Chapter Two! I wrote chapter one fairly quickly, but I took a bit more time on this one. Most chapters from here on out are probably going to be around this size and scale. Potentially a little bit bigger.

I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion, or any of the characters depicted.

Dr. Tachiki looked down at his answering machine. "Strange, I didn't hear any calls today" he muttered to himself. The man pressed the message button and listened to the call. "Hi there, Doctor. It's me, Shinji Ikari. I'm uh... I'm just calling to let you know that I won't be attending today's session. There's no need to reschedule it for this week. There's a good chance I will be out of town for the next couple of days. Please take care." The call ended with a beep.

The Doctor was a little bit surprised. Shinji Ikari had never missed an appointment in the one year and eight months that he had been attending therapy. From what he knew of the Third Child, was that he had no family, other than his sister, and no reason to be out of town for the next few days. Let alone to have anything interesting happen to him. His first thought would have been that Shinji wanted to enjoy his summer days by going on a trip, but the Doctor knew his patient better than that.

"What could he be up to?"

Shinji hadn't thought to bring a bag with him. However, he did make sure to bring some essentials. He threw on a hat, made sure his wallet had his train pass inside, (as well as some cash), and made sure to bring with him his cell phone.

"To what purpose do you think they have summoned us?" Rei asked.

Rei had not thought to bring anything either. She had simply made sure she had her train pass and keys. Though she had donned a sun hat and applied sun-screen before leaving.

"I'm not sure, to be honest," he muttered. "It's not like them to call us on such short notice."

He remembered the rather curt message his father sent him before he had known he was the third child. The message contained only a single word. "Come."

"At least, not anymore, I mean."

"Do you suppose there could be any danger?" Rei inquired once more.

"I hope not," Shinji replied.

"As do I."

Several technicians and command staff swarmed around computer screens in a dimly lit command center. One of which displayed the names of seventeen agents, tasked with covertly watching over the two teenagers currently on the way to Tokyo-03. Another screen, a live camera feed of Shinji Ikari, and Rei Ayanami.

Two women stand watching the live monitor.

"Do you really think they need that much security, commander?" the blonde woman inquired.

"Better safe than sorry, Rits," she replied curtly.

She sighed. "I suppose so. Would you like an update on the situation?"

"Yes. Status of the signal?"

"The Pattern-Orange is approximately two hundred miles off of the coast of Japan. It's progressed about 80 miles in the last hour."

"Tch. They've only just now got onto the train." she scoffed.

"Yes, unfortunately, it will likely arrive at the same time the children do."

"Thanks, Ritsuko."

The two women walk towards the elevated command center. They stand on the small platform, and the Commander slams her fist into the button of the automatic lift. Gears whir and the two of them are lifted towards their post. She steps towards the ledge of the command center and speaks.

"The children have boarded a train to Tokyo-03! I want a direct override on the emergency systems for lines 103 through 130! When a state of emergency is declared, it cannot be allowed to stop!"

"Yes commander Katsuragi!" the room replied in unison.

She nodded and went back to her post. She fiddled with several computer monitors, setting them up in a way for her to view what's happening on multiple screens at once. Once she was finished, she changed one of them back to what she was viewing before.

"It's been a while. Shinji-Kun"

Shinji and Rei had been on train line 103 for about an hour and a half. They would arrive in Tokyo-03 soon enough. They had found themselves on a mostly empty bullet train, and set themselves down on a window seat next to each other.

Neither of them had minded the black suits sitting behind them. In fact, they had both almost anticipated it. If it was NERV business, after all, the two of them should expect to see some sort of protection.

Rei didn't even need to look at them to know they were there. She had just simply felt their presence, and accepted it.

Shinji however, was a little surprised at first. He had remembered the days in Tokyo-03 when he was younger. When he would walk to school, go shopping, and occasionally hang out with friends. The agents were a fact of life at the time. When taking public transport, he would sometimes make a game of counting how many of them were on the same train car as him.

However this was not Tokyo-03, and Shinji wasn't a pilot. Neither Shinji nor Rei had chosen to keep their pilot status when they had left. The only request from the two of them was a monthly stipend, and for both of them to be emancipated adults. To which the Japanese Government had happily obliged.

Still, Shinji had wondered why so much protection was needed. Hadn't the angels been defeated? Hadn't the Evangelion units been locked away, never to be activated again? What could possibly pose so much of a threat, that there would be a risk of danger to the pilots?

"Shinji" Rei spoke softly.

"Hmm?" He replied.

"You seem distressed. Are you alright?"

Shinji thought for a moment, then replied.

"Sorry. I'm just a little curious as to why we were called, y'know?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why now? It's been what. Two years? Two years of nothing. Just going to school, making dinner, going to therapy. And all of the sudden they call us in now?"

Rei blinked. "I am aware how strange this is. I feel that it is… concerning."

Shinji exhaled after she spoke. Even after two years of living with her, he still sometimes found it difficult to tell what she was thinking. "It is pretty concerning, Rei. They left us alone for two years. The only time I ever see their logo anymore is on the news, or on the cheque that they send us each month. Something is happening. Something that requires a whole lot of security. Something that involves an-"

His phone beeped loudly. He picked it up and answered.

A familiar voice greeted him. One he remembered from a conversation with his friend Kensuke Aida. A conversation cut short by the Magi, for talking about something that he shouldn't have. "Your conversation has been monitored. Due to national security concerns, you are advised to stop discussing NERV and its interests. Thank you."

The call ended with a click. He looked down at his phone and furrowed his brow. "And you see this!" Shinji scoffed. "Something is up, Rei."

"I suppose something is strange. Perhaps we will find out when we get there." Rei said. Returning her gaze to the window and its contents.

"I suppose we will, Rei."

The two of them found themselves arriving at Tokyo-03 not long after. The train had pulled into a familiar station. Both Rei and Shinji paused for a moment when they stepped onto the platform. They both had memories here. For Shinji, this was where he had made his first-ever friends. Kensuke Aida, and Toji Suzuhara.

This was also the place in which he had burned just about every bridge in his life.

For Rei, this was a place in which she had found her independence. She had made one of the first decisions in her entire life that day. That being, to leave Tokyo-03 and find her own place in the world. Alongside her brother, who wished to do the same.

The two of them continued off of the platform, and out onto the concrete stairs leading to the street. The two of them hadn't had any idea what they would be expecting. Shinji had expected a black van perhaps. Maybe a person waiting there to hand them some security cards to get them into the Geofront.

Neither of them had expected an explosion.

In the distance, several UN VTOLs emerged from behind a skyscraper. Each of them unleashing everything their munitions systems had to offer.

'Is this going to happen every time I come to this damn city?' Shinji thought to himself.

Behind him, Rei spoke. "I noticed several buildings were fully retracted on our entry. They are likely in a state of emergency. I suggest we make our way to the Geofront immediately."

Shinji delved into thought for a moment. He knew what would come next if he went down there. This exact situation had happened twice to him before. Though, if he learned anything from his therapy sessions, it was that it was his choice to do anything.

He was snapped out of it when a massive white creature, resembling a smiling Evangelion came out from behind one of the skyscrapers and punched one of the VTOLs out of the sky.

"Got it. Do you still remember where the nearest access port would be?"

"Yes. It is approximately two minutes-"

The two were cut off by another explosion, and the screeching of tires. A red sports car turned the corner and squealed into a stop next to them. The door was flung open, and the two teenagers saw a face that neither of them had expected to see.

"Baka! Wondergirl! Get in!"

"A-Asuka?"

And that's the end of Chapter 2! I hope you enjoyed it. This chapter was originally going to be a bit longer, but I actually really enjoyed the ending that it had.