Gendo's last meeting with SEELE had involved him listening to the 'Old Men' complaining about how the Scenario was being threatened. There were just too many variables that they had not accounted for and it had all began when Shinji first arrived.
Shinji, the son he'd abandoned in order to fulfill his own personal Scenario, whom he expected to be weak-willed had shown up and not only had he displayed a strong will, but a defiant spirit that would not be overcome by adversity. A part of Gendo, who was still a father, almost felt proud for his son but he squashed it. This was not what he wanted. Then, to make matters worse, Shinji and Rei had started a relationship and one Gendo had no power to interfere in since it was nothing NERV related and in addition this relationship seemed to benefit Rei as it allowed her Synch Ratio with Unit-00 to rise significantly.
He'd thought of replacing the Second Rei with a Third One but Ritsuko argued against such an action. Shinji would become suspicious and Rei still needed memories to function in order to fulfill her role in the Scenario. However, was that even possible now? Day by day the First Child was growing farther and farther from Gendo's reach and he had no control.
All because Gendo had sent for Shinji. When he saw those intense eyes on his son's face he was briefly reminded of Yui. Had Yui's strength been inherited by Shinji and had been brought out due to this GekiJyuKen that he practiced.
The Second Child had also been summoned but she had also changed farther than expected and all because Gendo had made Kannami Rukawa the 4th Child and her partner. The girl who kept people a arms-length actually showed genuine affection which was returned. This also boosted her confidence but not due to a superiority complex. This was something else.
Love.
Gendo grimaced as he thought back to another variable. Yamato who practiced GenJyuKen was also someone to watch out for. He was obviously not allied with Shinji or Kannami but they were civil enough with each other.
And then these new threats like that giant eel monster and that pseudo-Eva that had recently attacked. Just what was happening? The Dead Sea Scrolls had not foretold their arrival.
Gendo needed to think.
The pilots were at school, well all except for Rei. Ever since Rei's little mishap involving Red Bull, the girl had been banned from ever taking a sip of the drink. Strangely enough after Misato had reported the effects Red Bull had on her, all the stores that sold Red Bull had their entire supply of the energy drink bought up. Future shipments were also cancelled.
"I hate your dad," said Kannami. He really liked his Red Bull.
"I know, I hate him too," Shinji agreed. Rei had been rather affectionate during the whole Red Bull thing.
"Well, we better learn what drinks Wondergirl can or can't drink," said Asuka.
Rei wasn't with them. She was needed at NERV for tests and Shinji didn't like it. He gazed towards her empty seat and frowned.
"Worried, Ikari-kun?" asked Kannami.
"Yeah," Shinji admitted.
"HEY, SHINJI!" Kensuke yelled out.
"What is it, four eyes?" Asuka scowled.
"That big robot the other day! Where did it come from? Do you know, huh, do you?" Kensuke was talking about Engine-Oh G12.
"Kensuke please…" said Shinji. "That's classified."
"But it was so awesome!" Kensuke declared.
"It's classified!" Kannami roared in Kensuke's face.
Meanwhile, disaster had struck in the Nevada branch of NERV when the base mysteriously vanished in a flash. As a result, everything within an 89 km radius and thousands of people had just vanished, leaving nothing. According to official reports, there had been an experimental installation of an S2 Engine that would be capable of giving an Evangelion Unit and unlimited power supply. The Eva in question was Unit 04.
There was panic and the US government demanded that Unit 03 which was being built in Nerv's Massachusetts branch be removed immediately from American soil ASAP and be sent straight to Japan.
The Unit would be flown in from USA to Japan. During the flight, the plane carrying Unit 03 was enveloped in a strange cloud but it had no harmful effects to the plane or its cargo…yet.
"Well, that's all of it," said Ritsuko after downloading a new batch of Rei's memories. "All your memories are saved to disk."
Rei began to dress up and sighed. This was really something she didn't look forward to. On a weekly basis she needed to have her memories saved so that in the event she died then her new body would have memories. Still, this upset her.
Ritsuko, while she did not care very much for Rei but had started to ease up on the girl, asked, "Rei, what's wrong?"
"Dr. Akagi, what do you think Shinji would think if he knew?" Rei asked.
Ritsuko knew Rei was talking about the Reiquarium that housed her cloned bodies. When Ritsuko mentioned Shinji, she thought about the headaches the 3rd Child had brought her. Humans had their own mystical energy in them? Preposterous! But the evidence was there. "Well, I doubt he would hate you," said Ritsuko.
That didn't really reassure the bluenette. Shinji was caring but this, the truth, might just be too much for him.
She wished she had Red Bull right now. That did help ease some of her stress.
Several days later, the pilots were called to NERV.
"Another Eva?" gasped Asuka.
"Unit-03 has been flown in from the USA," said Ritsuko. "It'll be field-tested soon. All we've been doing up until now has been systems checks and whatnot."
"So, got a pilot?" asked Kannami.
"We do, Fourth Child," said RItsuko. Her eyes were on him.
"Wait…me?" Kannami was stunned. "My own Eva?"
"That's right," Ritsuko confirmed. "You've been chosen to pilot Eva-03."
Asuka hugged him, "That's so great!" She was proud of him.
Kannami's mind was a bit mixed up on the matter. On one hand he'd get his own kickass mecha to use his JyuKen Busou and other Ringi techniques in. On the other hand that meant that he'd have to own Gendo.
Pros VS Cons.
Heck, he's gonna get himself his own giant robot! But that would mean no longer co-piloting Unit-02 with Asuka. He actually enjoyed that.
But then the idea of having his own giant, humanoid fighting machine made him drool.
The testing site in Matsushiro was barren, far from the city, and perfect for a field test. Eva-03 was a massive black mecha that resembled the other Evangelions in terms of body shape but its head was sculpted differently.
Kannami already said he liked the color anyway. He sat in the Entry Plug, all communication systems online. "This is Black Bear ready for activation," said Kannmi.
Back at NERV, Asuka watched in anticipation. Shinji, of course, was looking up at the Commander who was watching coldly. He really didn't like seeing the man. Rei leaned in closer to Shinji. "Rei, what's wrong?" he asked.
"I feel happy for Pilot Rukawa," said Rei. "But…"
"But what?" asked Shinji.
"I have a feeling that something might go wrong," she told him. "I know my doubts are unfounded but…"
"You're worried for a friend, Rei. That's normal," he said, "But Rukawa-dono is not someone you need to be worried about. I grew up with him. He's so tough he makes a brick wall look weak."
"Yeah, relax Wondergirl," smiled Asuka. While originally put off by Rei for being like a doll, they had a really good relationship, inside and outside of NERV. "Kannami will do fine."
"He'll do fine, huh?" Shinji asked as he sat in his Eva's Entry Plug.
"Can it, Third!" Asuka snapped. In truth she was scared but hid it in her anger. This was not supposed to happen.
It had all happened so suddenly. One moment Unit-03 was working normally when MAGI suddenly alerted them of the presence of an Angel and it was Unit-03 itself! It was like that Angel that had tried to take over NERV's MAGI computer system before taking control of Project JA's remains. The difference was that one of their own was inside that thing.
Rei's prediction had come true and now they were being sent to fight one of their own comrades. Shinji had spoken to her about comradeship and its importance. It had been difficult for someone like Asuka to grasp but Shinji had managed to convince her using the human hand as an example.
The hand needed all its fingers, including the thumb, to work. That was teamwork and with teamwork came comradeship.
As the Eva carriers reached their destination, they released the Evangelions and allowed the three mechas to land onto the battlefield where the Angel now stood. It wore Unit-03 like its own skin but she was well aware that Kannami was inside the monstrosity and unlike the Gaiark's pseudo-Evangelion, this was the real deal. An Evangelion that had been taken over by an Angel and not only that it was one with its pilot trapped inside.
Communications couldn't reach Kannami at all.
And then the Commander's grim voice was heard over their communication link, "The target has been confirmed as the Thirteenth Angel. Pilots, you are ordered to destroy it."
"What about the pilot?" asked Rei.
"That is irrelevant. Now, you know your orders. Destroy the Angel at all cost."
Rei would've followed her orders without question but that was before Shinji had arrived and showed her a world beyond the one the Commander had made for her. She had always thought that her only purpose was to help Gendo accomplish her scenario but Shinji had opened up her mind, eyes and heart to other possibilities and she actually liked the world the way it was, including Shinji.
Asuka too would've followed orders because disobeying them would mean she would lose her rights as an Eva pilot, something she had trained for since she had been a child. It had been the one thing, the only thing, that mattered to her but that also changed before she met Shinji and Kannami. Before Kannami she had a crush on Kaji but then she started to realize that the man was just out of her reach and that it was a crush. Kannami, on the other hand, was a man despite being her age. He was mature, strong, dependable, and damn he was a good kisser.
As for Shinji, he was not going to follow such an order. Hell, his best friend was in that thing. Sure, he and Kannami may seem like enemies from time-to-time, especially during their usual arguments and brawls but they were the best of friends and also the most bitter of rivals. Shinji was not going to do something that could risk killing Kannami now that he was in the possessed Evangelion Unit-03. When one piloted Eva, one became one with the Eva and as such any injury and pain they inflicted on the Eva would be felt by the pilot to an extent based on synch scores.
With that, the three made their decision.
Shinji drew out the battle plan while the 9th Angel seemed to be studying them. "Wondergirl, Bat Boy, it's time we use the 'Circle of Confusion'."
The pilots had been working on combat strategies and Asuka had made up a few with unique names.
"Um, Asuka?" Shinji began. "It'll look like a triangle with just the three of us."
"Shinji is right," Rei agreed.
"Fine! 'Triangle of Confusion'! 'Parable of Mystery'! 'Rhombus of Terror'! I don't care! Just get into position!" Asuka snapped. She wasn't being mean but she was scared and trying to cover it up with her usual haughtiness. 'We're gonna get you out of there, Kannami.'
The three Evangelions didn't have any time to waste and surrounded their target. They had less than five minutes but if they worked together, not only would they be able to free Kannami from the Angel-possessed Eva, but kill it as well before time runs out.
With their Prog Knives, Asuka gave the command, "ALRIGHT! TRIANGLE OF CONFUSION! GO! GO!"
Units 01 and 00 moved first, dashing at the 9th Angel. Eva-01 was holding his Prog Knife in a reverse grip and he was aiming for the back of the Angel's neck where the Entry Plug should be. Asuka then backed Rei up, her Eva's Prog Knife gripped as well.
The Angel roared and unleashed its AT-Field, using it as a shield to prevent the blue and red Evangelions from advancing but Shinji was heading for its back and finally had an arm around its midsection. "OK, buddy! Time to get you out!" shouted Shinji.
Back at NERV, Gendo frowned and demanded, "Third Child, what are you doing!-? Your orders are clear! Destroy the Angel!"
Shinji ignored the commander while he tried to get a firm grip on the Angel he was holding, stabbing his Prog Knife next to the spot the Entry Plug was. He just hoped Kannami didn't feel the knife going into the back of his own neck.
"Rei! Second Child!" shouted Gendo. "Destroy the Angel!"
They too ignored him as they continued to charge into the Angel's AT-Field, using their own to counter it as they struggle to get close.
Finally, Units 00 and 02 were able to get close but then the Angle lashed out, grabbing them by the necks and squeezing them, hard. Shinji gasped, "Rei! Asuka!" He was distracted and the Angel took the opportunity to shrug him off before using a kick that sent him reeling. The 13th Angel then threw Asuka's Unit-02 across the ground, sending it crashing hard with its head hitting first, knocking her out. It then smashed Unit-00 to the ground violently. The impact knocked Rei out as well.
"Dammit!" Shinji cursed. There had to be a way. He opened the communications channel and set it to try and communicate with the pilot inside Unit-03. "RUKAWA-DONO! RUKAWA-DONO! BAKA-KUMA, WAKE UP!" Shinji shouted as he tried to get through to the possessed Unit-03.
"Pilot Ikari, destroy the Angel now!" Gendo commanded.
Shinji continued to ignore the Commander as he tried again to get through his friend, "RUKAWA-DONO, I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME! WAKE UP AND TAKE CONTROL!"
"Activate the Dummy Plug," Gendo ordered, angered by his son's insubordination.
"But, sir-" Makoto tried to object.
"Do it!"
"Yes, sir," Makoto obeyed, albeit reluctantly.
Shinji then began to notice that he wasn't in control. "What? No, my Eva!" His Eva was working on its own and it was going to kill the Angel with Kannami in it. "NO! STOP THIS NOW!" Shinji gritted his teeth as Eva-01 began to pound the possessed Unit-03 mercilessly as the Angel tried to fight back. "No, I'm not gonna be your puppet and neither is this Eva! Because I won't let you!" His body flared out with his Geki which was a mixture of black, violet, blue and green, "I WON'T LET YOU!"
Eva-01 suddenly flared out with Geki, but not just any Geki. It was Kageki, the ultimate form of Geki.
Inside, Shinji was donned in his GekiWing suit but now it had broader shoulders and colored mostly white with black gloves and boots and black markings on it. He was now Super GekiWing.
"Sir, the 3rd Child is overriding the Dummy Plug!" Makoto reported. Gendo gaped.
"That's impossible!" Gendo exclaimed.
"Well, Pilot Ikari seems to be full of surprises," said the Sub-Commander.
Once he regained control, Shinji tried again, "RUKAWA, YOU STUPID FUCKING BEAR! YOU'RE A WEAKLING! ARE YOU GONNA LET THIS ANGEL JUST BEAT YOU! THE RUKAWA I KNOW WON'T LET ANYBODY CONTROL HIM! ARE YOU STRONG, OR WAS THAT JUST TOUGH TALK!"
The screen in front of him showed static but then it blinked and showed a very pissed off Kannami glaring at him, his Rinki flaring, "SHUT UP YOU BAKA-KOUMORI! AN ANGEL IS NOT GONNA BEAT ME! RINKI GAISO!" Kannami transformed into QuadraBeast Rukawa, "AND NOW, JASHIN GOTEN HEN!"
Unit-03 suddenly froze when all of a sudden a huge fist smashed right out of it followed by another one. The Eva was slowly being torn apart from the inside out as a giant-sized QuadraBeast Rukawa dug himself out of the Eva which was falling apart due to the growing pilot.
The Angel now collapsed as Rukawa stood beside Unit-01. "Looks like I learnt a new trick," the giant RinJyuKen artist said. Rukawa then punched Unit 01. "That's for calling me weak you bastard!"
Super GekiWing laughed, "Glad to have you back, buddy."
"How's Red?" asked Rukawa.
"She'll be pissed when she wakes up," said Super GekiWing. "And I got less than a minute of power left too."
"Well, the son of a bitch is dead," the giant RinJyuKen artist pointed to the 9th Angel's remains.
Back at NERV, everyone on the bridge was staring at the screens and could not believe. Not only had the Fourth Child transformed into his armored state but he had also grown to gigantic size. As for Gendo, he was pissed off. The Children had challenged him, disobeyed him, and not only that, Shinji had been able to counter the Dummy Plug. How! How was the boy able to rebel against his Scenario time and time again?
And now to discover that the Fourth Child, Kannami Rukawa, had the ability to become a giant as well. He didn't need an Eva at all, not with this ability in his control.
Misato was surprised and happy. She was relieved that Kannami would not be killed.
"The Angel's energy signature is still active!" Makoto Hyuuga reported.
Dammit, why did she have to jinx herself?
The remains of Eva-03 were pulling itself back together. It seemed that having QB-Rukawa rip his way out of it had not been enough to kill it. It pulled its body back together but now it was on all fours and appeared beast-like as it roared to the heavens.
The gigantic QB-Rukawa and Evangelion-01 looked towards the revived Angel. QB-Rukawa, however, was grinning under his masked face. "OK, now it's round two."
Super GekiWing nodded but then he sensed another familiar Ki signature. "Yamato…?"
In the distance, gliding towards them, was none other than the GenOrochi, the 8-headed snake construct of Yamato, the only known living GenJyuKen artist and he was in his Yamato no Orochi form inside the construct. "I've come to assist," said Yamato.
QB-Rukawa snorted but Super GekiWing was glad for the assist. The three giants then stood side by side as the 13th Angel charged at them. "Let's make it real! Time for the Triangle of Terror!" declared QB-Rukawa.
"Geki…" spoke Super GekiWing, his Kageki rolling off him in waves.
"…Rin…" continued QB-Rukawa, his aura flaring in black and purple.
"…Gen…" added Yamato no Orochi, his golden Genki bursting from his pores.
"JYU HOU!"
The combined burst of energy flew through the air straight at the 13th Angel and rammed into its AT-Field, causing its surface to ripple before shattering it apart and hitting the Angel. It roared out as it was struck and then finally the beam widened, engulfing it, swallowing it right up, and then it died, leaving nothing in its wake.
"Win!" the three JyuKen artists declared, posing as best they could. Eva-01's battery then reached timed out as he'd used up all five minutes of his power.
"Yatta!" Misato cheered.
Gendo, however, was livid.
Now, Shinji was in a cell for insubordination. It suited him just fine. Of course, he was also there for assaulting a senior officer…guess who?
Yup, as soon as Shinji saw Gendo with his sneer, he rushed up and punched the man hard across the face, knocking him off his feet.
Then Shinji had said, "I have no idea what mother ever saw in you. You're nothing but a monster. You're a disgrace to her memory. I'm glad she's dead. At least she doesn't have to suffer through this. If she were to see you now and what you've done I bet she'd kill herself all over again."
That was why Shinji was sitting in the cell, in a meditative pose. It helped him calm down. Gendo certainly seemed ready to kill after that little comment about Yui. In fact, Shinji wasn't sure if he had seen so much emotion on the man's face since they were reunited.
'I found a sensitive point,' Shinji mentally congratulated himself. The only problem was what to do about it.
"This wasn't in the Scenario," Gendo frowned deeply. He was struggling to keep his reserve and the red mark on his face from when Shinji had punched him certainly reminded him of how off-track the Scenario was. "This was supposed to break the boy, make him more malleable."
"Apparently his spirit is very strong," Fuyutsuki commented. "Dr. Akagi did state that it was theoretically possible for the pilots to override the Dummy Plug if their willpower was strong enough."
"The influence of this GekiJyuken no doubt," Gendo frowned, pulling a bottle of whiskey from his desk with a shot glass. Gendo thought back to when he had the Third Child locked away and the look he got from Shinji. It was dark, like his, and intimidating.
Then his words had cut into him. 'No…Yui would never think of me as a monster,' he assured himself. But there was doubt in his thoughts.
"You can have me locked up for as long as you want, but you need me, and you know that," said Shinji. "Don't you?"
Since the Dummy Plug system proved useless in Unit-01 because of the pilot, Gendo had to find something to regain control over the pilot.
Asuka had Kannami in a tight hug. She and Rei had been sent to NERV's hospital wing following the battle. She and the First Child had been knocked out during the battle but Asuka wasn't upset about that. She was just happy her big bear was alright.
Rei, of course, was still upset and for good reason to. Shinji had done as told and destroyed the Angel. It didn't really matter to her that they had ignored the Commander's orders to ignore the pilot's safety.
Asuka didn't even think Shinji deserved to be put in the brig. It just wasn't fair. "He'll be fine," Kannami assured Asuka. "Ikari-kun's been through worse."
"Are you sure?" asked Asuka.
"He's a bat," he told her. "He'll feel right at home."
"I still do not like it," said Rei.
"Relax, Blue. Ikari-kun's a tough customer to break." He rubbed his temples.
"You okay?" asked Asuka.
"Just got a headache," said Kannami. "It's nothing, Red."
The guards had not bothered to give Shinji any handcuffs when putting him in the brig and so he occupied himself by performing a few katas. It helped to calm his nerves as he went through the motions of his practiced Beast Fist styles.
What had really surprised him was that he had accessed Kageki, even though it had only lasted for a very short time. Kageki was the ultimate form of Geki, and it stemmed from a heart filled with justice, a heart filled with courage, but most of all a heart that protected.
Shinji had protected Kannami from his father's cruelty and so he was able to summon up the powerful Kageki, accessing his new Super GekiWing form. Speaking of witch, his Wing Changer had been confiscated but he knew Misato would be able to get it back for him.
As he continued to go through his kata, he thought back to how he was able to get into his father's head.
"Ugh, this is all bullshit!" shouted Misato as she and Ritsuko sat in the break room together. Seeing Shinji being taken to the brig had made her angry and Ritsuko understood why. While the blonde certainly agreed with Misato's frustration, this whole situation wasn't part of some superhero show. Actions had consequences and in the war with the Angels, that could mean the end of everything if someone decided to turn into a loose cannon.
"He did disobey orders," said Ritsuko. "Shinji wasn't supposed to rescue the pilot from the 13th Angel."
"Yeah, but he still killed the Angel!" said Misato. "He should be given a medal not thrown in the brig!"
"The Commander thinks otherwise," said Ritsuko. She'd seen Shinji mouth off at Gendo after punching him. She had to admit that if nothing else, the boy had brass balls the size of church bells. "He thinks Shinji needs to cool off in the brig."
"Well, I know Shinji can handle it," said Misato. Shinji could occupy himself.
"Oh, and when he gets out give him this," said Ritsuko as she handed Misato Shinji's Wing Changer. "It's an impressive piece of machinery."
Misato pocketed it, reminding herself to give it back to Shinji.
"Still, the Fourth Child really shocked everyone. He made himself gigantic," said Ritsuko.
"Ritz, since Shinji came we've seen him pull weapons of thin air and summon giant mechanical beasts out of thin air," said Misato. "I'm not surprised anymore."
"You're just not a scientist," said Ritsuko.
"Yup, because you're the one who's good at that stuff," said Misato. "Still, I hope Shinji gets out soon or I'm gonna have three very upset teenagers." Asuka would be upset that Shinji wasn't cooking, Rei would be upset because of Shinji's absence, and Kannami would be upset without his favorite sparring partner.
Rei hated this, she hated it a lot. The man she had once admired sat at his desk as she stood before him. She did not want to be in his presence.
"Rei, why did you disobey me?" Gendo asked.
"Your orders were to destroy the 9th Angel and thus we followed your orders," said Rei, eyes narrowed. "I do not understand why you had Shinji locked up for following orders. The Angel was destroyed, was it not?"
This was not something Gendo liked coming from Rei. She was too rebellious now and a wild card like Shinji. She had to be dealt with. She was even questioning his orders.
"And do not think of replacing me," said Rei. "Shinji will know and you do not want to make him angry, no more than he already is."
Gendo still had that shiner Shinji had given him, a mark that things had gone way out of control.
"You are dismissed," commanded Gendo and Rei gave a mocking salute before she exited.