Neon Genesis Evangelion

An Alternate Retelling

Chapter X

"Re-Activation of Evangelion Unit 03"

Koji was walking…on his way to NERV… Today was the day that he would partake in the Unit 03 Re-Activation. He walked with a mind full of doubt and worry but… nevertheless… he kept walking towards NERV. He was thinking about the past days events… his arrival… his first day at school… running away… meeting a mysterious female in black… and today, the expected Re-Activation of Evangelion Unit 03 was only minutes away…

While Koji was walking on his way to NERV, Ritsuko and Maya were going over the current status of Evangelion Unit 03 with Misato…

"So…what's the status of the Angel Infection of Unit 03?" Misato asked in a rather calm manner. It was Maya who started off the explanation of the current status of Unit 03.

"Well, Major Katsuragi, we ran 229 tests since retrieving it from Matsushiro… We were able to extract the virus from the unit and have stored it in a rather large capsule about the size of an entry plug."
"You mean you have the Angel inside of that capsule?" Misato retorted, but this time she was answered by Ritsuko.

"Essentially – Yes, we do, however, the virus is contained – there is no risk of biohazard contamination. The Angel Virus has been completely removed from Evangelion Unit 03's system."

"I see…" Misato started, "Then the Re-Activation Test of Evangelion Unit 03 will be able to commence in 30 minutes as planned?"

"Affirmative, Major," Ritsuko replied.

"That's all until Koji arrives – I'm going to head to NERV Entrance and wait until Koji arrives…" Misato replied, leaving the command center.

Meanwhile… Shinji and Asuka were in school, it was their lunch period. Toji had returned to his usual self, now not having the stresses of being an Eva pilot upon his shoulders any longer plus his little sister was able to remain in the I.C.U. of NERV hospital. He sat in his usual last desk in the column of desks in the classroom, raving over his self-proclaimed 'best part of the day' – Lunch time. Sitting next to Toji were Shinji and Kensuke… Kensuke was whining that Toji didn't relinquish his candidacy of an Eva to him. Toji and Shinji were eating lunch and laughing at Kensuke's irritation. Asuka was sitting with Hikari, looking on…

Asuka lets out a sigh, "The three stooges are back in action…It's so pathetic…"

"I don't think so, Asuka," Hikari replies, "it's good to see Suzuhara back after being absent for a couple of days – I was worried about him."

"Geez, Hikari, there you go again – he's a jock and jerk – what can you possibly see in him?"

"His…kind and gentler side…" Hikari replies quietly.

Asuka just sits next her friend, in partial shock, shaking her head at what she had just heard. Then she glanced over and noticed Rei's empty desk…

"Why'd Wondergirl have to go too? It's Unit 03 Re-Activation... I would've liked to take a day off of school too…" Asuka thinks to herself.

Back at NERV, Koji was getting ready in the locker room area. He had put on the plug suit…but the only problem was that is was way too big. It didn't fit him at all. Poor Koji was in a fix… he started to get worried… but then, Rei, already in her plug suit approached Koji.

"Press this button on your right wrist here…" Rei says, pressing the button on his right wrist. Upon pressing the button, Koji's plug suit conformed to his body size.

"Wow…thanks Rei Onee-san," Koji replied, blushing slightly.

"You're Welcome, Misawa…I'll escort you to the testing grounds now…" Rei replied calmly.

Rei led Koji to the cage, where she told him to enter. When Koji got in, he watched Rei, until he could no longer see her, as he elevated up to the entry plug of Evangelion Unit 03. Once he got up to his plug, he exited the cage and walked up to the entry plug…takes a deep breath and enters the entry plug.

"How are you feeling, Koji?" Ritsuko asked him.

"I feel fine…"

"Ma'am, according to our scans, he's quite nervous..." Maya replied.

"Koji, you're going to have to calm down for us to proceed with this test," Ritsuko said.

"B-but what if it does what it did when Toji tried to activate it…" Koji replied with much worry.

"Koji," Misato said in an understanding voice, "think positive and be strong, Koji…I know you can do this," Misato smiles on the on screen monitor. Her smile puts Koji more at ease…

"His brain waves are stabilizing…he's calming down," Maya reported.

"Ok…Begin Activation!" Ritsuko replied strongly.

While the Initial phase was cleared, Kei stood by near the cage, watching on. Standing next to him was Rei. She had a calm look about her as she watched on. Kei, however, was not so calm. He was worried about Koji.

"I hope everything goes smoothly…"
Rei looks at Kei once he starts speaking, "Do you have doubts?"
"I wouldn't say I have doubts…I just worry about the kids well being…that's all."

Rei, upon hearing about Kei's concern, smiles, "He'll be fine."

"But, how can you be sure?"

"I sense he will be ok…" Rei replies calmly.

"…I hope so…" Kei replies worriedly.

The Initial phase was over, Koji had cleared it easily. Everything thus far had gone as smooth as it had when Toji passed the Initial phase in Matsushiro…now the Second Phase…the phase that triggered the initial dormant Angel to infect it…but now that the virus has been removed, in theory, everything should proceed smoothly and Evangelion Unit 03 should Re-Activate successfully…

"Shift format to Phase 2," Ritsuko ordered.

"Connecting pilot to Unit 03…Opening circuits…Pulse and harmonics are normal…No problems detected in synchronization…All nerve links completed…Central nervous system elements are normal…Re-calculating, no error corrections…Checklist is satisfactory up to 2590…Approaching the absolute borderline…2.5 more…1.7…1.2…1.0…0.7…0.5…0.4…0.3…0.2…0.2, and rising…Borderline cleared…Unit 03 has been successfully re-activated…"

"How do you feel, Koji?" Misato asked.

"I feel fine…I don't feel any problems."

"You did great, Koji," Ritsuko responds, "Your first successful synch with Eva Unit 03 is 30 percent...and with no prior training that's remarkable."

"I see…I'm glad," Koji makes a weak smile.

After the test has concluded, the entry plug is ejected and Koji exits Evangelion Unit 03. When he arrives at the cage elevator, he finds Kei and Rei standing there to greet him.

"Kei Onii-san and Rei Onee-san!" Koji shouted, running up to both Rei and Kei and pulling them into one big group hug.

"You did well, kid," Kei replied, kneeling down in front of him – ruffling his hair.

"I must agree, Misawa's ratio is above acceptable for having no prior training," Rei added.

Later that day…

When Shinji and Asuka arrived back at Misato's apartment, they soon wished they hadn't came…Misato was preparing dinner. Disheartened, Shinji and Asuka changed into more casual clothing and made their way into the kitchen where Misato has her instant-dinner set up on the table. Koji questioned why Shinji and Asuka seemed so down.

"You'll see…soon enough…" Asuka replied slowly.

With that said Koji started to eat…and after his first taste of the food a look of horror and anguish appeared on his face. He fell out of his chair onto the ground in agony… Like he had just swallowed poison that was slowly eating away at his insides leading to his inevitable death…though he was not dying…not at all…he was merely suffering the side affects…of Misato's cooking…

Meanwhile…

In a secluded council, SEELE met…the visual on their on-screens were all off, displaying only their numbers. In the council was a woman, wearing all black…the very same woman that confronted Koji and Kei the previous day…

"Do we have records of an infection in Evangelion Unit 03?"

"We do indeed…it seems Ikari is being smart…concealing the truth may be a specialty of his…but he knows it is ill advised."

"We have hired a specialist…one who will keep…proper tabs on NERV… Ryoji Kaji is being suspected. I'm losing faith in his abilities."

"What is your name, Specialist?"

One of the SEELE members, Chairman Keele, the number one guy in SEELE spoke, "I already know who she is…she can be trusted…but for all intensive purposes…I shall give her a code name to call her by – Lilia…"

"Specialist Lilia…I hope you are prepared to leave immediately on your first major assignment?"

The woman called 'Lilia' grinned devilishly underneath her face mask. But the sinister look in her eyes told that she was more than ready…

Author's Note

Well this chapter is slightly shorter than the others but as you can tell it's pretty packed with some interesting details – If you'll notice the bolded terms in the text – those are terms that you'll probably see again later on in the story.

Author's Preview

With the Angel Virus under ice, an Evangelion Unit 03 successfully re-activated, things are looking pretty good for NERV…or are they? Next time in Chapter 11, Koji partakes in his first mission as an Eva pilot as another Angel is bearing down on NERV HQ. Will fear overtake Koji in his first battle? What is the assignment that SEELE plans to assign Specialist 'Lilia'? Find out in Chapter 11, "Fight or Flight?"

--Rukaii