked-no, given to fulfill. So much for the Third Child being in the scenario Gendo, she thought to herself. "Switch Unit 01 to L-00 type core and being activation!" She ordered, leaving towards the opposite end of the catwalk. Misato did the same leaving the opposite way; leaving poor Shinji alone before Unit 01's 'sleeping' face.
I knew it, he thought as his breath became ragged. I wasn't needed… Big brother, I-
Abruptly, a ding sounded off, taking Shinji out of his thoughts to see a far elevator. Exiting the elevator was a nurse and two doctors, rolling in a…. girl, an injured girl on a metal hospital bed. When they passed by Shinji, the girl had an IV and arm cast, and showed major injuries to her arms, legs, with a cloth covering her left eye. She had short blue hair and red eyes; yet she somehow reminded Shinji of…..
Mother…. Shinji watched as the medical staff stopped, letting the girl struggled to exit the bed. She gasped in barely any breaths, and visibly showed pain. Another tremor shook, this one harsher than before as it send building to the surface of the Geo-Front. NERV HQ shook, sending the girl out of the hospital bed with a cry as it tipped. "Look out!" Shinji cried out, rushing to her. "Are you alright?!"
The girl only winced in pain, tightening her eyes shut to try and hold in any scream of pain. Above the pair, a metal railing collapsed in on itself with another tremor on the base, spiraling down above the pair. "Shinji, look out!" Misato yelled, but everyone was frozen by what occurred.
Before the metal railing hit the two, Shinji raised his arms to protect himself; and Unit 01's arm ripped out of its arm restraint, and moved its forearm to protect the two from debris. "It…. Unit 01 broke out of its arm restraint?!" Ritsuko was more shocked than surprised or happy; it mean't that EVA was…. "It moved on its own?!"
"No, it moved to…." Misato blinked as she looked from EVA Unit 01 to Shinji and Rei. She somehow felt some sort of connection; like the EVA was abruptly now defensive when it came to Shinji's well-being. For a machine to do something like that, and not even form a connection with its future pilot is impossible! She thought. "But it moved though…. To protect them…. To protect….
Him."
Shinji stared at the cripple girl then looked to the EVA; if he piloted it there was a chance he'd die to the Angel, and never know of his brother's whereabouts or the answers he wanted. But if he left like a coward, he live forever with the guilt of knowing someone else died in his place. He couldn't live with that, knowing his father would send an already dying person out to fight that thing! "…. I'll….. I'll do it," Shinji stated, looking up to his father who simply grinned in approval. "I'll pilot the EVA!"
A/N: I want to state that from now on, for at least this story, I want to start posting chapters every three days. I know it sounds short, and I've stated multiple time how I've attempted to schedule chapter releases, but with more time on my hands I feel I can work with this. The chapters will, hopefully, come every three days unless I'm somewhere without internet connection; then I'd probably post the next day.
That said, this is KnightOfZ3R0 signing off!