R+
II
ROOTS
Shinji Ikari didn't have much to start with on that first day, unable to even afford an alarm clock. Fortunately his cell phone served just as well that morning with it's alarm function.
He woke up with a headache that morning and guessed it was whatever cheap cleaning powder they used on the mattress. Grunting he sat upright on the bed, rubbed his eyes of sleep, and padded across the cold tile floor to the kitchen where he was making a list of more things to get. First he put CLEANING SOLUTION, but then decided on TYLENOL.
The cold tile floor helped him wake up at least. He started off for the shower.
He had arrived in Tokyo-3 hardly prepared to establish an independent living, bringing only three sets of clothes and not nearly enough to begin furnishing an apartment with. Last night's emergency shopping spree brought him pens, paper, and some quick meals to survive until he could get the right equipment to cook with. At least his aunt and uncle were generous to leave him some emergency spending money. Carefree as they were, they weren't entirely irresponsible.
The first thing after rising and breakfast was to post that letter- even though it wouldn't go out before half the day was over.
The next challenge was to get to school.
He found the address in the stack of papers he got yesterday, and someone assembling the package was thoughtful enough to give him a bus guide. After two minutes of charting a course, he set out that morning to deposit his letter at the nearby mailbox and walk to the nearest bus stop.
He had two hours to get to class.
Five minutes waiting at the nearest bus stop, he was off on his way.
The bus was loud, noisy, and smelled a little funny. In times like these he craved his SDAT player. He had been rushed out yesterday monring and din't want to trouble his aunt and uncle to turn back for it. He would live, he surmised, and now he was forced to experience the rest of the world without a place to retreat to.
He experienced the people. The loudness, the obscenities, the vulgarities and the uncaring nature of people. There was an ugliness in humanity Shinji had seen in the big cities and Tokyo-03 was no exception. He didn't care much for hustle and bustle and at times, wanted to escape it utterly.
On the other hand, he was forced to experience the people. Hushed smalltalk about giant robots and how they single-handedly saved the city. About real-life super beings who could protect mankind from even the most terrible of disasters. He heard a batch of girls, giggling about hot robot pilots full of gusto and how they would very much like to know those pilots.
Such talk made Shinji sit back and reconsider his father's offer.
Was that what he would be doing in that thing? Protecting people like this? Protecting the world? Was he capable?
Who knew? Maybe the other pilots were hapless conscripts like himself. He was young, what was to say the others weren't as young as he was?
After two transitions he figured he was on the right course, and ended up at the school early by a quarter of an hour. Nervously he took his steps on campus and tried to find his classroom. 2-A.
Shinji swallowed and braced for that utterly odd feeling of being a total stranger to everyone when he walked into the school for the first time. There would be no familiar peers transferring with him; he would be judged and marginalized within the first day and spend the rest of the year alone. It was inevitable. During his first years at school he had experienced this feeling quite often. It hit him now like a brick wall, squeezing his nerves as he walked in.
"Shinji?"
"Gah!" He exclaimed, startled out of his thoughts, and looked down.
A pretty brown-haired girl with pigtails was looking up at him pleasantly.
"Uh…yeah, tht's me" he replied, trying to regain his composure.
"Welcome to class! I've been expecting you."
"…Expecting…?"
The girl looked dismal for a moment. "We've had a lot of people transfer out since the attacks began…" She brightened, "So it's nice to have new transfers come in. I'm the class representative, Hikari Horaki. I've got all your papers right here."
That was quick. "O-Okay…uhm… where do I sit?"
She shrugged. "Anywhere you like. There isn't a seating chart."
Be that as it may, Shinji surmised like all classrooms, people had regular spots. He hoped he wouldn't be intruding on anyone when he picked one at random. Shinji moved deeper into the classroom and took one of the random chairs available. He sighed, then pulled out paper and pen to at least get ready that much earlier.
His SDAT missing, he was again forced to listen to people. Gossip, rumor, bad-mouthing and wasteful talk. But the girls were pretty… even that class Rep. She seemed friendly enough, and the tone of the class seemed much more relaxed than his previous school. Maybe, just maybe, he could be allowed to make friends.
Though if the guy at the back of the class swinging the plastic model around was any indication, making friends in the class would be a challenge at best. Shinji knew he wasn't the most normal kid than other people, but still…
The air in the class shifted some and Shinji raised his head. Someone had just walked in.
Shinji could see why the class went quiet. She had blue hair.
"Ah, Rei," Hikari said, "You've been absent for almost three weeks! Is everything all right?"
"Everything is fine class representative." The girl replied and walked through the rows of seats.
Shinji caught a low mutter from the back of the class, "…coulda sworn she was dead…"
The girl turned on Shinji's row and walked down the seats, stopping before him. She and Shinji held a stare. "U-uh…"
"You're in my seat."
"Oh! Sorry, I was told that we didn't have…" Shinji trailed off as he got out of Rei's chair, and she sat down in it and proceeded to look out the window. Nervously, Shinji looked around at the other classmates. Strangely, they were also agape and quiet.
"Oy," One of the kids said and pointed, "That seat's open."
"T-Thanks…" Shinji said and took the seat to Rei's right. He looked back at Rei again but the girl didn't move. He turned his head to look back into the wood grain of his desk.
"All rise!" Hikari suddenly called. Shinji did as he was commanded, seeing the teacher slowly amble in. The old man was unimpressive- appearing older than any teacher he ever had before. The greet routine hadn't changed, and Shinji bowed as commanded and then sat.
The level of Decorum for the class had more to be desired, though.
Shinji tried to pay attention, making notes in pen and scribbling out mistakes without an eraser, but his ears kept grabbing on the gossip that was floating around him.
"I coulda sworn she was one of the ones who got killed in those attacks…"
"What are you, paranoid? Maybe she was just sick or something."
"It's too coincidental. She disappears the day after that big monster showed up. Then, she doesn't reappear for two weeks, just as the city gets rebuilt."
"You think NERV has something to do with it? Like… they resurrect dead people?"
Shinji lifted his head a degree.
"Well if they do that, I wish I could make 'em resurrect my mom. Hey Kensuke, doesn't your dad work in the labs or something?"
"T-They don't do anything like that there! Dad never tells me what goes on there…"
Shinji looked at Rei. Either she was uninterested in the obvious gossip, mortified beyond all words, or she was deaf. Whatever the case, she was continually staring out the window.
The teacher on the other hand might as well be deaf. Despite the rumors going on at room-level conversation he was still droning on about his life during the second impact.
Sighing Shinji decided to stop taking notes. There was no way he would be quizzed on the childhood of his professor. The pen dropped.
As he leaned back and looked up at the second new ceiling in his life, he wondered why NERV even bothered to enroll him here in the first place.
When class ended he made it a point to talk to the class rep. He made sure Rei was gone before broaching his question.
Hikari looked disappointed at first, "Don't tell me you take what they're all saying seriously are you?"
"W-Well, what do they mean?" Shinji asked. By now the classroom had emptied.
Hikari gathered her papers. "Rei disappeared a while ago, after the city had its first attack. Even most of the people who transferred out came in to deliver their papers the day after… but Rei didn't. You know how people are- rumors start to flare up and before you know it, Rei must have died in that battle."
Shinji agreed with her assessment, but another thought struck him and he said it without thinking. "Did anyone actually die in the battle?"
Hikari's motions slowed a little. Finally, she said without looking at him, "Some did. One of my sisters was killed in that attack."
"Uwah? Hikari, I'm sorry-"
"It's not your fault." She replied, "And everyone's lost someone, one way or another. Suzuhara was absent today, but his sister was injured in the attack. Eureka lost her boyfriend Akito, and Yoko lost Kamina." She choked, "Actually… I'm surprised anyone's still left…"
Shinji wanted to move to console her, but Hikari recovered before he gathered the nerve to breach her personal circle. "But… I'm glad some people stayed. They said this is the most advanced city in the whole world… and it is, when they prepare for battle. If this place can't be safe, then where else can be when more of those monsters attack?"
Shinji swallowed as he put the pieces together. NERV was somehow responsible for this, and they were the creators and maintainers of the giant robots under the city. Somehow they protected the city. He couldn't say anything of course, but he wondered what the connection was, and why were monsters attacking the city?. "Why are the monsters coming here?" Shinji asked.
Hikari shrugged. "I don't know. They don't say why, only that they do. There's rumors of course, but…" She shrugged.
"I see…"
"Well," Hikari said as she slung her bag over her shoulder, "That's that. Class is dismissed."
"Do you need help cleaning up the place?"
Hikari smiled. "Not today, but thank you. If you want to help, maybe I can think of something special on one of the days when we need it."
"Ah…okay…"
Hikari's smile maintained. "You seem like a nice boy, Shinji. Far better than some of the troublemakers, anyway." She looked aside at the empty chairs, recalling those faces. She turned back to Shinji. "If you need help with assignments or anything don't be afraid to ask, okay?"
Shinji nodded with a smile on his own face. "Okay."
He followed her out after she locked the classroom. She had to report to the office but told Shinji she would see him tomorrow. Shinji let it off at that even though he would have liked to speak with her more. It wasn't often that he got to talk to girls… especially ones not so self-concerned with their image.
The rise of his feelings, like his hand in waving goodbye, soon dropped and he was on the return trek home. While his security pass gave him a discount, it was a quiet and uneventful ride back to his apartment. However, he had plenty of time to kill before five. Maybe he could go shopping for things in his new apartment?
He was just beginning to peruse some of the shops near one of his bus stops when his cell-phone rang.
It was the Base. "He-Hello?"
"Shinji? This is Doctor Akagi."
"S-Something wrong?"
"No, but I wanted to call to see if you were occupied. I'd like you to come down early to the base for some preliminaries. There wasn't any time yesterday and we needed to work on things on our end."
"U-uhm…" shinji glanced at his watch, "I'm not doing anything…"
"Good. Could you come to the base? Where are you now?"
Shinji blinked and confessed he had no idea. He mentioned the name of the market, and after some description Ritsuko said, "Head down the block and you'll see a sign to head into the base. Use your pass-card. I'll send someone to get you- it's something of a maze down here."
"D-Doctor?"
"Yes?"
"Could you have Asuka come and get me?"
Ritsuko paused on the other end before she replied, "Asuka's busy at the moment."
"Well then…uhm… could…" Shinji hesitated to recall her name, "Maya! Could she come to get me?"
"You've met Maya?"
"Mhmm."
"How Fortuitous, she's one of my chief staff members. I'll have her meet you there."
"Thank you Doctor."
"No problem."
Shinji hung up, took one more look at the bedsheets he had been considering, then left the supermarket and followed Ritsuko's instructions. Ten minutes later he was in a lobby not unlike the one he was forced to wait in for hours.
The wait this time, though, wasn't long. Maya appeared in short order. "Hello Shinji!" She beamed, "Didn't think I'd see you again so soon."
"Yeah…uhm…"
"I've already talked to Doctor Akagi, we're going to be going right down to the cages."
An uneasy tingle hit Shinji's spine. Yes, the Cages, for the mechanical monsters kept in the basement of NERV. Though they were supposed to be the protectors of this city… Shinji didn't know how this was done, or what was involved piloting such a hideous machine.
Maya spotted Shinji going pale and asked in a concerned tone, "Are you all right Shinji?"
"W-Why do you call them cages?" Shinji asked.
Maya's expression lost a little of the enthusiasm. "Some nickname I suppose… some of the machines have… well… gone rampant before."
"Rampant?!"
"Oh no, Shinji, don't worry," Maya held up some hands for reassurance, "This was long ago, long ago, during the initial prototypes. We have most of the bugs worked out by now."
"Most of them?"
Maya sighed in defeat. "Shinji, I don't know. Doctor Akagi and the rest of the staff have been working around the clock to keep these things intact, let alone together. So far there haven't been any problems ever since unit two was completed."
Shinji wasn't sure if that should comfort him or not, but Maya didn't seem to think he was in immediate danger. She seemed to nice of a person to be leading him to his potential death without a good measure of assurance that he'd come through this alive.
He traveled with her through the myriad corridors of the base and the twists and turns. "Uhm," he asked her at one point in the adventure, "Is this deliberately designed to get people lost?"
"Actually yes." Maya replied with a smile, "Don't worry I had to get adjusted to it too. As a pilot, the places you'll be concerned with are the cages and the briefing center. Once you memorize the places where you need to go, then it becomes easier."
Shinji nodded, and then muttered, "Doctor Akagi seemed to know her way around pretty well…"
"That shouldn't be a surprise," Maya replied, "She's been working here over half her life."
Contemplating this, Shinji wondered how much of her life was spent working with his parents… Others knowing his parents more than their own son did. A dark wave lapped over his heart, tinting it with depressing thoughts.
Maya nudged him out of it and smiled down at him. "You'll do fine Shinji. There are a ton of people here who count on people like you, and won't allow you to come to harm."
Shinji looked ahead again and a new thought came in response to her statement, "What was that battle that happened? They kept talking about it at school."
Maya's step slowed, but picked up again when she said, "There have already been attacks from angels in the city, Shinji. Unit 01 and Unit 02 have already partaken in battles against them."
"Did people die?"
Maya seemed to swallow something as she answered, "Yes, Shinji. Some did. The battle happened in the city and we had little warning or perpetration. Nobody knew what to do. Unit one was damaged, and unit two sortied in the second battle."
They reached a doorway. "At least nobody died in the second battle. Injuries yes, but no fatalities."
Shinji felt oddly relieved. NERV was new to this too.
Eventually they reached the cages. It couldn't be anything else, given that the walkway he found himself on was next to a sheer drop, separated only with a handrail. A glance down showed the floor of this drop many hundreds of meters beneath him. This suggested Evangelion was more than a floating, horrible, disembodied head. Much more.
Ritsuko was there to meet them along well as Doctor Soryo. The latter looked annoyed while working with her PDA, while Ritsuko's face seemed a little more receptive. "Shinji," Ritsuko greeted, "Thank you for coming in early."
"N-No problem…" Shinji replied. It wasn't like he had anything else to do.
Ritsuko turned to Maya. "That'll be all Maya. Make sure the equipment is all ready for unit 01."
"Will do." Maya nodded, and turned to Shinji to give him a smile before she completed her turn and left the catwalk. Shinji looked back to Ritsuko, who was holding up something. Shinji took it from her. "What is this?"
"It's a contact plug suit." Kyoko suddenly explained, lowering her PDA, "All pilots need to wear one. The changing rooms are right through there." She pointed.
Shinji looked at the door, and then down at the garment. "I have to change into this?"
"Completely." Ritsuko said, "Not even any underwear."
"What?!" Shinji panicked. The suit didn't….didn't seem very thick…
Kyoko made an exasperated sigh, but Ritsuko ignored it. "Just change into it Shinji, you'll be fine."
Shinji swallowed, looked into the doorway and then started inside.
The locker rooms were unimpressive compared to the rest of the high-tech facility. Ordinary metal lockers lined the walls of the room, with a wooden bench in the center over an ordinary tile floor. The other exit lead into a public shower and restroom. Shinji hesitated inside, then after glancing at the exit back on to the catwalk to confirm nobody was coming, he started to change.
He opened the first locker only to find it already containing a plugsuit. The next locker over contained an assortment of women's clothes. Shinji, out of modesty, moved to shut the door quickly but not before leaving a lingering look on the school uniform within. He closed the door, then opened the third to find it empty. Guessing this was his, he started to undress and stash his clothes inside.
The 'thing' he had been given was a form-fitting one piece suit. Shinji wanted to protest this revelation with Ritsuko, but he was already naked. Gritting his teeth he slipped into the oversized thing and pulled it up to his neck. The seals clipped into place, and he contemplated the baggy thing around him. Well… at least it kept his parts hidden. He started out of the lockers, clutching the excess bulk. "U-uhm… Doctor Akagi?"
The two lab coats turned. Kyoko gave another impatient grunt and looked back at her PDA. Ritsuko only smiled. "You're not done yet Shinji."
"H-Huh?"
Ritsuko stepped forward to take hold of Shinji's wrist, then depressed a control on the blocky wrist cuff of the suit.
With a hiss, the suit suddenly compacted. "Wah!" Shinji panicked as the fabrics closed around him- all of him.
Suddenly feeling very exposed, he took a step backward towards the locker rooms, covering his man-parts.
Kyoko grunted, "Do we have time for these displays Akagi?"
"Relax Shinji," Ritsuko said, ignoring Kyoko, "The suit is designed to protect you, as well as make it easy for you to synchronize with the Evangelion."
"S-Synchronize?" Shinji repeated, "What does that mean?"
Casting a glance over her shoulder at the impatient Kyoko, Ritsuko turned back to Shinji. "I'll tell you along the way. We best not test the patience of our staff."
Shinji saw the head from a different angle now.
They were standing on scaffolding over the machine's shoulder, poised at the back of the head. That amber liquid was still present, but after seeing the chasm right by the changing lockers, now he wondered how deep the pool was… and what it was hiding of the rest of the Evangelion from sight.
The neck had been opened up at the back and a long, thin white cylinder was poised above a hole. A segment had been opened, revealing a chair.
"Now," Ritsuko said as Shinji took a seat, "This is just a preliminary test to see how well you interface with the Evangelion. Normally synchronization tests are done with our simulation bodies, but we don't have any data to make comparisons. You won't be moving your machine, just sitting in it and powering it up. Understood?"
Shinji nodded.
"Now," Ritsuko said as she tapped some of the buttons on a panel within the bulk of Shinji's piloting chair, "For suspension purposes, and to ease in the synchronization between man and machine, this capsule is going to fill with a liquid."
"L-Liquid? You mean, water?"
"Not quite. A solution. However, if it makes it easier just think of it as liquid air. The official name is LCL."
"LCL? What does that stand for?"
Ritsuko just smirked. She finished her manipulation of the controls and stood up.
"B-But," Shinji grabbed the edge of the hatch frame, "I don't know how to swim!"
Ritsuko smiled. "Then I'll keep the lights off. You won't even feel it." She gestured. The hatch overhead began to close.
Shinji started to panic as the door closed overhead. With a small squeal, he was suddenly immersed in darkness… the only sounds he could hear was his own breathing. He reached up to see if the electrodes- whatever they were- were still in place over his head. All this just to pilot the machine? What did it mean to actually drive it?
Well… he didn't have to… not now, he assured himself. Shinji groped in the darkness and found the butterfly handles, and waited. Suddenly, the plug moved and he had a sensation of being pushed downward. He gave a cry, unable to keep the air in his lungs as he was suddenly rammed forward. The sounds of heavy hammering and machinery working echoed through the walls, around him.
He heard the rushing of water and started panting.
"Shinji?" A voice broke from the walls. Doctor Akagi.
"Y-Yes?!"
"Just relax. Just ordinary procedure. It's only melodramatic for you because it's your first time."
Shinji swallowed. "R-Roger…" He burped. Blinking, he wondered what just happened. Were those…air bubbles? He swayed his hand but it didn't feel any different. If anything, he felt a little weird in his head, behind his nose and just above his throat. It persisted, and he coughed to clear the tickle, and again saw bubbles. "W-What…?"
"Your plug is filled with LCL."
"What!? You mean-"
There was an echo of laughter. "Shinji, Relax. You didn't even feel it. Ready?"
Shinji gripped the handles. If it was that easy, "R-Ready…"
"Ok."
The plug suddenly blazed with light.
The scream Shinji let out made some of the staffers giggle. Maya composed herself when Kyoko turned her impatient stare in Maya's direction, but Ritsuko couldn't help but smirk herself. "Well, I have to say that's the first time any of the children reacted… in that particular way."
"The second child didn't even flinch during the tests." Kyoko replied.
Ritsuko turned her face. "I'm sure you're proud of her."
Kyoko ignored Ritsuko's comment. "Let's get down to basics. Has the third stopped hyperventilating yet?"
Ritsuko reached forward and clicked the microphone on. "Shinji, don't worry- that's just the system trying to sort itself out. It'll be a few minutes."
"Oh-Oakhay!" Shinji replied in a panicked tone, amplified by the pickup. Ritsuko leaned away from the board and peeked at a camera feed. Shinji's look would have made Misato giggle too. That was neither here nor there, though.
"Status now?" Kyoko demanded after a minute.
Maya's eyes reflected the flickering of the panel. "The system's still sorting itself out. This IS his first time in the plug… and it's been weeks since Eva-01 powered up."
"Well," Kyoko brushed a hand through her hair, "Leave it up to Ikari to contort affairs like this. We could have had unit 01 in continuous standby if it weren't for the concern for that useless child."
"To which Ikari are you referring?" Ritsuko asked, "There are three currently on the base."
"Does it matter?"
The whirlwind of lights and visions eventually faded, and Shinji's perception other than the chair was replaced by a projected cockpit. Black lines interrupted clear windows to the outside world. It was so engrossing he really felt, for a moment, that he was a giant.
He could even feel his arms clapped in the giant restraints- the steady pressure of his arms being held down and his ankles bound. He moved a hand away from one of the butterfly handles and flexed it. Yet the sensation remained.
A window flickered into existence. The flat plane was showing video feed from Ritsuko. It was angled to project right into Shinji's face. "Okay Shinji, just take it easy. The system is still starting up."
The panels continued to brighten until it seemed as if Shinji was looking outside of a window. Spontaneously, lines of text appeared in mid-air over his chest. He leaned away from them in surprise, and tried to read the English characters. They vanished before he could make them out though.
"What was that?" Maya's voice asked over the feed.
Another voice, Kyoko's, added, "That anomaly is inconsequential. Just a startup quip from the system."
"But it read something in English…"
"It happens in Unit 02, too. Just ignore it for now Maya. Shinji, are you still there?"
"Y-Yeah…"
"Good. Now, I want you to relax in the cockpit."
"Relax?"
"Yes. Just don't think about anything in particular and let yourself drift."
Shinji swallowed. Relaxing was the last thing on his mind at the moment- being where he was at the heart of an alien machine in strange surroundings. He released the handles and let his head rest against the seat. "I'll try…" He closed his eyes.
"Think of somewhere calm," Ritsuko replied, "Like your home, or your friends."
"I don't have any."
There was a pause at the other end.
"Then think of something that comforts you."
Shinji tried.
Maya, smiling at him. Hikari, a bright and beaming smile on her face.
Asuka, and the look he saw.
Maya didn't say anything, but she knew Kyoko was reacting because she felt the other woman's grip tighten on the seat rest. "Maya?" Ritsuko asked.
"Hih-his Synchronization rate," Maya said and looked up, "Forty-five percent."
Ritsuko blinked, then looked through the glass at Evangelion 01. "On his first go? Impressive."
The hum of the plug around him only made Shinji's thoughts go deeper.
Hikari, smiling at him and taking his hand. Her voice. "Would you like to have lunch together?"
Asuka, helping him decorate his apartment. A thoughtful smile is on her face.
Maya, with him at some cafeteria someplace, laughing with him about the day's events.
Ritsuko, smiling at him for a job well done.
Mother….
Shinji's eyes opened.
"Wah? Synch rate is dropping!" Maya announced with some alarm.
"Calm down." Kyoko said, "How-"
Even Kyoko stopped at the sudden drop. Thirty percent…twenty….
"Shinji?"
Those eyes. Both of them. Silent, monolithic figures. They weren't saying anything.
"WHY?!" Shinji cried out to both of them, "WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME!?"
Nothing.
Shinji…
"Shinji?"
Shinji!?
"SHINJI!?"
Shinji blinked, panting and leaning forward, breathing raggedly. Slowly, he turned to Ritsuko's face. It was impassive.
"I think we're done, Shinji."
Shinji wasn't sure if he had done something wrong or not. The process of being extracted from the machine was subdued. This time, he was aware of the LCL's retreat in the darkness when he felt fluid around his mouth. He coughed up the rest.
Light broke into the plug and he looked up into Ritsuko's face. She stared down at him for a moment. "Come on," She finally said, "You need to get dressed. We're done with you today."
Shinji took her hand and climbed out of the plug. After several wet footsteps away from it he looked back and wondered what exactly happened there.
Sometime en-route back to the changing room, Shinji swallowed and asked, "Did I do something wrong, Doctor Akagi?"
Ritsuko turned her head to give him a glance, then looked forward again as she said, "No Shinji, you performed wonderfully."
"I did?"
Ritsuko nodded. "Your synchronization scores were… better… than what we expected."
Shinji blinked to consider this. "But then…what was…"
"Shinji," Ritsuko said and came to a stop in the hallway. Shinji halted and turned to her as she continued, "The Evangelions are highly sensitive to emotions and feelings. Over time, you might have a better rapport with the Eva and the controls might not be as sensitive. But take care not to loose yourself, and keep in control of your feelings, especially now at the beginning. Do you understand?"
Shinji looked away and at the chasm. "I… I don't know." He shook his head a little, balling his hands, "I don't know!" He squeezed his eyes shut, tensing in anger.
Ritsuko watched him, then closed her eyes to make a compromise with herself. "You're a fourteen year old boy." She said as she opened her eyes again. "I need to remind myself of that fact. You did well today, Shinji. If you keep practicing you'll only get better with time."
Shinji relaxed, staring down at the chasm.
"Come on," Ritsuko sighed as she started walking again, "I don't think you'll want to be standing too long covered in LCL."
Shinji, realizing how cold and wet he was, widened his eyes and hurried after Ritsuko.
Shinji ducked into the changing rooms with every intention to rinse off and change. He just about barreled into the bathroom at the back when to his shock he found someone else was already using the shower. A squawk echoed out of his gullet and he retreated back into the lockers- mind racing at what he had seen. "I-I'm sorry!" He cried. Hearing nothing, he opened his eyes. Then he noticed one of the lockers was open.
The first one.
Hearing the patting of feet, Shinji looked up in a panic to see the naked back of a woman. His blood rate started to rise, as did other things, as he watched her change from behind into the plugsuit. When she was done, she turned and locked eyes with him.
He stared back, horror in his eyes and face as he recognized the woman as Rei.
A small eternity passed, but then she turned her head away and moved out of the room without saying anything or a change in expression. When she disappeared around the bend Shinji remained tense for a moment longer, mind reeling at what he had seen.
Finally he collapsed with a loud, expressive sigh that knocked around his throat, coming out as a mix of a groan and a scream. What…the hell… was….
"Shinji?" Ritsuko's voice echoed into the room, "Hurry up in there!"
Shinji snapped back to reality and fumbled through the shower, and getting dressed, his mind in disarray. He more or less stumbled out of the locker rooms when he was finished, shock still plain on his face at what he had seen. He looked at Ritsuko, but he didn't start at her face.
Dr. Akagi looked down on him, sighed, then said, "I'm sorry. I had forgotten the rooms were co-ed and that Rei was scheduled early for her own tests." She opened her eyes again. "Let's get you home Shinji. I'll drive you there."
Shinji was still trying to recover his thoughts, and only nodded at Ritsuko's suggestion.
After a very quiet trip, Shinji did nothing but collapse in his bed to try puzzling out what had occurred this evening. Before long, he was asleep. There, his dreams began to weave the answers.
To say NERV had special areas was a drastic understatement. NERV was a beehive of special areas, each special in one degree over the other. One particular area was the Commander's office. The wide, circular space held only one article of furniture. Seated there now was the supreme commander of NERV's activities. Next to him was subcommander Fuyutuski, and on the other side of the chair was Scientific department head Yui Ikari.
On the other side of the desk was Kyoko Zeppelin Soryu. She had placed a print-out on the commander's desk.
Gendo had just finished reading it, and placed it down on the desk. "You have reason for concern, doctor?"
Kyoko kept her temper in check. "The last time we approached a negative synchronization rate was when Evangelion 00 went berserk. You mean to tell me this," She nodded at the print out, "Isn't a cause for concern?"
Yui said from the commander's side, "Evangelion 01 remained stable all through the test."
"And for that we should be grateful." Kyoko replied, "Imagine what would have happened if Unit 01 went Berserk as well. We're lucky that we have unit 02, but imagine if two of the three were out of commission during the next battle."
"We've managed in the past with one unit." Fuyutuki said, "And the commander has every confidence in Major Katsuragi's tactical ability to command."
"You can't command an Eva after it's had a temper-tantrum." Kyoko said, then shrugged her shoulders, "Unless you think there is some way to recover an Evangelion after its thrown its saddle?"
"We hope to find out." Yui said.
Kyoko hesitated. "You're not serious… you mean… you intend to continue with scenario 7A? Have you any idea what could happen if we don't catch it this time before Synchro-inversion? You're not afraid of another impa-"
Gendo held up a hand. At her silence, he lowered it. "I think that is enough alarm and speculation for now, Doctor."
"Speculation? It's virtually proven FACT given what we have analyzed-"
"Yet," Fuyutsuki interrupted, "It has yet to be actually proven, doesn't it? The Commander and Scientific advisor feel that recovery of Unit 00 is possible, despite your hypothesis, doctor."
"We will go through with that plan." Gendo said behind his hands, folded now before his face. "As to the matter of Unit 01 and its pilot, Doctor Akagi has assumed the responsibility of ensuring both become operational by the end of the week. Your duties are to the maintenance of the other pilots until such time that the third children has been certified as combat-active. Evangelion 01 and the pilot are not your concern until then."
Kyoko parted her lips to protest, but decided against the better of it. "Understood, Commander." She winced, "But if we experience another near-catastrophe with the Evangelion units going awry, I will consider filing protest against you for ignoring my warning for the consequences."
"Duly noted. Dismissed, Doctor."
Kyoko said nothing more, turning sharply on her heel and walking out of the office. After the door closed, she shut her eyes to suppress a moment of anger. She moved forward after taking a second to find a new directive.
She presented herself ready the second time for today.
"Good. Now, we will begin synchronization trials in unit 02 to improve your performance."
"But I was just in the plug this-"
A slap was remarkably unheard in that area of the base, despite the huge volume of area that was within earshot. It was only the two of them in the cages.
"Your synchronization performance is lacking, second children. And don't think I haven't been monitoring your grades, either. Consider this punishment for failing this morning's exam."
Asuka halted, eyes wide. "But I asked the instructor to grade it after I took the test, how could-"
Another slap. Asuka fell quiet and stood straight again, eyes downcast.
"Now." Kyoko said, facing her daughter, "We will go to the cages, and you will synchronize with your Evangelion. We will continue the procedure until you can match at least 40%. That is the only way you are going home tonight. Understood?"
Asuka blinked, no life in her eyes as she listened to the instructions. Finally, she answered, "Yes, mother."
Kyoko stared at the red-plug-suited girl before turning on her heel and walking down the hallway, gesturing with her hand over her shoulder as if she was pulling a chain.
Asuka Soryu Langly, Second Child and pilot of Evangelion 02, obediently followed.
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R+