CHAPTER 8

Gordon walked onto the Bridge, and walked up to Shigeru and Makoto. "I have been given authority to let you have the rest of the day off!" Shigeru and Makoto looked at each other before shrugging. "Okay, I guess we'll -" Gordon cut him off. "But you have to come with me and Shinji to get clothes." The looked at each other before saying OK. "What about me?" Maya said. "Sorry Guys day out!" Gordon waved as they left the Bridge. Gordon changed and they made their way up to the surface. The group stepped onto the train and they soon departed. "Its been weeks since I've been up on the surface, and even then it was night." … "Yeah the City is a technological marvel, its all controlled by the MAGI." Makoto said. The Train began to slow down as it reached the end. "Well we're here!" The Train doors opened and the three men stepped out and headed through the checkpoint. "So first we are going to go and pick up Shinji, then we'll head to the mall. Do any of you guys know where Shinji lives?" Makoto nodded. "Yeah, he lives with Major Katsuragi along with Asuka. I'll lead the way to their apartment." As soon as he finished his sentence, they walked outside. The air was hot and humid, and the sun shined brightly. "Oh this is nothing compared to Nevada. We were in a literal desert." He then got a good look around at the hug buildings dotting the city. "Amazing, a real smart city." He looked around in awe, but soon noticed it was kinda empty. "Where is everybody?" … "Oh its the middle of the day and a lot of people here work at NERV, so they're either at work or they moved out." Shigeru said as they walked down the street. Makoto led them all the way out of the down town and to a large apartment complex. "Well We're here, they are on the fifth floor, come on." They took the elevator up to the 5th floor. They got out of the elevator and walked down the hall to the last apartment door. Gordon pressed the button and the door chimed. He heard Misato's voice speak in Japanese. The door then slid open to reveal a shorts wearing, yellow bloused Misato, now embarrassed. "Oh Hello Gordon! Eh heh, sorry you have to see me like this, Oh Hello you two!, Uh please come in!" She gestured for them to enter. The three men entered to her surprisingly clean apartment, but there was beer cans all over the counters.

"Shinji-Kun, Gordon is here!" Misato called out taking two beers from the fridge and offering one to Gordon. He took one and opened it, and took a sip. He heard shuffling from behind the corner and out came Shinji with his SDAT and a bud in his ear. "Oh Hello Dr Freeman." Gordon put a hand up. "Please Just call me Gordon outside of work, I'm your friend here, not your superior, and besides, I came to pick you up." Shinji Smiled, then out came a groggy looking Asuka with her hair tangled up. "Shinji why did you get up?…" She then turned to see Misato, Gordon, Shigeru, and Makoto staring at her. She then quickly turned red and ran off. "BAKA SHINJI!" Shinji looked embarrassed while Misato laughed. "U-uh what did you want to pick me up for?" … "Ritsuko gave me and the guys the rest of the day off, We are going shopping for some new clothes for me, as I cant exactly go on a date with my City 17 clothes." Misato dropped her beer. "A DATE?!" Even the two bridge techs seemed shocked. "WITH WHO?" They all cried out. Gordon's face blushed. "Erm.. Ritsuko…" Their faces were all in great shock. "You've already been here a month and you've got asked out by Ritsuko? Man you really must've gotten her out of her shell! She hasn't dated since college!" Gordon felt embarrassed but also surprised that he was chosen by such a recluse. "Well don't just stand there! Go get some new clothes!" She took the beer out of his hand and basically herded all four men out the door.

Gordon then turned to Shinji, who was still embarrassed. "Look, I've seen the footage and I know that you need that more than any of us. I'm proud of you. I'm prouder than that monstrosity of your father." This made Shinji do a double take. "You Mean it?…" Shigeru stepped up. "Shinji, we don't get to talk to you guys that often, but we are proud of you." Makoto Nodded in agreement. This made Shinji beam, and smile at the older men. "Come on, Someone lead us to the Mall." Shinji nodded and lead them to the mall. They made their way to the mall, and went in. "This place is huge… but some of the stores are closed. I guess they also left." They went to the directory and looked through it. "Man, Kanji is some hard stuff… I cant read much…" Makoto looked through the list and tapped on one listing. "Here is a men's clothing store, they also have suits." The four men walked in to the store and looked around. An older man with gray stubble came from the back. He then spoke to the group, but Gordon could barely understand. Shigeru noticed that Gordon was confused and turned and spoke to him. "He is asking if we need anything." … "Uh Yes, I just need some casual clothes and a casual suit." Shigeru translated for Gordon, and the old man nodded and gestured for them to follow him. Gordon followed and was stopped and started being measured on. He took a few measurements and nodded, then gestured to Gordon to follow him.

After a few minutes of walking around the store, the man gathered enough clothing and gave it to Gordon. Gordon went to the dressing room and tried it on. "So how about this." He came out with a light blue polo with khakis. The Three men gave thumbs up, and Gordon went to try on more clothes with both thumbs up and thumbs down. Eventually they reached the casual suit, which was a tan suit with a white tie. All three gave two thumbs up. "I guess ill take these!" Gordon said which prompted Shigeru to tell the man. Gordon pulled out his NERV Card and swiped in the card reader. He paid for his clothes and they headed out. As they walked out of the mall Gordon saw Rei walking down the street. "Hey guys, does Rei usually come to the mall?" Both bridge techs shrugged while Shinji walked over to her. They talked for a moment, before Shinji dragged her over here. "She is here on a date and she still has her school uniform." Gordon found that strange but shrugged it off. "Rei I think you should find clothes other than your uniform." She tilted her head. "Is this not appropriate to wear on a date? And besides I do not have any other clothing." Gordon definitely found this strange. "What time does he arrive?" She looked around for a clock and saw it was 3:30. "He will arrive at approximately 4:10." … "Well maybe we can help you find a dress for your date. After all I do have some cash left over." For a minute Rei thought about it. "I will accept your offer." She followed them into the mall and into a teen store. "Well Rei, pick something that catches your eye." She nodded and looked around. She looked through the rack until she found something that caught her attention. It was a dark blue dress. She eyed it and touched the fabric and held it in her hand.

"You find something?" Shinji asked looking over her shoulder. He looked at it in awe. "I have." She took the dress and brought it to the counter. Gordon went over and handed the cashier his card. "I got this." She nodded and waited for the man to finish the transaction. Once it was done they headed to the nearest bathroom. "So go change and put your school uniform in the bag. And put on your dress." Shinji said ushering her to the Women's restroom. After a few minutes, Rei came out wearing a stunning blue dress. "W-Wow you look good Rei!" The three other men gave thumbs up. She blushed slightly. Gordon checked his phone and saw that 4 o clock. "Rei I think you should head back outside and wait for him, or we could wait with you. Who is the lucky guy anyways?" She nodded. "The Lucky person is Classmate Kensuke Aida. I have looked online for help regarding this and found that, going on a date would help "Bring us closer" as you said. And you do not need to wait with me, Section 2 will watch if anything goes wrong." Gordon nodded and smiled. They said their goodbyes and walked off. "I didn't know that Kensuke liked her…" Shinji said to himself as they walked out of the mall. They then made their way to a small restaurant to eat. Gordon looked at the menu only to be discouraged by the fact he could barely read Kanji. They translated for him and he ordered something he is familiar with, something he is glad that this restaurant serves: A simple Fish and Chips meal. Their food arrives and they eat, and as usual Gordon has trouble doing things, so he sticks with a fork. As they are eating Shinji spoke up. "Dr- Gordon, what do you think about my father?…" Gordon was caught off guard with this question. He pursed his lips and furrowed his eyebrows. "I don't like him, I've past reports and see he isn't a person that is kind. I know that he changed after your mother died… Even so, my good friend Eli wasn't like that when his wife died, sure he grieved but he didn't change dramatically. If he truly cared about her, he would've raised you and moved on… After all you are part of your mother." Shinji looked away thinking. "Then why hasn't he done that?…" Gordon sighed and put his fork down. "I don't know… Shigeru, Makoto, what do you think about the commander?" Shigeru shrugged. "He does his job, albeit his is rude and cold about it, the only time I ever saw him care for something, is when Unit 0 went berserk during an activation test. He went and oped the Entry plug himself to save Rei." Gordon nodded, as Makoto began to speak. "The sub-commander seems to tolerate him but he is much more kinder and livelier than Commander Ikari." They all looked on in wonder about why Gendo is like this. They eventually finished their meals and headed their separate ways. Gordon made his way back to the Geo-Front and went to his Apartment and put his clothes away.

After a bit of relaxing, he decided to go and check on Alyx and Arnold. He went back into HQ and traversed the many corridors to get to the Storage room where they are staying in. He showed his Id to the guard there and entered. He spotted them in front of a terminal looking at unclassified data entries. "Hey you two, hows it going?" Alyx turned to Gordon with a sad look on her face. "This world is also scarred… Antarctica is completely gone and the world could end if these things make it." Arnold spoke up. "Many people hearts here are broken and shattered, I can feel their hearts ache out of loneliness and despair. I do sense a 4 powerful souls near by. But I cannot investigate. And the Vortessence is rather weak here." He walked over to Gordon. "But I can sense that you are healing many around you." The Vortigaunt put his hand on Gordon's chest and patted it. "So what is it that you do here?" Alyx asked Gordon while she was typing away at the MAGI terminal. "I am an assistant to Dr Ritsuko Akagi, I help with testing the MAGI, the Pilots and the Evangelions." Alyx slowly nodded. The entries mention something called the Evangelions, and apparently there is 3 of them. What are they?" Gordon looked uneasy from that question, but let it go. "If I show you, you cannot touch or tell about it." The two nodded. He sighed and gestured for them to follow him.

He led them through the door, where he told the guards he'll take care of them. He led them through the countless hallways until they reached a large set of doors marked "CAGE-01" Gordon then swiped his card and watched the door open. He led them inside where Alyx stared in awe at the colossal purple titan. Arnold looked dead at it and put his hand out. "I sense something within the titan, but it's too clouded…" Gordon thought he felt EVA-01 staring at him. "Is it alive?" Arnold nodded. "It is very much alive." He lowered his hand. "Well it is a biological being underneath all that armor, but it gives me the feeling that its watching me… Almost as if someone is inside it, not piloting, but living…" Then they heard the sound of the door hiss open, and the tip taps of foot steps. "Gordon, what are you doing here? It isn't your shift." Gordon turned around embarrassed that he got caught by the second most powerful man here. "I was showing these two our greatest weapon… But my friend here tells me that he senses something within it. I'd believe him because I always get the feeling that I'm being watched." This made Kozo rather uneasy as they may find out the truth. But realized Gordon could help with this situation. "Gordon, there is something I need to tell you, these two may come, but they cannot under any circumstances tell what I'm going to say. But we must go to a secure area." He gestured for them to follow.

They followed the graying man to a heavy looking door and entered the room. The door locked behind them. "The things I'm about to say, are classified by an authority higher than Commander Ikari. I am telling you this because I believe you can help put an end to this madness." Gordon gave a confused look but kept listening. Alyx was nervous and Arnold was alert. "Second Impact was on purpose. Not by Me, or Gendo. But by a group named SEELE." Gordon was shocked by this new piece of information and Alyx looked horrified. "Their goal is to unite humanity as one, everyone's weaknesses are complimented by someone's strengths. Thus eliminating the loneliness within our hearts. A bunch of old men afraid of being hurt." Gordon, Alyx, and Arnold kept listening. "They plan to do this by starting Third Impact, not by Angel, but By EVA. Gendo follows along but with his own plans. To Bring back the dead… A rather foolish idea… He plans to use Third Impact to bring his wife Yui Ikari back from Unit 01, where her soul is being kept. He is using his son to bring her back." Kozo looked away. "I should've stopped him before he broke the boy… I'm telling you this because I think you are the one to stop them both. Those two being here proves that you did survive all that. I need your help…" Gordon was trying to process all this information. He was the savior of one world, so what's one more. "Alright, what do I need to do?" Gordon asked with determination. "I'd suggest keeping Shinji happy and stable, and as for Ritsuko, keep getting closer to her, be there for her. Gendo is only using her…" Gordon was absolutely disgusted. That bastard, I'd strangle him if I could!

After explaining a few more horrific things, Gordon was free to go along with Alyx and Arnold. They went their separate ways after a bit of awkwardness. He headed to his apartment but was greeted by a pleasant sight: Ritsuko. She was wearing her blue blouse and black skirt. She was leaning against the wall looking down at the floor with a lonely look in her eyes. "What brings you here this late?" She looked up and gave him a weak smile. "I'd thought I'd come over for some coffee and just chat." Gordon nodded and proceeded to let her in. His apartment had a few new furnishings that he'd asked for. He sat her at the table and proceeded to make some coffee. "So, how those two like it here?" Ritsuko asked trying to make conversation. "They said that our worlds are similar, both destroyed by hubris." Gordon said waiting for the pot to be done. "Hey… Gordon… There is something I've been meaning to do, and I was saving this for later… But I don't want to wait until its too late…" Ritsuko proceeds to get up and walks over to Gordon, and get in his face. Their faces ever so closer with Ritsuko closing the gap with a passionate kiss. Gordon was surprised, but slowly gave into it. He wrapped his arms around her, soon completely forgetting about the coffee. They continued at this for a bit before letting go to breathe. They stared into each other's eyes, seeing the loneliness that has cursed them for so long. Ritsuko looked away with a blushing smile. She hasn't been this happy for a long time. "Gordon… You have no idea how happy you make me…" She hugged him tightly slowly tearing up. He held her, slowly rubbing her back. "You make me happy as well…" But little did they know, a small bug was listening in on the two.