Evolution Shinji 7
Disclaimer; I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion or X-Men Evolution. Wish I did, though.
(Xavier Institute; 15 minutes ago)
"Okay, X-23, let's get cooking!" Shinji's enthusiasm can't help but get X-23 to smile softly as Shinji goes on. "Okay. Something that can be eaten… oh dear. I forgot to ask if there are any dietary restrictions! I'll be right back!" Walking back to the door, he calls out, "Anyone have any particular taste when it comes to food?! Or something they can't eat?"
"Aside from 'Half-Pint', they're bottomless pits." Shinji's blink gets Logan to smirk softly. "Kitty. She's a vegetarian."
"Ah. Thank you, Mr Logan." Before Logan can even blink, Shinji ducks back down into the kitchen and goes back to X-23's side. "Okay. Kitty's a vegetarian, everyone else has no restrictions of any kind."
"Okay." Watching intently as Shinji grabs carrots, lettuce and various other vegetables, she asks, "How are you so good with making vegetarian dishes?"
"Ayanami, one of the other Evangelion pilots, she's a vegetarian." Rinsing off the vegetables, he goes on. "Fact of the matter is, she's why I Piloted Unit-01 to begin with."
"Oh? If they had a Pilot already on station, why…" Her eyes suddenly go wide before she hisses out, "She was injured?!"
"Pretty badly, too, according to what Dr Akagi said after my first battle. Her Evangelion, Unit-00, had basically gone nuts while she was activating it." His left hand starting to shake, he adds, "When I saw her, after I initially refused to Pilot for my Father, I made the only choice I could to keep her from going out there and possibly dying."
"He seems to think like Lady Hydra." At X-23's voice, Shinji turns toward her and sees her frowning. "If there's a way for her to get someone into HYDRA's grasp, she'll use it. Without even batting an eye. Your 'Father', such as he is, pretty much used the same approach. Only he appealed to your compassionate side. You had very little chance against him, Shinji." Shinji can't help but let out a sigh at that before turning away.
"Asuka was right, wasn't she? I am spineless."
"No." Turning back to her, he feels her hand on his cheek before she goes on. "Never say that, Shinji."
"Why not? I only fought to keep others from suffering. Even if gaining my Father's approval in the process. That makes me spineless."
"What you did, in the face of unknown danger, takes courage. Even if under duress, you rose to the challenge and met it head on. Your 'Father', such as he was, used your compassion against you. You don't need his approval, or anyone else's. Compassion is often seen as weakness by HYDRA and those that think like them. They'll even capitalize on that."
"Sounds like they like dirty tactics."
"Yes. But keep this in mind. Without compassion, victory is meaninglessly bitter."
"I will, X-23." The girl gives him a soft smile before Shinji then frowns. "Have you ever thought about a regular name for yourself?"
"I'm afraid not. HYDRA felt that regular names for its assets were unnecessary. So they assigned designations based on the level of involvement."
"But… someone had to have had gone behind HYDRA's back at some point in time to give you a name."
"Access to the cloning program was very limited. The only ones with full access were Dr Riesman and Lady Hydra. Even more, the lab area was closely monitored for any deviations from HYDRA's designs."
"Well, seeing as Lady Hydra's not here right now, and Dr Riesman is…" Shinji's words get X-23 to blink before softly biting her lower lip.
"Do you think she could've… given me a name under their noses? Without writing it down?"
"If she cared enough about you to break free from HYDRA's grasp to save your life, then she had to have given you a name. All you can do is ask." X-23 nods before going to the door and sticking her head out.
"Dr Riesman, can you step in here with us?"
"Of course, X-23." A minute later, the woman steps into the kitchen before asking, "Is there something you needed my help with?"
"There is, Dr." X-23's voice gets her attention before she asks, "Is X-23 my only 'name' or is there another one for me?" Next thing she knows, Riesman's eyes start shimmering with tears. "Dr?"
"I was starting to wonder if you'd ever ask me that." Taking a seat, facing X-23, she goes on. "As you know, I had to slightly modify the genetic material to create you. That's not the only thing I did, however." Reaching into her lab coat's pocket, Riesman brings out a picture before handing it to X-23. The girl's eyes can't help but bulge out when she sees the picture.
Dr Riesman's belly, swollen in pregnancy. A pensive, yet glowing, look on Dr Riesman's face.
"You mean…"
"Oh yes. Lady Hydra was not happy about that one bit. She felt that my carrying you to term would ruin the project. In turn, I told her that it would be the only way to successfully complete the project. She, unhappily, decided to let me give it a try. On the condition, of course, that I did not tell you the truth about myself during your training under penalty of death."
"So you'd agreed." At Riesman's nod, she asks, "What happened the day I was born?"
"When you were born, Lady Hydra was 'gracious' enough to let me hold you in my arms for the first and only time, I quietly named you. I whispered as quietly as I could to avoid being overheard."
"Wha… What was it?"
"Laura. After my Mother." Riesman's tears start flowing freely from her eyes before she smiles. "So now you know. My little Laura." The heartwarming scene is soon disrupted when Kitty phases into the kitchen and shakes her head.
"This is, like, taking way too long. I'll help you, Shinji." Before anyone can move, however, Kitty picks up a container of cinnamon and looks around. "So, like, where's what you're making for the others?"
"Pryde-san, I appreciate your kind offer to help. But, please, let me see if I can teach you to cook properly to where no one suffers first." Laura can't help but blink incredulously at Shinji's words.
"Shinji, are you sure? Mr McCoy told the both of us how dangerous she is. Even Rogue attested to that aspect earlier. For you to succeed will take a miracle." Before Shinji can even reply, however…
"HELP IS ON THE WAY, YO!" Before anyone can even blink, a loud crash is heard before Kitty's lithe frame is encased in slime and being propelled away from the stove. "NEVER FEAR! 'TOAD' AND THE 'SCARLET WITCH' ARE HERE!" Two forms then leap into the room. Or, to be more precise, one leaps into the room while carrying another form in its arms. Shinji then gets a look at the forms.
One a pale green, decidedly a young male, wearing clothes covered in sawdust. The other, a young female wearing a red leather vest and blue jeans. The female then notices her situation and 'gently' nudges the form into putting her down onto the floor. The male does so and the female smirks.
"Thank you, Toad."
"You're welcome, Wanda." Looking toward the slime-encased Kitty, the one the female called 'Toad' sighs in relief. "Whew. Hopefully, we were in time to dodge a fatal bullet, yo."
"You sure about that, 'stink boy'?" At the sound of Logan's voice, the two turn in time to see his tri-claws spring out of his hands. "Because you two are about to become shish-kabob on my claws unless you got a good reason for crashing into the kitchen."
"Other than 'Wolverine' being here with us, his claws out, it would appear so, 'Toad'. But, somehow, I don't think Kitty appreciates the slime-cast." Seeing Logan look toward Kitty and seeing the girl encased in slime, she then sighs in relief as Logan's claws go back into place.
"I wondered where you disappeared off to, 'Half-Pint'." Looking toward Shinji, Laura and Dr Riesman, Logan then asks, "Did she put anything into the food yet?"
"Um, no. I asked her if she'd like to learn to cook. Before she could answer, however…" Logan nods his understanding before Shinji asks, "But who're these two?"
"Oh. I'm Wanda Maximoff, the 'Scarlet Witch'. My friend is Todd Tolensky, the 'Toad'. We're with the Brotherhood of Mutants. You?"
"Shinji Ikari. Dr Riesman. Laura… what's her last name, Dr?" Logan's voice is the next one to come up.
"Howlett. After my actual last name, Shinji." Shinji looks Laura over and nods.
"Fits you, Laura." Blinking suddenly, Shinji asks, "Your actual last name?"
"I'd been going by 'Logan' for years, given my fragmented memory."
"Ah." Looking the encasement over, Shinji winces before asking, "How long will that hold up, Tolensky-san? That slime's going to be hard to get out of her outfit as it is."
"About six hours, yo. It's the longest time yet. Oh, you can just call me 'Toad', yo." As Shinji nods, Toad looks him over before frowning. "You're the warrior Ms Harkness and Destiny were talking about, yo?"
"Who?" Before Toad can even reply, however, a blur speeds into the kitchen before coming to a stop. Revealing a young silver-haired male in a silver bodysuit.
"Were you in time, Toad?"
"Yeah, 'Quickie', but just barely, yo."
"Good. Destiny said you would be on our way here. Oh, before I forget." Speedily picking up the chopped vegetables, he rains them down onto Toad. "Don't ever carry my sister like that again, Toad!" With that, he speeds off, cackling madly. Once he's gone, Shinji can only sigh while shaking his head.
"Something tells me this'll take a while. Might as well start again. Shall we, Laura?"
"Sure, Shinji." With that, both Shinji and Laura start again. Toad and Wanda both watching before Toad feels Logan's presence behind him.
"Let's get those veggies and that sawdust off of you before you start thinking you're the 'Veggie King' and 'Sawdust Baron', Toad." Wanda can't help a snort at that. Logan's eyebrows can't help but arch at that. "Didn't take you to have a sense of humor, 'Scarlet Witch'. By the way, why is Toad covered in sawdust?"
"Oh. He was doing a little treetop trimming with a chainsaw earlier."
"A chainsaw?" At Wanda's nod, Logan can't help but ask, "How'd he do?"
"He did quite well, actually. Though Pietro nearly had a close call when the top of the tree came down to the ground."
"I see. And what was the purpose of him cutting the top of a tree anyway? Just out of curiosity, of course."
"He wants to make a lower torso for a mannequin for when he tries teaching himself karate again."
"He's teaching himself karate?" At Toad and Wanda's joint nods, Logan shakes his head. "I know I shouldn't ask this, but I might as well. How goes your self-education, Toad?"
"Aside from missing a few things, not too bad, yo." Logan can only grin at that just as another voice wafts into the kitchen.
"Excuse me. If it's not too much trouble, Agatha and I'd like to speak with Shinji." They all turn toward the voice and see a young woman with dark-lensed glasses standing with a considerably elder woman. "It's of utmost importance. Laura as well, but separately."
"If you say it's important, Irene, then it is. But why separately?" The younger woman smiles softly, getting Logan to roll his eyes. "I get the picture. Toad, Maximoff, help me get 'Half-Pint' out of this slime cast. Laura, Dr Riesman, Shinji needs to hear this alone. Why don't you sit in the dining room until it's time, Laura?"
"You sure?" Yet Laura's not looking toward Logan, but toward Agatha and Irene.
"Quite sure, Laura. It won't take long." Irene's words get Laura to look toward Shinji before nodding.
"Okay." Once Laura and Riesman are out of the kitchen, Irene motions for Shinji to sit before seating Agatha and herself.
"My name is Irene. I've come with a message for you, Shinji Ikari, resident of Tokyo-3 and Evangelion Pilot for NERV."
"But… how do you know so much about me? I don't understand, Irene."
"Perhaps I can explain, Mr Ikari. My name is Agatha Harkness. Irene is a pre-cog." Her face struggling to maintain its composure, she adds, "I've so much to ask you, but I don't even know where to start. On our way here, Irene and I discussed her message to you. I told her what I'd seen and, in turn, she told me what she'd 'seen' through her gift. Are you ready?"
"As ready as I'll ever be."
(Dining room; same time)
"Hey, where's Shinji at?" Paul's voice gets Laura's attention before the blond male goes on. "I saw Mr Logan wheeling Pryde through the hallway with Tolensky and Maximoff."
"He's in the kitchen. His teaching me to cook is kinda in the backseat right now as someone named Irene has something to discuss with him."
"I see. How about you? How're you holding up?"
"I don't follow."
"Going from one subject to the next, rapidly and abruptly, without warning at times. That's bound to be wreaking havoc with you."
"It can be… trying at times. One thing I managed to learn is flexibility in situations."
"That's good. Who taught you?" Laura can only smile softly before replying.
"My Dad, through his genes." Extending her hand, she adds, "Laura Howlett."
"Paul Haits." Accepting her hand into his, Paul adds, "Nice to meet you, Laura. Oh, by the way, you and Shinji look cute together. Taryn's words, not mine." Laura's face can't help but go pink, getting Paul to grin.
(Kitchen; same time)
"So, there's nothing I can do about it."
"That is correct, Shinji. Roughly calculating, you have three months. Use the time for training as it will prove beneficial to you and those close to you." Grinning, Irene adds, "You needn't worry about being alone as you won't be." Shinji can only blink before Irene giggles softly. "You'll see. All you have to do is ask Colonel Fury the right question."
"The right question? What is the right question?"
"You will know when you exit the kitchen. Now, if you'll both excuse me…" Shinji and Agatha both nod as Irene rises before making her way to the door. As she gets to the door, she reaches out and pushes it open. Shinji's jaw can't help but drop at that.
"Did she just… but I thought…" Agatha's soft chuckles get him to look back at her before smiling weakly. "Pre-cog. Right."
"Oh, my dear boy. I bet you weren't expecting any of this to happen."
"No, Ms Harkness. I wasn't." Sitting back, Shinji can only sigh. "I got three months, huh?"
"Yes. Like Irene said, the instant you came into the world, it was detected by the one that seeks to end your time among us."
"Then I guess there's only one thing to do."
(Dining room; three minutes ago)
"Laura, you will have a choice to make. Though it won't really be one for you to make as one choice will undoubtedly break your heart." Laura blinks quizzically at Irene before the pre-cog groans. "This is the problem with the youth of the world these days. No appreciation for cryptic mysteries."
"More like I've never really had the time to experience one." Sighing gustily, Laura asks, "When will the choice be made?"
"Three months. It's yours to make and yours alone." Laura frowns at that, with Irene picking up on it and smiling softly. "Though I can give you a clue if you'll move your ear closer to my lips." Unsure, Laura mentally shrugs and moves her ear to Irene's lips. Irene's resultant whisper gets a flaming blush from Laura. Along with a soft smile. "Do you understand now, Laura?"
"I do, Irene."
(Thirty minutes later)
"Colonel Fury? Before I give my answer, I've a question for you, sir."
"Go ahead, Shinji."
"How many 'Explorers' do you plan to have for your program?"
"I can start off with up to two at a time for starters. Though Pincer'll have a fit as it is."
"I take it Pincer's one of the bean counters?"
"That's right, Shinji. Him having a fit will be a fun sight, to be certain." Shinji looks over at Laura, with Fury doing the same and chortling as he gets Shinji's drift. "Oh, he'll be having more than a fit. He'll be having a stroke and a coronary at the same time." Laura blinks at that before pointing towards herself.
"Me, Colonel? You want a HYDRA-engineered assassin in your program?" Fury gives her a shrug and grin.
"Why not? It'll give you training and deeper satisfaction in foiling any demented plot HYDRA cooks up than just going after them." Laura mulls it over before grinning.
"I am if Shinji's in." Fury nods at that before looking back toward Shinji.
"Shinji?"
"I'm in, sir. I'll do my best to not let you down, sir." Fury nods and grins at the two of them.
"Outstanding." Patting Shinji on his right shoulder, he adds, "As long as you do your best, that's the main thing. And don't worry about letting anyone down. You're too good a soul to do that."