Disclaimer: Neon Genesis Evangelion belongs to the Gainax Company. The Darkness belongs to Top Cow Productions. I do not own either series in any way or form. I am not receiving any money for this project. This is something spawned from my fandom of two incredible series.
Antiheroes of Eva: Deepest Darkness
Chapter III
Tokyo-3 was moving back toward some normalcy in the one week since the three Evangelion Units went up against one of their own corrupted battlemechs. The ongoing conflict with the angelic menace was yielding some interesting stories for the worldwide media and the internet buzz was explosive. One of the most intriguing stories was how over twenty thousand citizens were returning to the military metropolis in the wake of the twelfth angel. It was believed that with the most recent victories and one sizeable portion of the city returning from the Dirac Sea, people were confident in the agency. There were many newcomers who were moving into the vacant homes and beginning new careers and most were seduced by the opportunity to witness history unfolding before them. An unorganized army of reporters and cameraman were either roaming the concrete jungle or camping out in the countryside awaiting their moment. The gaze of the world was upon Tokyo-3.
However, it was within the monotonous corridors of the Geofront where rumor and gossip came to be focused on the recent sentencing of Shinji Ikari. The security personnel did not work to contain the spreading knowledge that their young operator would be sitting in solitary confinement for an entire month. The pending charges were firmly documented and the commander's own reasoning was quite logical.
However, there were many engineers and technicians taking part in the growing debate over the rumored discharge of the Third Child. The whole situation was outrageous and demoralizing to the many people who considered how so many conditions were ignored by the agency. There were some who came to the defense of the disgraced champion and others who were dismissed for giving vocal support of the young man. It was quite unfortunate that such support was never afforded to the young warrior before his fateful awakening, back when it would have done so much more for him.
Touji Suzahara was the epicenter of what focus got around the vacuum of the conspiracy. It was quite inspiring that the young man was prepared to remain in the war, even in the wake of the trauma wrought by that vicious parasite. The Fourth Child narrowly got away from the grasp of the reaper, but it was not enough to keep him from jumping right into a regiment of extreme pilot training. Touji was not ignorant that the world was depending on the young pilots, but there were other reasons he was throwing himself into the angelic conflict. His younger sister would not survive without the advanced medical technology and knowhow wielded by the government agency. The boy knew he owed Shinji Ikari and was prepared to stand with him on the frontlines.
Finally, there were some moronic reports about parts of the underground complex being haunted…
Indeed, the Darkling Hoards were running rampant due to the ample shadows of the abandoned maintenance corridors and the winding transport tunnels. The psychotic laughter reported by the overworked engineers was that of the demonic army, who were often cackling away with their own frenzied amusement. It was important to remain unseen and unheard, but it would have been unreasonable to forbid them some freedom around after almost fifteen years of dreamless slumber. There were enough popular rumors about random phantoms haunting the underground stronghold for the supernatural miscreants to do some wandering without rousing too much suspicion. Of course, by morning there would be a good number of innocent workers worried about missing equipment and without their pilfered lunchboxes. One more rumor would come out about someone wandering around ripping down the crappy inspiration posters covering every office of the compound. Shinji Ikari just might have been humored by their mischief had the opportunity not made him so much more focused on the moment.
The Third Child was not content to do what most prisoners would do. He was not going to snooze around the clock waiting for the time to tick by. He was not going to sit on the cot, waiting on those horrible meals to be dropped through the bottom hatch of the door. He was not going to spend hours write covering the concrete walls in nonsensical messages. He was not going to leer into the shadows or wallow around in his own disgusting regret of the imprisonment. Shinji Ikari would not waste the time.
Commander Ikari could not have known that an entire month in the darkness would provide the tragic young man with one more advantage over his predecessors. Shinji would have more than enough time to become one with the lingering shadows and would come that much closer to understanding his own growing potential. The commander was ignorant to believe that the young man would become withdrawn and submissive under the isolation of his own company. Shinji wanted to become stronger and was quite determined to do what was necessary over the coming weeks. He would overcome the many weaknesses imposed upon him. He would then work to achieve an even greater plateau unknown to the mere mortals who surrounded him. He would be ready to step out into the ruined world, a once unknown and expendable pawn returning as something so much more powerful. Shinji Ikari would become his own king.
However, his determination alone was not enough to be fruitful. He would require support.
Shinji found that support in the mysterious demonic emissary who reigned over the Darkling Hoard, whose authority was second only in the presence of their young sovereign. The impish scribe's sardonic nature and occasional dramatic nonsense might have made him unconventional, but there would have been no finer teacher than Lord Dante. The ancient imp was known to have taught over twenty of the previous wielders. He would have known how to make the young warrior stronger and how to monopolize on the opportunity.
The training regiment was quite similar to that of the agency, but it was so much more about focus of the mind and power of the body. The blessings of the dark gift were dependent upon the condition of the sovereign's own prowess of the body, mind and spirit. The three mediums amplified and contributed to the ancient power in their own way and Shinji Ikari was determined to pursue each one of them. He wanted to prove himself worthy of the ominous birthright which woke him to the ruined world.
The body was the medium of strength and fortitude.
The dark gift was often not so much about throwing around brute force or standing up against it, but required someone who would not become overwhelmed by how much was demanded of the human form. The ferocity of the ancient power would be enough to cripple or destroy a common weakling, even if that weakling was its own chosen sovereign. It was not just necessary to become stronger and quicker, but one would need to grow with the stamina to realize even greater might. It was known that there were many passive powers connected to the condition of the body which were made available to the sovereign through training. The most ominous power was the healing factor, allowing the sovereign to quickly overcome fatigue and recover from injuries which would have most common mortals sent to the cemetery.
To empower his weak body would prove to be a grueling experience. Shinji was nowhere close to being one of those pumped jocks or nimble acrobats who so often amazed the world with their common powers. Shinji would be pushed farther than most young men could go within just one month.
However, Shinji Ikari was nothing if not resourceful. The narrow prison was not made for an extreme workout, but the young man would make due using nothing more than his own body. Shinji would perform those warm up and cool down routines to avoid discomfort, but that is where his work out would move away from the conventional. His opening exercise was using the rickety spring mattress as a makeshift punching bag. He cut loose on the flimsy bedding for hours upon hours, punching and kicking with a growing tempo which worked him to a dripping sweat. He knew enough about general exercise from school and some of those fitness programs his roommates would often demand to watch, often focusing on the buffed trainers. He would spend entire quarters of the day pushing himself to fainting exhaust in the confines of the narrow cell, a mixture of sweat and blood gathering on the smooth concrete floor. Shinji would often break away from exercise, jumping and throwing himself around the room or just running in one spot in the effort to keep the burn going. He knew nothing much would change in one month, but was aware of the power coming out the further he drove himself toward the next plateau.
The mind was the medium of creation and perception.
The demonic blessing was often known in occult circles for its most infamous and coveted trait, the power to create from the surrounding darkness. It was required that the chosen sovereign have some modicum of intelligence, but it was not near as important as a vivid imagination and refined knowhow. The daggers and needles crafted in those earliest hours were just a chip from the tip of the iceberg and were did not do the power justice. The Darkness could not create the complex without its chosen sovereign having some knowledge on how their creation would function out in the world. So, one must work and expand their horizons before they would be capable of crafting their own arsenal of modern firearms and organic creatures. The clarity of the mind would work with the accuracy of the creations and with enough insight it was quite possible to work right down to the atomic units.
To broaden his own horizons would bring about many migraines. Shinji was one whose tragic history made him want to remain grounded and looking outside the box was often drawn away from his grasp. Shinji would spend another portion of the month looking for knowledge and enlightenment.
Shinji spent many years without friends growing up in his own world, dreaming away about other universes and adventures which were once thought to be impossible. The young man was not without the strong vision necessary to make the dark gift his very own, marked by extreme proficiency and versatility. However, there were no ancient secrets or hidden shortcuts when it came to absorbing the knowhow to craft the more complex. Shinji would be made to consume more knowledge than most university students could pack into four year of undergraduate work. The mischievous imps were quite useful in securing the one of the most important resources, showing up with an unissued agency laptop. Shinji would become consumed learning the basic principles of ironwork, engineering, chemistry, biology and a couple dozen other subjects suggested by the demonic ambassador. Shinji was an intelligent young man gifted with an open mind which was built like an iron trap. Yes, Shinji would become an excellent creator.
The spirit was the medium of energy and vitality.
The ancient birthright drew its power supply from the spirit of the chosen sovereign, allowing extensive use of the various paranormal powers afforded to the wielder. The clarity of the mind and the strength of the body are inconsequential if the spirit of the newest recipient is not confident or powerful enough to command it. The mortal spirit is what allowed the chosen sovereign to craft from the darkness and perform awesome feats which cannot be explained. The demonic emissary claimed it was would empower what could not be created, claiming how one wielder was once taken by the gift to summon dark energy. The strong spirit would allow superior command of the demonic imps, whose own bloodlust and violence did not overtake the desires of their sovereign. Finally, the ancient power was one of chaotic origin and drew power from the array of emotions which often came roaring out from men and women alike.
Shinji Ikari was not required to spend even a moment meditating upon his tragic spirit…
The demonic force required someone who was strong in their own right and the young rogue's indomitable spirit and steadfast determination made him more than a match. Shinji knew resolve and determination when it came down to his own missions in life, and he would not surrender without the most severe kind of bloody struggle. His weak body could have been broken down. His soft mind could be corrupted. It was inconsequential when the young warrior's spirit could not be overcome, not even when confronted by the most horrible circumstances of warfare, the callousness of treachery or the reality of his own fleeting mortality. Shinji Ikari could be pushed right to the edge and left hanging out over the abyss, but would come back from the brink so much stronger than before. There were many throughout his life which fought to convince him that he was a minor pawn without purpose.
A pitiful statistic which was insignificant to the grand scheme…
A trivial and utterly disposable commodity to be used up and thrown away…
A wretched orphan who was destined to pass from the world unknown, unloved and unremembered…
Somehow, in his own way, the boy had always known they were wrong.
Shinji Ikari knew what kind of person he was. He was a good person who gave everyone a chance and was rarely willing to judge beforehand. He was the kind of moral person who would give before he took and never dream of committing a crime which could ever hurt the innocent. He was one of those rare true friends who would lend support and encouragement, and would never dispraise the good works of his peers. He was an honorable person who would not turn away from corruption or the violation of the innocent. He was not someone who would have desired conquest or domination, but sought to be content in his own life. He was not someone who would support causes or wage wars which were not his own, he was often nervous with his own minute grudges. He was not someone who went looking for trouble and would not go up against anyone who did not deserve some justice. He was not someone to be misdirected or made to compromise his own morality.
Shinji knew resolve and determination when it came to his own missions in life, but he suspected it would be some time before he knew what his new purpose would be wielding his newfound power. He was confident that he would find it on his own. It would be a righteous mission of his own choosing and it would not be swayed by the arrogant ambitions of another power, nor would the lone warrior. Indeed, Shinji Ikari would sooner die than surrender himself back to being just another puppet. He was not a pawn to any mere mortal.
He grew amused just thinking about his accursed parent.
The commander's composure was crackling and the young man knew it. His utter disregard for superior command brought out more raw emotion in one moment than the commander would show in an entire year. Shinji was quite proud of just how much of that unwavering façade had been torn away. Gendo Ikari had become terribly angry and was quite malleable during that absurd meeting. He was without suspicion over just how much he was being manipulated by his abandoned offspring. It would be many years before someone would come to discover just how many common traits there were to be found between the pilot and the commander. Shinji Ikari had been counting on spending time alone in the darkness and knew that pushing back would result in the pointless punishment. It was a trivial consequence he had arranged on his own.
However, there were some consequences of the demonic awakening which were beyond the knowledge or comprehension of the chosen sovereign. It was a chain reaction determined since the very beginning and it would echo out into the ruined world in ways which no mere mortal could possibly begin to fathom. In the one month that the young man worked to meet the strict requirement of the ancient power, one of those consequences would be discovered. An ominous circumstance brought about by the awakening which would rewrite a horrific conspiracy more than twenty years in the making.
The commander's own brilliant scenario was about to change in a big way.
It was around three weeks after the unjust sentencing that the reactivation analysis rolled around for the three recently repaired Evangelion Units, despite the constant protests from Ritsuko Akagi. The majority of the emergency maintenance on the biomechanical constructs had yet to be overlooked or approved by the primary technicians. The trace amounts of angelic corruption were being burned out of Unit-00 and Unit-03, both of which were horribly contaminated in the previous battle. There was not much progress being made due to the raw tedium of the procedure and none of the war machines could be deemed operational without the good doctor's clearance. The organization was prepared with the mint condition test type and production model, but both required numerous checks to the control and emergency systems. The grim situation was not improved by one of the young operators going against orders and being imprisoned.
The administrator of the wondrous project would have required another week, but the commander was quite adamant about pushing the process forward. It was an aggressive violation of agency protocol, but the dire circumstances of the moment would have justified much worse. NERV could never know when their next opponent would be coming out from the shadows and the agency would require more manpower to combat the monstrous invaders. The MAGI Supercomputer System was in unanimous agreement over the growing notion that the parasitic abomination might have survived the burning onslaught which chased it away from Unit-03. There were random scanning readouts coming from the wilderness bearing blue blood signals, promising that the horrific creature was recovering and would doubtlessly return before the war was won.
Ritsuko Akagi knew there would be so much more risk from that point forward. The poor woman summoned the children in the middle of the afternoon and went along with the grueling examinations she did not want to perform. The brilliant scientist stood in one of the auxiliary control rooms just away from the holding chambers where the war machines were kept away from the limelight. The three ranking technicians, often known as the Bridge Bunnies for some unknown reason, were present at their respective workstations. Ritsuko monitored the main screen along with her former roommate and longtime companion, but the other woman was quite irritated by the recent summons. However, there was an aura of sorrow covering up the anger.
The streaming video of the three children gave insight into their mindset.
Rei Ayanami was focused on the moment with the intimate knowledge that the war machine was her purpose, but the young woman was synching with growing detachment. It was the exotic young woman's constant neutrality and emotional immaturity which often proved problematic when it came to uniting with her azure prototype. The First Child did not have any personal reason to be proud or passionate about her position in the program, not even the approval of the commander was enough to inspire her anymore. She found that there was nothing in the outside world to be cherished or protected, but was merely convinced that piloting was a determined circumstance. She accepted it without argument or complaint, in the same way one might accept an allergic reaction or some minor social obligation. Her synchronization ratio came just over sixty percent. It was enough to operate the war machine successfully and keep the union from breaking, but the young woman never came anywhere close to being exceptional.
Asuka Langley Sohryu knew how to concentrate on the synthetic union with her crimson war machine, but the redhead never dropped that confident smirk. The young woman's pride often ran the gambit between confidence and arrogance, but made her that much more determined to achieve excellence. It was a double-edged sword to the teenage warrior. The pride was an advantage over others who might have lacked confidence, but it was a terrible handicap when circumstances came to mock her passion. It was evident from the occasional defeat and the growing competition with her companions that she sought to advance herself through victory. Her ratio came out around seventy percent in the wake of her most recent defeat, but it was worsened by her three weeks away from the cockpit. It was a predictable result considering how worried the girl was about her roommate and how it was leeching away at the morale of the agency.
Touji Suzahara was quickly improving in the wake of the faux blonde's vicious training program, on the way to becoming one of the most ambitious trainees in the history of the program. It was typical for his rough features to be affixed in a determined scowl while a piercing gaze scanned and devoured the information on the holographic screens before him. It was obvious to the entire agency that the Fourth Child was quite different from the other three children. He was the teenage embodiment of the bitter soldier, wanting to be away from the warzone while knowing there were not going to be any reinforcements to turn the tide of the conflict. The jock took the entire situation with the utmost severity, never complaining about discomfort and never considering the rewards of glorious victory. It was true that his younger sister would not survive without the next-generation medical treatments promised by the agency, but that was not his main reason any more. He was more than just the good brother, he was a devoted friend.
"Shinji stood up for me." He'd once told her during one training session. "I will not let him go down for it."
"Ayanami and Sohryu, you're both picking up on the synch procedure and should be back to your averages in no time. Give the simulation just another ten minutes and we'll get something to eat afterwards." The operations director's words came with volume and authority, but were without the same righteous conviction she was known for. The three children were not aware of it, but none of them were that close enough to the woman to pick up on it. The Fourth Child had no intention of getting to know the woman as anything more than his superior officer, having stained her own reputation with her own fateful decisions.
"Suzahara, I know it's different from the training simulator." Katsuragi was quite hesitant to turn her attention to the inexperienced newcomer, knowing just how much trauma the entire project had put on him. "I just want you to pace yourself for now and keep your mind focused on the union between yourself and your machine. The real world construct is much more demanding than your regiment might have led you to believe."
"I understand." Suzahara murmured back over the radio before looking back down at the holographic screens idling before him in the mobile cockpit. The young jock did not turn away from that point forward. It was amazing to believe that just three weeks before he was enamored with the major, now there was little more to be found than a mountain of tension honeycombed with disappointment. However, Misato would not hold it against him considering her own opinion of her career and her own choices was plummeting.
Major Katsuragi was not wearing her typical jacket, the charm of the black and crimson icon having been stripped away by her ward's imprisonment. She was down in the dumps most days in recent weeks, due to the military tribunal where so many of them bore witness to Shinji Ikari giving up on them. By her own admission, she was ashamed that she allowed her own career ambition to so completely overshadow the protective instincts for the young man. She was aware that the commander would have not been convinced otherwise, but the poor woman couldn't get over how she just gave up without more of an argument. The commander's decision to restrict visitation obviously did nothing to improve the souring disposition of the raven-haired woman.
"You've really got to stop beating yourself up, major." Ritsuko murmured off to one side, making sure none of the technicians would eavesdrop on the subject matter. "Shinji's punishment was not your fault. The commander is not one to be convinced otherwise once that sick mind is made up."
"It was the principle of the matter, doctor." Misato spat out the honorific without much esteem or contempt, wanting to forget it was not one of her many professional problems. It was an issue which was too close for her to ignore. "I'm supposed to look out for him and did nothing but bend over for that bastard. Since when do you care anyway?"
"Shinji is my patient." Ritsuko knew it not sound like much coming from her, the organization's cool and often callous research director. "I am worried about how they are treating him in the stockade. It is almost enough to make me want to send some anonymous messages to some of our supporters."
"What are you talking about?" Katsuragi's tone was severe. Ritsuko's gaze was somehow drawn to the major's precious handgun which was openly exposed without the iconic jacket to cover it. The career officer's personal firearm was never absent and the faux blonde could name over a dozen people who'd been put under pressure by the barrel of the USP. Ritsuko did not bother dawdling.
"There is a rumor that one of the prisoners was just starring at the door without a single word and his behavior is worrying our security personnel." Doctor Akagi did not bother waiving the unfortunate truth, knowing there were not many others who could have broken the news without her snapping. Indeed, the research director was not so corrupted by the agency not to have some emotion for the young man. "I know there are some other prisoners awaiting sentence in the stockade, thieves and traitors mostly, but I am not aware if any of them were moved to solitary confinement."
"Shinji… What does that bastard hope to accomplish?" Katsuragi snarled with disdain before slowly looking back over one shoulder to the supreme commander, who was in that moment seated above them upon his towering podium like some powerful tyrant.
The guardian was worried about her ward, but could not have known how pointless those concerns were. There were not many who could have been aware that most of the other prisoners were frequently mocked and tormented by the young sovereign's mischievous minions. Shinji was often content enough to keep quiet in the dingy prison, amused by the comical and destructive antics of the demonic hoard. In that very moment, there were two or three of the imps watching the synchronization exams from the cooling vents just overhead. One of them was munching on some popcorn snatched away from an unsuspecting worker.
The show grew boring with about ten minutes of the people just watching the monitors.
"Sempai…" Maya Ibuki was the one who chose to break the ominous silence, the nervous young woman speaking up from her work station with obvious hesitation. "Our computers should have more than enough data to get the average readings from the three children. I believe two hours will be more than sufficient."
Ritsuko considered it a moment before nodding.
"Agreed." The superior woman's focus shifted over to the very next workstation. "Aoba, submit the power down operations and have the entry plugs removed immediately. We won't need the pilots around to perform our evaluation of the onboard computers."
"Got it." Shigeru Aoba did not even get one keystroke in on the order.
"Hold those orders, Lieutenant." The commander's strong voice came down from the raised platform with that same impassive and contemptible authority. It was not quite to the point that it was biting into people, but the man's voice was carrying enough severity to discourage doubt in his decisions. Gendo Ikari stood up from the modern throne and turned to one of the monitors looking out over the cages. His focus turned to the dormant one almost forgotten by the technicians. "Proceed with the power up operation to Evangelion Unit 01 and run the connection exam with the newest version of the Dummy Plug System."
There was some brief silence before the sound of keyboards took over the room, not one of the personnel even bothering to confirm the command. Had the numerous technicians not been so nervous around the commander, the entire room would have been drowned in an obnoxious groan. There were not many workers who would have gone without complaint and some of the most dedicated were breaking down to the weary tedium. A couple of the minor technicians on the lower platform made snide comments about unpaid overtime under whispered conversation. Katsuragi pinched the ridge of her nose in the same moment her fiery ward dropped back in the entry plug, throwing out couple choice swears in her foreign tongue. Commander Ikari was not moved.
"Commander…" Ritsuko took a moment, cursing her own personal dedication to her pristine career and the agency protocol which came with research and development. It was moronic to go against the commander, but the consequences could be much worse without a more proper approach. "We have modified and rewritten the code seven times in just three weeks and couldn't get even one of them anywhere close to minimum synchronization. We need more time to figure out the problems and conduct simulations to improve functionality."
"Unfortunately," The commander's voice took an edge over the confrontation. "We do not have the luxury of time and cannot afford even the temporary reduction of firepower, Doctor Akagi. Our opponents are not going to wait and a single wasted moment could cost us the entire war. You will conduct the connection experiment and your team will resume working to correct the problem."
The commander was not known for going back on his own decisions. The annoyed reaction made it even more evident that further argument would be a moot point. There was some chatter among the weary doctor's department about just how much time the newest system rewrite could drain from the next week.
Gendo Ikari dropped back into his seat. He gave a glance over to the streaming feed of the three pilots. "The other three units will remain active on the sidelines in the event of the unforeseen. Unit 01 is to be restrained but not damaged."
The blunette and redhead were impassive enough, but Touji Suzahara wore an irate sneer a couple seconds before forcing himself to regain his composure. It was obvious that the experimental autopilot system was severely flawed, going haywire and berserk during its one sortie against the thirteenth angel. The Fourth Child did not want to damage Unit 01, but was open to the concept of getting back at the homicidal computer. Shinji Ikari would not have cared one way or another about someone busting up the war machine. The commander would have had plenty to rant about over one scratch in the paint.
One can imagine whose opinion Touji would value more.
It was another twenty minutes of monotonous quiet as the dormant monstrosity was hooked up to the power supply and was suddenly brought back to life. The body of the armored behemoth was racked with tension upon activation, but it was one of the common effects which had come to be expected. The crimson dummy plug was brought out into the open by a mechanical arm once the power up process was proven successful. The waiting children watched as it was dropped down into the spinal column opening and the connection procedure was initiated. A miasma of computer gibberish came out from the technicians of the command center, a dizzying amount of numerical statistics spawning as the nerve connections were made. The dummy plug was the commander's pet project, reportedly designed with the superior talents from the four young operators. It was obviously made to someday replace the human element and phase out troublesome emotion and inexperience, not to mention the concepts of morality and insubordination. The command put so much confidence in the system, that it was quite surprising when the glowing eyes suddenly went dark and the connection process was rejected.
"Lieutenant, what happened?" the commander demanded without even bothering to address one of the three ranking technicians who could have given him an answer.
Lieutenant Ibuki stood up and took the initiative. "Evangelion Unit 01 did not respond to the activation process and rejected the nerve connection with the dummy plug system. It's the same communication problem we've experienced from the last seven times."
"How is that possible?" The commander was quick to accept the young woman's assessment, one gloved hand moving to correct those iconic glasses. "I was informed the error was addressed over the weekend."
"We… that is, our department, we…" Maya wanted to come back, but was too thrown by the pressure and was not sure there was an answer which would satisfy the tyrant.
"Commander!" Aoba immediately came to the aid of his co-worker, jumping up from his workstation and displaying some comparison results on the mainframe monitor. "Doctor Akagi's report should point out that the recent nerve connection issue was resolved. We found that the signal termination plug was interfering with the dummy plug starting up as the primary operator which was causing rejection. We rewrote some of the code to bypass the security measures, but never got enough time to thoroughly check it."
It was a good answer which served to explain why the production models were not having the same connection problems as their predecessors. The newest units were designed with a modular computer system, allowing much simpler process when the agency required changes or upgrades. The azure prototype was incompatible with the dummy plug system due to an original coding which often confused and disoriented the autopilot. However, to the commander's chagrin, the horned war machine gave out constant rejections over the dummy plug system despite excessive modification. It was an annoying situation which became worse by the day.
The commander took a moment to muse over it before nodding to the second-rate guitarist. "Good work. It would explain why the production units are not in constant rejection of the connection process." His intense gaze quickly turned back toward the faux blonde. "Doctor Akagi, you are sure the rejection problem cannot be something with the dummy plug system; perhaps some defective internal component or mismanaged wiring?"
Ritsuko was quick to come to the defense of her own work. "It would be an impossible coincidence. We have utilized seven different dummy plugs during the course of our experiments and every one of them was made using one of our standard entry plugs as the casing. There are not many options, but the problem cannot be with the dummy plug system."
The commander did not move in that moment and looked down upon the faux blonde with a severe expression. It was one of pure contempt which nearly broke through the impassive façade. "Just what are you suggesting, Doctor Akagi?"
The good doctor fought to keep her own nervousness in check and looked down at her portable datapad showing an archive of information. It was a moment before she found there was just one answer and she knew it was not going to go smoothly with the commander. "I'm afraid that the problem would have to reside somewhere within Evangelion Unit 01."
The commander's piercing gaze narrowed into a hideous glower which made the professional woman regret her words. It was obvious in that moment that she was wanted dead. The commander soon regained his composure, drawing back the sudden rage long enough to come back with that same placid expression. His imposing voice came out a soft growl. "Explain yourself."
"Commander Ikari…" Ritsuko's throat was suddenly quite dry and her hands were trembling. The commander took severe exception to the major's sudden input. In the tormented mind of Commander Ikari, the merest suggestion that the horned biomechanical monster boasted some manner of imperfection was a vicious insult to the memory of his late wife. Ritsuko was quick to move on with her impromptu report. "You must understand that Unit 01 has been rendered dormant for almost three weeks and has not undergone any procedure beyond the contamination screenings. Unit 01 could have been suffered internal damage during the sortie against Unit 03." Ritsuko was just barely holding herself together when the answer popped into her mind. "A normal activation with one of the pilots should give us the information we need to find the problem in either the dummy plug system or the battlemech."
The commander did not respond for a moment, grappling briefly with the situation before giving a curt nod to the project director. "Alright… You will commence with the standard activation procedure."
Ritsuko Akagi was quite pleased to turn away from the commander and focus on her subordinates, who were awaiting her instructions with visible apprehension. The director nodded toward the senior technicians and came forward with the necessary orders. "Lieutenant Aoba, have the dummy plug system removed and prepare one of the reserve entry plugs for immediate activation. Lieutenant Hyuga, archive our current data and prepare the system for deep activation analysis. Lieutenant Ibuki, deactivate the dummy plug program and restore the operations systems to the optimal settings for the designated operator."
"Right!"
"Right!"
"Right!"
The three senior technicians went to work with blistering efficiency, showing the prowess which got them into their illustrious positions. The young woman of the trio was inputting the necessary commands and was almost done when a sudden request from the computer had her stopping. The young woman's mentor took noticed of the sudden pause and cringed upon realizing her own miscalculation. The agency dossier brought up on one of the workstation monitors reminded her that the regular pilot was not an option for the moment. "Sempai, who do you want me to program the optimal settings for: Ayanami or Sohryu?"
The weary doctor reached up to remove her own elegant frames and rubbed her sore eyes out of some horrid mixture of exhaustion and frustration. Rei Ayanami was quick to raise one hand within her own entry plug, much of the ongoing discussion flowing over the open communications system. Ritsuko Akagi looked to the streaming vision of the exotic young woman and scoffed. "I volunteer to work with Unit 01."
"Denied." the commander made the announcement quite abruptly and suddenly had every worker looking back at the raised platform. Commander Ikari was hunching over his own workstation with his gloved fingers interwoven and brought up before his mouth. The pose was an iconic stature so often taken by the commander during operations or experiments and it was practiced to conceal emotion and impose authority. It was a psychological tactic along with the transition frames, allowing him to scheme and contemplate without nosy people trying to examine him. In that moment it covered the slightest smirk forming on his mouth. "Lieutenant Ibuki, proceed with the standard configuration of the Third Child."
The command center was quickly thrown from the occasional comment to vented chattering over the commander's shocking decision, the second one of the month. The three children wore varying degrees of emotion over the streaming video, from the honor student's sudden curiosity to the jock's seething outrage. The foreign redhead was even more upset in the moment. The ranking technicians were quite apprehensive when it came to the young man and were openly shifting at their workstations. The bridge bunnies had worked against him on orders from the commander three weeks earlier and almost contributed to the murder of the Fourth Child. It was obvious that the rogue pilot would have good reason to resent them. Ritsuko Akagi was quite stunned in her own right, remembering more than a couple comments about how the dummy plug system was supposed to remove the furious introvert from the scenario. She might have been intimately involved in the commander's grand scheme, but found she was disgusted with the attempts to break down the young man. Misato Katsuragi was a focal point of rage and hatred in the moment, summoning up every ounce of restraint to avoid draw her sidearm on the commander out of impulse. It took even more composure not to toss some of her choice swearwords at the arrogant bastard.
It was no surprise that the research director would manage to recover before anyone else, her own mounting outrage never once holding a candle to her professionalism. A curt gesture to her horrified apprentice had the poor girl working out the rest of the process. Unit 01 was soon programmed with the optimal settings of its rogue operator. Ritsuko looked back to the commander. "I was not aware the Third Child's sentence was over."
"It is not, but his punishment does not mean he cannot make himself useful." The commander snapped before turning his focus on his immediate subordinate, the older man who so often stood just over one shoulder awaiting moments when his judgment was necessary. "Fuyutsuki, contact the stockade personnel and have them transport the prisoner to the upper platform of the testing chamber."
Kozo Fuyutsuki nodded before moving down the stairway from the command platform to his own workstation just down on the next tier. The vice commander took a moment before opening the webcam window and brought up the stockade warden on one of the double monitors. It took some doing to project authority and conceal resentment while forwarding the superior commander's orders to the agency jailkeeper. He closed the webcam window and cursed himself. The poor boy had been brought to the breaking point and they were bringing him back for more; more sorrow and more punishment. The growing regret was enough to make the vice commander want to throw himself from the command platform. It was in the moment he could have sworn the vacant eyes of the war machine were looking at him. "I am so sorry."
It was a good twenty minutes before one of the central elevators opened on the ground platform, around the reservoir of amber liquid in which the biomechanical monsters were so often submerged. It was in the next moment that someone was roughly thrown out from the elevator, stumbling and tripping over his own feet before slamming down on the freezing metal floor. He was a young man wearing an orange prison jumpsuit, ragged and stained from the three weeks it had been worn by the prisoner. The young man himself was not the picture of good hygiene. His face and forearms were covered in dirt and grease from three weeks without a proper shower. The horrific stench coming off him was a mixture of his own body odor and the bucket they provided to take the place of a sink or toilet. The prisoner was given a water ration in a twenty ounce bottle, but it was rare to consider washing more important than drinking. The goons escorting the young man were professionally groomed and wore those tailored black suits, a deliberate contrast to the filthy prisoner. The constricting manacles around his wrists and ankles clicked as the overgrown hoodlums dragged him back up onto his bare feet shoved him forward without fanfare. The prisoner swallowed his own fury and moved forward without further resistance, but it did not stop one of them from prodded him with a police baton. The defiant prisoner forced himself to move onto one of the moving platforms adjacent to the biomechanical monster he swore he would never pilot again.
Shinji Ikari was aware that the mainframe monitor was now focused on him and the streaming video was drawing every worker in the central command chamber. He was aware of how his terrible condition might summon up resentment within those who cared about him or valued simple human decency. He was aware of how giving into his the growing urge to respond to the abuse would have disastrous consequences and forced himself to keep complacent. However, he was not aware of how the conspiracy around him grew and adjusted. Commander Ikari took steps to avoid further resistance by dismissing the other three operators, not giving them the option to remain and monitor the activation procedure. It would ensure the pilots did not become moved by the plight of their determined savior. The commander was not aware that the young man did not care anymore. Shinji was yearning for some payback, but would remain patient and await the perfect opportunity to unveil his discontent.
Shinji would not make the mistake of rushing sweet revenge.
Misato Katsuragi almost didn't recognize her young ward as he was escorted around in an orange jumpsuit covered in the dirt and grime of the stockade. The prisoner wore an irate expression which was growing with every offense to reveal an abundance of rage and contempt which would have once been drowned to the point of clinical depression. The suited gorillas would shove the boy every couple paces and the one with the police baton was eager to prod and bludgeon the rogue pilot, some of the bruises stood out on him. The raven-haired guardian was aware of her own sudden anger, a bestial rage swelling up at the sight of someone so viciously abusing her ward. It took an incredible amount of willpower not to draw her sidearm, make her way down to the loading platform and greet the cowardly escorts with a couple body shots. It soon grew to the point she could not remain.
The major turned away from the mainframe monitor and walked away from the operations center on the sudden impulsive decision to meet up with the other three children. She knew she would become provoked if she stood there for another second and a violent retort would just make her ward's situation worse. It was impossible to ignore that her own inaction against the commander was a contributing factor to the dire situation and it was enough to make her want to scream. Misato was aware that she would be running away, she was aware of the irony to be found in that, but she knew at that point there was just no facing her tragic young charge. It was more important to ensure the other children were not thrown to the wolves over their rogue companion.
Misato just hoped Ritsuko would not push him too hard.
Doctor Akagi was not allowed to go with the operations director. The agency researcher was not granted the same generosity and was required to remain watching over the activation procedure to its completion. It was a sour moment as the young prisoner rode one of the platforms to the upper balcony where some of the workers were waiting with one of the claustrophobic cockpits. The presence of the entry plug brought out more of that flourishing defiance and it was soon obvious that the young man would not cooperate. The prisoner fought back, elbowing one of them and shoving away to the point the abusive escort was forced to grab him up and carry him toward the opening. Shinji Ikari growled with swelling aggression as he was uncuffed and unceremoniously shoved into the darkness of the vacant entry plug. He was jumping up an instant before the hatchway slammed shut.
"Goddamn it…" Ritsuko took not of her cigarettes at her own workstation, knowing she was going to need more than one or two to overcome the tension she would take away that afternoon. "Lietinent Ibuki, run the activation process on express mode. I doubt our pilot is in any condition to make a decent synchronization ratio."
Maya Ibuki did not dare question her mentor. "At once, ma'am."
The command center was once against echoing with clicking keyboards and random numerical statistics as the activation process went underway. The project director took another moment as the operator's vitals came over one monitor, showing the erratic distress to be expected from a guinea pig. The ranking technicians were quite once the communications were open and the mainframe monitor showed the furious prisoner slamming one elbow into the interior paneling. It was around twenty blows before the boy relented, a bloody bruise on his elbow and a prominent dent in the reinforced metal. Shinji sat there impassive even as the chamber was flooded with that putrid amber ichor which so often made him sick to his stomach. It was with some pleading and coaxing that he put on the neural hairclips and took hold of the butterfly control. Shinji just wanted to get it over with.
It was a moment before the activation process went forward and the prisoner cringed. The nerve connections came around with an ominous amount of brilliant light and chaotic sound, the occupant of the entry plug tapping into the sensory of the war machine. Shinji sneered over the mild discomfort, his bones trembling and his teeth chattering as his body was made one with the biomechanical battlemech. It was not long before his arms and legs were flexing with fibrous tension, the incredible strength of the abominable creation becoming evident. The young prisoner noticed the sudden twitching in his spinal column, in the area above the shoulders where the entry plug would have been positioned. It was going smoothly until the twitching stopped and there came one long and painful shock which sent him slamming back into the chair. The interior lighting and holographic monitors flickered violently before going out completely, the chamber being plunged into pitch darkness. It was in the next instant that the growing synchronization was broken and the biomechanical battlemech suddenly went limp where it stood. Its reinforced armor groaned as it lurched forward onto its own supports. It ominous eyes, so often beaming with such fearsome light, were soon fading into absent dormancy.
The agency workers who toiled away within the command center were suddenly hushed, their rapid movements and nonsensical banter ceasing in the moment. The ranking technicians were looking over the monitors of their respective workstations with nervous confusion, but their next generation computers offered them no simple explanations. The project director was looking between the mainframe monitor and her own workstation with a potent mixture of sudden surprise and mounting horror. The haughty commander looked down from his command tower with a wary glint of confusion and the most worrisome grimace. The proud commander could not bring himself to demand someone explain as his iron mind drew blank in the wake of the sudden shut down. The foreboding silence would go on about a minute before it was broken by the commotion.
"Whoa… That didn't sound good, boss." one of the random darklings gawked from the corner of the testing chamber, noting how their own commander was perched with one talon stroking his chin. The immortal imps were aware it was not just some tragic accident and somewhat surprised to know that it was not their doing. It was known to most paranormal anomalies that the twin powers of luck and fate crafted a webbed conspiracy of chance and coincidence to keep the mortal realm moving. The demonic advisor knew in that moment that the scenario was about to become quite intriguing.
Shinji Ikari sought to abandon the agency and chance just gave him a golden ticket.
It was not uncommon that one of the war machines to have some occasional trouble with the activation process, but total failure was not an experience known to the agency. It was toward the end of the activation program that the nerve connection process went haywire and resulted in an emergency shutdown. The internal fission battery was almost overloaded from the maximized power supply and there were numerous malfunctions with other vital components. It was soon found that there was massive internal damage in the wake of the recent conflict, which should have been picked up during the contamination screenings. It was quite obvious that the biomechanical colossus was months away from being combat worthy, but that was not the worst discovery.
Commander Ikari was quick to order an immediate investigation into the mysterious shutdown and the resulting work found the problem was not due to the major damage. It was soon found that there was not enough damage to the nerve connections components to prevent activation of the war machine with either the dummy plug system or the young operator. The immediate feedback from the MAGI supercomputer's scanning was something which shocked the entire research department and brought terror to their trembling hearts. It was not angelic corruption or synchronization rejection or some formerly unknown error within the mechanics or the technology. It was coming back with a void signal, the brainwaves of the dormant war machine reading out to them with vacant nothingness. The mortal spirit was gone.
The research director and the primary technicians were now standing in the commander's grand office, none of them prepared to give the abysmal conclusion. Doctor Akagi stood before them looking down at her glowing datapad with mounting terror over how the report would provoke the commander. It took tremendous effort for the quartet to pussyfoot around the shocking revelation as opposed to coming out with a direct answer. The stammering hesitation of the bridge bunnies did nothing for the commander's thinning patience. Ritsuko saw it, stepped forward and took another bullet for her team.
"Evangelion Unit 01 is a dead stick!"
"What are you talking about?" Commander Ikari could not contain himself in that moment, jumping up and sending the desk chair rolling back into the window. The man cracked one fist down into the granite countertop when one of the agency workers did not immediately give an explanation, one or two knuckles bleeding into the white gloves. "You're wrong! That was supposed to be impossible!"
"Commander, please!" Ritsuko was now beckoning, having known that the commander would not have received such news without some manner of violent outburst. "We came out with some pretty bizarre theories, but have come to the conclusion that just one is even remotely possible. It was assumed that the dummy plug system might have overwritten the dormant spirit while working to overpower the will of the Third Child. However, it is much more likely that the thirteenth angel might have devoured it during its attempt to contaminate Unit 01."
Gendo Ikari did not move for a moment, looking down on the gathered workers. "Can it be recovered?"
"A recovery really doesn't seem plausible, commander." Lieutenant Aoba was quick to respond, forgetting his superior's warning not to speak without considering the potential consequences. The ranking technician actually showed an underlying amused at the implication that it was even possible to recapture a wandering soul. The process would require research and technology beyond modern science and it wouldn't have been within their entire research budget. Doctor Akagi wanted to throttle the young man in that moment to prevent him from speaking, but was not about to provoke any more of the callous commander's frustration. "NERV would probably be better of forgetting about Unit 01, stripping it down for parts and putting the remains in permanent cryogenic suspension."
"Get out..." The commander suddenly snapped, much to the surprise of the ranking technicians who had come prepared to discuss other important issues. The faux-blonde stood on the sidelines even as her young assistant stepped forward with her own datapad prepared with the various points. The commander might have kept up that imposing composure most of the time, but there were instances when his patience tore away and that fiery temper came forward.
"Commander, we have found more problems which require your immediate attention!" Maya made a valiant attempt to bring them back to the discussion at hand, but she somehow knew in the moment that her words were utterly meaningless.
"Get out of my office! Leave me alone!" the commander roared down at the quartet with murderous rage, gloved fingertips clawing down into the expensive marble before suddenly sweeping a couple dozen forms from the countertop. In the next moment an ornate desk lamp and rolodex were ripped from the work space and thrown across the commander's spacious quarters. The executive swivel chair was grabbed from where it was on the floor and thrown into one of the windows overlooking the interior of the subterranean headquarters. It did not break, but was cracked down the middle by the amount of force behind it. The commander turned around with the dim florescence reflecting on his amber transitions, a sneer forming as the quartet stood watching his raging outburst. The commander did not bother shouting at the stunned workers, instead reaching one gloved hand down to his waist with an imposing stance. The mechanical shifting of metal on metal prompted the project researcher and the ranking technicians to clear out of the office with great enthusiasm. The commander was now alone in the solitude of his office.
Gendo Ikari sunk into the most exquisite depression, brought about by the events and the constant contemplation of how such an impossible problem could be resolved. These shocking developments were not foreseen and would not be accepted by those controlling the underground agency from the shadows of the world. It made their scheme much more difficult and would require much more time, meanwhile his own personal scenario would be almost impossible to carry out. A week worth of various reports were spread across the engraved floor and a precious heirloom was now in pieces in one corner of the room. The persnickety commander could not bring himself to be bothered by the mild disorder. The destruction of a former mentor's gift was nothing compared to losing the war machine, or more accurately, that which was imprisoned within. It was now, in that moment, that the commander was without anyone to support him.
The next three hours would be spent brooding over possible solutions, studying the complex schematics of the fighting machines and the dummy plug systems. It would have the commander looking over the overwhelming amount of digital code which was supposed to compose the autopilot computer. The next hour brought out the high-quality bourbon hidden in the bottom drawer of the central desk, along with the shot glass which got him through many of the more tenuous evenings. The next hour drained the remnants of the brown-tinted bottle and coaxed the commander into drawing out another secret item, a jump drive now coated in a thin blanket of dust. It took a moment for the man to summon up the composure and sobriety to insert the drive into his workstation computer.
It was an ancient format from around one decade earlier, the small drive packed with an album of around one hundred pictures which would not have interested many people. It was a precious collection the commander had so often claimed to have been removed or destroyed by his own desire to someday forget. It was one of his most common lies and in his mind it was justified. Yui was his wife and her memory was not to be cherished by another. Yui was his and his alone.
Commander Ikari watched with a heartbroken gaze as the coveted album moved from one picture to the next, every vision dragging up memories packed away in his mind. The pictures were drawn from so many moments in which the man would never have taken part had it not been for that woman. There were younger moments where the both of them were relaxed with a content serenity not known to the commander for even a second in the decade since her death. It was not much longer before the pictures shifted to a time after that ominous cataclysm, when new complications came seeping into the relative peace. The commander's despair was mixed with sudden outrage when the monitor paused on one image which should not have been there. It should have been removed along with the others just like it.
The commander grew quiet over the very vision of his wife watching over a white cradle, a merciless gaze bearing down on the infant resting within. The annoying brat was once just a minor inconvenience who drew moments of her loving adoration away from him. However, he was now proving to be much more of a significant hindrance to his complex scenario. The brat was turning into a major problem, a cutting and piercing briar which needed to be clipped off and burned before it grew even worse. It was in that moment of psychotic rage that the commander threw an angry punch which knocked the monitor from the desk to break on the floor. The shot glass and bourbon bottle went flying across the room in the next instant, both of them exploding against the north wall. Gendo Ikari roared before turning over the pinewood and granite centerpiece, the weight crashing down against the engraved marble and shaking the entire room.
Gendo Ikari moved away from the warzone and toward the doorway, drawing out his own issued sidearm before kicking open the double doors. The handgun became frozen in his right hand as he moved down the narrow corridor toward one of the nearby elevators leading down. The rubberized grip was drawn up against the dura-bakelite fossil imbedded in his palm which was constantly reminding him of his own investments. There was not another thought in his mind beyond his own growing desperation and the wrecked scenario which most would deem beyond recovery. The one exception was the disobedient young man whom he was holding responsible for it, along with some thoughts on how one would explain away his sudden disappearance.
Gendo Ikari wanted the brat dead.
Shinji Ikari grew curious in the wake of the ruined experiment, his impish minions giving their own rough reports drawn from the commotion which followed. The young pilot was not around at the moment, escorted away from the chamber and thrown back into the stockade without even a quick shower. The putrid scent of the decaying amber liquid was now mixed in with his own horrific stench built up over his three weeks in captivity and the guardsmen complained quite frequently. It was obvious there was something amiss, but it was quite difficult for his demonic spies to secure answers when the commander was working to keep it on the down low. It was not uncommon that the agency workers were ignorant to the more important information and it was apparent that the young man would not be informed. His time with the agency was running out.
Shinji had been resting for around four hours, recovering from another afternoon of his work out regiment, when he was brought back into the waking world. He looked down to spot one of the imps poking him in the shoulder, right before the vicious creature went scampering into one corner of the room. The boy winced at the sound of angry footsteps moving down the stockade corridor, his cobalt gemstone growing narrow as the visitor stopped before his room. The young man grew suspicious as the doorway was opened, but was not given a moment to consider a snide remark or rude gesture.
The unknown visitor was quick to point a torch down at him and the simple light was punishing after weeks in the pitch darkness. The young prisoner did not give it much thought before he was struck with it. The heavy torch came down on his cranium, the prisoner jumping up right before he was kicked down to the concrete floor. He moved to get back up and was quickly stomped back down to the filthy floor, one boot punching down into the space around his shoulders. The unknown opponent went to work prodding him with one of the stun batons, which on the upper settings was more akin to a prod used on bovine. The defiant prisoner was knocked down with every painful charge, while the enraged attacker would occasionally kick him in the ribcage. It was out of sheer morbid determination that the young man did not succumb to the growing urge to shout out for the imps watching from the shadows. He did not surrender, but was aware of the bloody bruises and cracking bones which were forming. The brutal assault must have gone on for over ten minutes, stopping just before the prisoner considered ordered the evisceration of the midnight marauder.
Shinji grunted with agony as one more angry kick struck him in the face, the momentum rolling him over and slamming him into one corner of the narrow chamber. The young prisoner moved away from the corner and noticed the sudden aching in his ribcage. It was a good moment and the next blow did not come, it was obvious the attacker wanted to watch the defiant prisoner crawl about in his torment. Shinji growled with strain, hoisting himself up onto the uncomfortable cot hanging from one of the concrete walls and taking a seated position. Shinji recovered as the stun baton was thrown back into the corridor and the torch beacon was turned away. The prisoner looked to discover the commander, his own father, standing over him with his sidearm pointed right at his forehead.
It would prove a memorable moment...
Shinji looked at the deadly weapon hovering before him, some part of his mind recognizing it as one of the more recent variants of the Browning High-Power. The lingering scent of overpriced liquor and simple overindulge was wafting on the commander's breath, quickly recognized from the months dealing with his guardian's occasional celebration. Misato Katsuragi might have enjoyed her morning beer and a couple in the afternoon, but it was obvious the intruder before him did not have the same constitution. Shinji then took notice of the vicious look bearing down on him and his mind was sent reeling. The cowardly commander was completely given over to his own fury and outrage, without even an ounce of that famous composure. The commander stood there wanting to witness and savor the horror which most would have shown. Gendo Ikari wanted to have the boy begging and bawling for his worthless life before shooting him dead.
Once more, what went down next was not part of his scenario.
Shinji looked back up the night sights of the poised sidearm with an ominous glint resonating in his cobalt gemstones. The commander did not find the horror he wanted or even the faintest hint of concern. The prisoner's mouth showed off his bloody whites, narrow lips curling up into the most confident and condescending smirk not often found in the innocent. The vindictive parent wanted to believe it was just some manner of desperate bluff, but it was just too convincing to be an imitation of mounting insanity. Shinji slipped into a couple moment of loathsome chuckling, the prisoner giggling at the pathetic amount of desperation touted by the commander. The prisoner was soon dropped back against the concrete wall locked in a fit of psychotic laughter, ignorant of how the madman drew back the hammer in an effort to regain control of the situation. The prisoner's absurd amusement went on without deterrence and it was not much longer before the commander's patience was broken. He did not notice how the prisoner's gaze was focused upon the darkness of the gun barrel in the same moment that the trigger was drawn back and the hammer came down.
The sidearm jammed and the laughter stopped.
"Wow… you suck." The vindictive gunman gasped as the weapon locked up, the twinkling brass caught in the slides. The young prisoner did not even flinch. It was an impossible chance, but the young man merely smirked knowingly as the commander angrily fought to correct the problem. The torch dropped to the ground as the troublesome round was ejected, the commander making another futile attempt to execute his own son. The hammer came down and the sidearm clicked empty, the magazine dropping from the grip to clatter on the ground. The foiled executioner moved to retrieve the magazine, but could not get his free hand on it. Shinji's hand was suddenly wrapped around the locked barrel of the weapon and the smirk mocked him. "Do you have any idea how pathetic you look in this moment? It's beautiful."
Gendo Ikari was drunk to the point that keeping composed was not simple and the growing defiance of his former pawn was much more intimidating. It was a moment of sudden denial when the young man grabbed him by the collar, punched him in the stomach and shoved him back out into the narrow corridor. The commander slammed into the smooth concrete wall and dropped to the ground without much fanfare. The magazine was tossed out in the next moment to rest before him, the twinkling brass urging him to remain devoted to his murderous intentions. Commander Ikari angrily scooped up the magazine and slammed it into the weapon, chambering a round before pointing it right at the young man. Shinji's bloody smirk did not fade.
The commander stood there with the sidearm held out in a trembling grip, making it apparent that the drunken lout was too wrecked to operate the weapon. The chosen sovereign's gaze was tamed on the pitch darkness of the barrel and the mechanical components resting within. The showdown could have gone on throughout the evening into the morning and the prisoner's fate would never once be in jeopardy. Shinji wanted the belligerent bastard to know he was beyond manipulation.
The commander did not bother taking another shot, but kept the sidearm up. He did not look at the prisoner as he moved forward to pick up the dropped flashlight and stun baton. It was one of the shadow imps who came out from the corner without warning and picked up the loose round meant for the young prisoner. The commander took one more look at that arrogant smirk and growled before slamming the stockade door. Shinji smirked back at him through the peephole.
Gendo Ikari retreated down the narrow corridor, taunted by his own son's howling laughter, his brilliant mind wrecked by his own growing confusion and the amount of bourbon in his bloodstream. It was obvious he would not wake up with coherent memory of these events, but would soon come to understand that the prisoner was not going to be used.
The entire scenario was often nothing more than an intricate game to the commander. The agency workers and their angelic opponents were game tokens to be moved and taken. The military metropolis and the majority of the world around them was the board on which the game took place. The wise men's prophecy and the delicate predictions were the ruling conditions which were often bent, but never broken. The young prisoner, the most trivial of the pawns, in the thick of the angelic war, had crossed the warzone and become something greater. He was no longer one of the disposable minions to be thrown away.
He was his own person on his own side. He was the dark knight.
Author's Commentary: I give unto you the dreaded cliffhanger! I understand if some reviewers want to point out that this chapter was somewhat longwinded, but there were just too many important moments to just summarize it. I did not expect so much content in one chapter, but wanted to give some of my finest work to the content reworked from the anime. I knew the beginning of chapter three would become one of those "information dumps", but it was important to give some knowledge on how an ancient chaotic entity would function. I am more comfortable making the protagonist work constantly to their unique powers, as opposed to them just waking up with it one day or getting it by some random coincidence.
The second part of the chapter was devoted to the demise of the keystone of the commander's scenario and one of the biggest icons of the entire franchise, Evangelion Unit 01. I did not intend to write out the entire sequence, but I was driven by my own fanaticism to not summarize such an important change to the storyline. It would be a disservice to have just come out with the revelation that it is suddenly not working.
I understand there was some concern about my scheme to move six or seven years into the future, which would allow me to more creative control. There were many reviewers who spoke out citing the obvious problem that the committee would initiate Third Impact within that window. However, that is going to be impossible without one of the key components and that's not even counting some of the other complications that are gonna be popping up in the next couple chapters.
Gendo Ikari is one of the most interesting characters in the franchise and is obviously going to become extremely important to the overall storyline. I am hoping that my current portrayal of him has not turned away some of the fandom. It was not much trouble keeping him intact with composure and callousness, but we were serving up a situation which would make him snap. It took some time to consider how someone like him would react and the concept of the commander breaking down was quite ironic.
I do not have much more to comment on about this chapter, the events have surely spoken enough on their own. You can expect the next chapter to deviate away from so much information to settle upon the more conflict oriented tone of the story. Give me about a month.
Attention Gun Nuts: I believe there is often something to be considered when it comes to the sidearm chosen by a fictional character, it is often that their gun give something away about them. Misato's choice weapon is an H&K USP-45, known for some serious firepower and durability to the point there are not many action movies or video games without one. Gendo was shown carrying a CZ75 in the movie, a more common handgun which would have probably been one of the issued sidearms within the agency. Ritsuko carried an R-92 revolver, a virtually unknown and horrendous looking piece of junk she probably picked up without even thinking about it.
My point is quite simple, there are going to be a good number of guns among the main characters once the story moves seven years into the future. I want the younger characters to have weapons which resonate with them or would just come across as good matches for them. I have the choices made for the main three characters, but I am open to recommendations which might change my mind if the concept is awesome enough. The TopCow comic universe is packed with an incredible amount of custom firearms and deadly gunfights, often working right along with the Thirteen Artifacts.
Of course, if you just want to contribute some ideas, just throw out some of your favorite pieces in a review and you just might see them somewhere down the line. I do apologize to those without much to contribute on the subject. I just don't need input on anything else at the moment.
Your reviews are necessary to inspire me further.
Please do not hesitate to leave your impressions, suggestions and criticism.