Sea of Tranquility Chapter 12: Duty and Destiny
Tokyo-3 First Municipal Junior High School, outside Class 2-A…
"That's how you got caught up in that mess? A letter from your deadbeat dad?"
Toji reacted incredulously as Shinji recounted the events of the battle with Sachiel, later Starscream.
"Yeah, and he didn't even bother asking how I was doing. He just wrote 'Come here!' in the letter, and when we saw the Autobots arrive, he just asked if 'the Child' was secure!"
"How did he react when your sister got hurt?"
"That's the thing. I didn't even know I had a sister up until I saw them. He didn't tell me anything for fourteen years!"
"Really? Damn, Shinji. Either your dad's a complete dumbass or a complete asshole."
"Oh, it gets better. When I showed up, he told me to get in the robot and fight, or she would have to do it, even though it was painfully obvious that she was seriously injured!"
"Well that narrows it down, he's an asshole!"
"What's your sister's name?" asked Kensuke.
"Rei Ayanami," answered Shinji.
Toji and Kensuke stared at him for a moment, then the realization hit.
"AYANAMI'S YOUR SISTER?!" yelled the slackjawed duo.
"Yes. As I said, I didn't know until we met. Even then, Bumblebee was the one that said it out loud."
"Dude, no offense, but your sister's kind of the hottest chick in school right now," remarked Kensuke.
Toji glared at his old friend, then punched him in the gut.
"Okay, Kensuke, I was saving that punch for Ikari. But after our talk, I find you a more deserving target."
"I said 'no offense'..." groaned Kensuke.
"That was a warning punch. If you don't think before you speak next time, I'll tell the class rep."
"You wouldn't! She'll have my stuff confiscated!"
As the pair bickered, Shinji saw a familiar face walk towards him.
Sure enough, it was his long-lost blue-haired twin sister.
"Ayanami!"
When she reached him, however, he quickly noticed something different.
"You're... all healed now."
"Yes. Ms. Sawashiro helped remove my bandages. When she was done, my wounds rapidly healed somehow."
"But that's…"
"Impossible, of course. Anyways, there's an emergency call at headquarters."
"Another Angel?"
"Most likely."
Right on schedule, Bumblebee arrived in his Suzuki Swift form and opened a door.
"Duty calls, my friend."
Shinji gulped, then ran towards the Autobot.
He glanced back towards his friends.
"You guys better find a shelter!" he shouted.
"Give 'em hell, Shinji!" yelled Kensuke.
Bumblebee sped off towards Nerv HQ, leaving a trail of dust.
"I told you, you'd make new friends, didn't I?"
"Yeah, about that…"
Back at Megatron's Warehouse Base…
"Welp, there goes the Angel alarms."
"Thanks, Skywarp, for stating the glaringly obvious."
"Oh, can the sarcasm, Thundercracker, that's Starscream's thing."
"Hey! How dare you insult your superior officer!"
"Superior? At least we can turn off our human disguises!"
"Why I oughta…"
"Enough!" barked Megatron.
"Thundercracker, how far is the Angel?"
"Blazing past the human defenses at Odawara. It'll be here within 5 minutes."
"The Evangelions?"
"Unit-01 is being prepped for combat. Unit-00 is still under maintenance."
"Keep me updated. Skywarp, how did your salvaging mission go?"
"Managed to pilfer a shipment of Owen guns headed for Southeast Asia. Takahashi's getting sloppy since his dad's friends turned on him."
"Excellent, Skywarp. These will be suitable for now."
"You're planning on waging a gang war with 70-year-old guns?" asked Starscream.
"This coming from the guy with a 70-million-year-old gun," snarked Skywarp.
Starscream was about to answer with a witty retort but was interrupted by Thundercracker.
"Omega Supreme has intercepted the Angel! Eva-01 dispatched to provide support!"
"Omega?! I thought I killed him!" complained Starscream.
"After defeating you, Prime infused his excess Energon into Omega's chassis and shrank back to his usual size," explained Megatron.
"How did he grow Eva-sized anyway?"
"He must have scanned Eva-01 when it fell down, triggering a reaction with the Matrix."
"Of course! I should've known that wasn't a rookie mistake! The kid must have planned it all along!"
"I wouldn't expect anything less from my best student."
"What do you mean 'best student?'"
"You see, Starscream when I first arrived in post-Second Impact Japan, I took a job as an educator. One day, I was unexpectedly forced to adopt one of my students, a human child by the name of Shinji Ikari."
"Ikari? You don't mean-!"
"Yes, Starscream. The current pilot of Evangelion Unit-01 is formerly my adopted son."
"Does Prime know this?"
"No. As far as Nerv is concerned, his former guardian was 'Professor Seizo Wakamoto.' Though if the truth does come out, I'll personally tell him I did a better job raising Shinji than his current ally, Gendo, who by the way, is part of that Council I told you about."
"How do you know these things?"
"Look in the cabinet drawer beneath the display case."
Starscream turned towards the case Megatron pointed.
He opened the drawer, revealing a set of graphic novels and some DVD box sets.
"What in the Pit is this?"
"A gift from a contact in Axiom Nexus. Read the title and see if it sounds familiar."
"New Century Evangelion. Story and Art by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto. Original Concept by Gainax."
To his shock, Starscream recognized his opponent on the cover. He quickly skimmed through the pages.
"This… this perfectly describes the universe we're in! How is that even possible?!"
"'What is real in one universe is fictional in another and vice versa.' I call it 'Megatron's Rule of Parallel Realities.' Read through it, Starscream, and you just might begin to understand the plans I have in store for this universe."
To be continued…
