Chapter 4: Exmilitary, Part 1
A/N: Heyo, we're back with a shorter wait this time! I'll talk about it a bit more at the bottom. Thank you to the people who've sent messages and left reviews, they help a lot, and the more reviews I get, the more initiative for me to continue this odd little story. Anyways, let's get this going.
Disclaimer: I don't own Evangelion but what if I said I did?
"Rei, we're finished. Let's eat"
"Yes sir."
This exchange is one of many on night where Commander Ikari has Rei eat with him. Unbenownst to the young lady, but part of the reason this has become such a regular tradition is because he can catch glimpses of Yui in her features.
As he is finishing his steak and she is finishing her vegetables, Section 2 reports cross his mind.
"Rei, you have spent an increased amount of time with the Second and Third Children lately"
"Yes sir, I have come to enjoy their company."
"You have also spent a lot of time listening to that music device."
"Yes sir, I find the unconventional nature of what I listen to intriguing. Pilot Sohryu helped me understand it's English lyrics."
"Do not let it distract you from your purpose."
This did not leave the warm feeling is usually left in Rei.
"Stand up, bow!"
That was 2-A's way of knowing it's lunch time, and Asuka was waiting for chef Ikari's daily special.
"Got my lunch, idiot?" She said with her arm outstretched.
Reaching into his bag, Shinji pulled out both bentos and passed Asuka's to her.
Toji chimed in "Awww, the newlyweds are getting along!" to a chorus of laughter.
"IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!" The two said in unison, but that didn't stop Shinji from grinning at Asuka, who responded by smacking him on the back of the head "Hey! Mind out of the gutter, silver medal!"
The pilot Trio was missing its biggest Death Grips fan, and the Three Stooges was missing its Curly Howard, so Shinji and Asuka met in the middle and schemed during class to work together to get Toji and Hikari to eat with each other. After coming to their agreement in the hospital, the tension between the pilots was slowly easing, and they somehow got on the topic of Monkey-Jock-Stooge and Class Rep, and how everybody but them can see they both want to aggressively make out. The pilots watched as the two ate their bentos as they gave each-other side-glances and blushed furiously.
"O-oh! Mr. Suzuhara, I need you to take the class bulletin to Miss Ayanami after school."
He reeled "Aw, come on! You really want me to go to a woman's place alone?"
Hikari saw her chance "Then I'll go-"
Toji's one track mind was on the move "Shinji, walk to her place with me after school, okay?"
After a swift thumb in his back, Shinji jolted a little "Uh, I can't! I have... NERV stuff! Yeah, NERV stuff, can NOT be late!"
Toji scoffed "Well who the hell am I supposed to walk with? I don't know the way to Ayanami's!"
Asuka went for the alley-oop "Hikari knows!"
Toji sighed "Fine, class rep, wanna go with me?"
Hiding her joy, Hikari got back into her 'leader' role "Sure, Mr. Suzuhara!" She would be sure to thank Asuka as much as she could later on.
The next day, Kensuke and Rei were both back, and as Shinji and Asuka entered class, they noticed Hikari and Toji deep in conversation, both smiling.
Asuka nudged Shinji "Operation: Cupid was a success."
Shinji laughed in the form of a nose exhale "Good job, captain."
She grinned "Not too bad yourself, agent idiot."
They made their way over to Rei's desk, where she was listening to her SDAT "Hey, Rei, where were you yesterday?" Asked Shinji as he briefly put a hand on Rei's shoulder
Rei paused the tape and turned to smile at her co-pilots "Hello Shinji, Asuka, I had testing to do with Dr. Akagi. Thank you both again for helping me with translating and comprehending The Money Store, I only hope that this Death Grips has more music"
"Hm, maybe we can go and see at that same music store after class! We have a harmonics test, don't we?" pondered Asuka.
"Yes, each of us have harmonics testing after school today, so we can complete that and go to the music store again, as standard procedure for a harmonics test does not take very long." responded Rei with a hint of excitement.
"Sounds good! Anyways, I'm gonna go talk to Kensuke." Said Shinji.
"And I'M gonna interrogate Hikari about her new boy-toy!" Said Asuka with a chuckle "Oh yeah, Wondergirl, the Idiot and I were setting the two of them up. Uh, 'romantically-invloved,' as you'd put it."
Rei nodded, and they went their separate ways for the day.
"Toji Suzuhara of class 2-A, Toji Suzuhara of class 2-A, please report to the principal's office immediately."
This came as a surprise to anyone who knew the young man, despite his goofy and sometimes idiotic exterior, Toji was a good kid who kept his promises and was always punctual, not even a second late for whatever he needs to do.
Kensuke cocked his head "What the hell did you do?"
"Nothing..." said Toji with a reasonable amount of confusion, before turning to Hikari "Sorry Class Rep, maybe we can eat together tomorrow?"
She gave him a weary smile "It's okay Mr. Suzuhara, go clear your name."
That lunch, Shinji ate with Kensuke as he talked more about his excursion to New Yokosuka.
During a lull in the conversation, Kensuke spoke up "Yo, Shinji, what's Ayanami listening to? She's been attached to that thing for a couple weeks now."
Shinji turned to look at Rei, and sure enough she was listening to her SDAT. "Oh yeah, she found this album by a band - well, I think they're a band - called 'Death Grips.' They're American. Have you heard of them?"
Kensuke thought for a moment "Death Grips...? Wait, I HAVE heard of them!"
"Really?"
"Yeah! I was looking around on the internet a while ago for military-related stuff, and I saw this search result 'Death Grips - Exmilitary' with a worn-looking picture of this old guy. I realized it was an album and played a clip of one of the songs and it was really weird! Loud guy talking in English and some really loud instruments. THAT'S what Ayanami likes!?" the boy ranted.
Shinji chuckled "Yeah, sounds about right. I'll let her know about that, It's been boosting her sync rate."
Kensuke's eyebrows raised "Oh, that reminds me. Did you hear about Unit-03 in the States?"
"Unit-03?"
"Yeah, is it complete? I heard they are doing a test on it in Matsuhiro, and Unit-04 was lost!"
Shinji's eyes widened "What!?"
"You don't know? My dad's branch went nuts about it! Have they picked a pilot for Unit-03? Oh, please as Miss Misato if I can pilot, pleeease?" begged Kensuke.
Shinji scratched his head "I never heard anything from Misato..."
Kensuke calmed down a little "Oh, uh, sorry for the weird questions, man. I wonder why Toji isn't back yet..."
The end of the day finally came, to the relief of anyone within the teacher's vicinity, sometimes hearing about Second Impact for hours on end can really wear out a group of 14 year-olds.
Kensuke approached Shinji, who was finishing wiping down the blackboard "Yo, you done? Let's get going"
Shinji grimaced "Sorry Ken, more NERV stuff today."
Kensuke sighed "Alright, but please convince Miss Misato to let me pilot!"
It was Shinji's turn to sigh "You really don't want that."
The three made small talk as they got to NERV, intending to be in and out as quick as possible if they wanted to make it to the music store, so once they finished they all hit the showers fast.
Being a boy, Shinji was out first and decided he was tired of standing and waiting, so he went looking for the vending machine.
Along the way, he found himself passing Kaji's office "Hey, Mr. Kaji!" He called out, deciding to be more friendly to the man, given he was not only seeing Misato and coming around the apartment more often, but he had also shown him his watermelon patch the other day, so Shinji decided he liked Kaji, and if anyone could handle his guardian, it's him.
"Hey kid." The unkempt agent replied, neck deep in papers.
Shinji decided to strike up conversation in a non-intrusive way as he slowly entered the room "How are things with Misato?" he asked.
Kaji glanced up from his screen "Oh, uh, good. She really cares about you and Asuka, kid. Glad you guys are keeping her feet on the ground."
Shinji scratched the back of his head and casually leaned to see what the man was looking at.
"Wha-hey, easy, kid, not now!" the agent stammered, seeming to want to avoid Shinji seeing something.
Shinji thought little of it "What is this, our sync data? It's no big deal, really I don't mind if Asuka is in the lea- wait, FOUR pilots, who's the Fourth Child?"
The young man could not believe what he read next.
Fourth Child, Toji Suzuhara.
The three pilots picked up the pace to hit the music store before sundown, but Shinji was experiencing a bit of shell shock from the barrage of info.
Asuka could tell something was amiss and flicked the boy on the back of the neck "Hey, idiot-Shinji, you've been pretty quiet, what's your malfunction?"
Shinji quickly gained his focus "I, uh , heard a bunch of stuff today and I'm still trying to process."
"Well?"
"Okay, first, I found out that there's another Death Grips album, its called 'Exmilitary' and Kensuke found it a while ago."
Asuka grinned "There you go, Wondergirl!" Rei couldn't fight the smile that formed on her face.
"Next is sorta three things wrapped in one. So, some NERV branch in America disappeared and they are bringing Unit-03 to Matsuhiro, at least that's what Kensuke told me."
Asuka laughed a little "Like that nutjob knows what he's talking about. You really believe the shit that nerd finds on his computer?"
Shinji put a hand up "Hold on, I wasn't sure about it either until after our harmonics test. I stopped by Kaji's office while I was waiting for you two and I saw something on his computer..."
Asuka scoffed "You were getting up in Mr. Kaji's business? Idiot..."
"I saw who the Fourth Child was, it's Toji!"
Both girls stopped walking for a moment. "WHAT!?" cried Asuka. "That monkey is a pilot now!? Argh, why him!? He a God-damed moron!"
Rei tilted her head "I must admit, I did not expect Suzuhara to be chosen for the Evangelion program."
"Well, what do we do?" Asked Shinji.
Asuka went into Captain Sohryu mode "Well, what else? We show him the ropes and make him an ass kicker! Even if I do think he's an immature prick..."
Shinji smiled "Yeah, I guess so..." as the three arrived at the store.
Inside, they went straight to the store owner, and Rei spoke up "Excuse me, sir. I was at this establishment recently and I purchased an album by one 'Death Grips.' do you have any other releases by this group? I am aware of one release by the name 'Ex-military.' and would like to purchase it for my SDAT music player."
The store owner took a moment to register the scene in front of him. A dainty-looking 14 year-old girl just asked him if he had Exmilitary by Death Grips, seemingly with the intention to listen to it. "Um, uh, Exmilitary? Lemme check my stock..."
After some frantic typing, the man looked at his stock results "Death Grips, Exmilitary, Exmilitary... Yup! We have one cassette! Let me grab it for you!"
Rei smiled "Thank you."
The store owner vowed to mix a strong drink that night.
The next morning, Misato was in her NERV uniform as she stepped into the kitchen, where she saw Shinji and Asuka making idle chitchat as he finished up their lunches.
Asuka took notice "Well, well, if it isn't the paramour of NERV."
"Oh ha, ha, Asuka. I actually have to do things from time to time." She fired back.
Shinji cocked his head "What's that mean?"
Asuka smirked "Big words for a little boy like you. All you have to know is that she's the prime example."
Misato chuckled "Oh Shin, women's hearts are something you're yet to understand.
Asuka gave a grunt as she idly leaked on a closed fist, and after a beat, Shinji and Misato both said "Umm, by the way,"
Misato relented "Go ahead."
"Is it true about Unit-04?" asked Shinji.
Misato thought about the news she had for him "Oh, yeah, it's true, Unit-04 is gone, along with the 2nd branch of NERV. Thankfully, we have our three units."
"What about Unit-03? I heard it's being activated at Matsuhiro."
Shit, I haven't told him yet, thought Misato "Yeah, I'll be out for a few days, and Kaji will be here to watch you guys."
Asuka cheered a little "Oh yeah! You go and get Jock-Stooge in his dumb Eva, and I'll stick around Mr. Kajiiiiiiii~"
Misato rolled her eyes "Alright, alri-wait, what? Jock-Stooge!?"
"Yeah, Suzuhara's got a lot to learn!" Asuka said boldly.
Shitshitshithshitshitshit "Guess the cat's out of the bag. Yes, Mr. Suzuhara is the Fourth Child. I was worried how you guys would take it."
Asuka grinned "Don't worry, Misato. I, the great Asuka Langely Sohryu, Second Child and honorary captain of the Evangelion fleet, am gonna whip that moron into shape!" She boasted as Shinji chuckled.
"Good! Well, I'll see you two in a few days. Don't kill each other." Said Misato with a smile as she went to her room to grab a few things.
As the pilots were putting shoes on, the doorbell rang "I'll get it!" called out Misato as she answered the door to a very enthusiastic Kensuke.
"Miss Misato! Please let me pilot Unit-03!"
Asuka overheard this and stormed to the front "Beat it, Geek-Stooge! We're busy here!" She was followed by Shinji who mouthed a 'sorry' in his direction before being dragged out by her.
Shinji and Asuka entered 2-A, followed by a very confused Kensuke "What the hell, red!?" He asked after an awkwardly silent walk to school.
"Monkey boy is the pilot, so lay off!" She snarled.
Kensuke stopped in his tracks, having trouble processing what he just heard as Asuka puled Shinji over to Rei's desk to discuss what they would say to Toji.
Toji stumbled into class right before it started, and Rei caught notice. She nodded to her co-pilots, and the three stood and walked over to his desk as he sat down.
Taken aback, Toji gulped a little before steeling. "What do you want, Devil?"
Asuka let the silence stand for a moment with a stern expression, before cracking a big smile and extending a hand "Welcome aboard, Monkey-Pilot!" she said as she grinned.
"Wait, you know!?"
"Of course! The idiot found out yesterday!"
Toji looked to Asuka's right "Shin-man, how screwed am I?"
Shinji smiled sympathetically "It'll be fine, Toji, just keep your cool and it'll go smoothy. You have us to help!"
Rei nodded at Shinji's words "I may offer some advice: The entry plug will fill up with a strange liquid called LCL, also known as Link Connection Liquid. You will not drown in it, it is meant to oxygenate your lungs."
Toji scratched his head "Uh, sure, thanks. The activation's at lunchtime."
Shinji patted his shoulder "You'll be okay, don't worry."
The three pilots found themselves sitting in a triangle on the roof of the shool, with Rei setting up the SDAT.
She loaded Exmilitary, and pressed 'play' on Track 1: 'Beware.'
They were greeted with maniacal rambling over a steady guitar.
"He come to me with money in his hand, He offered me, I didn't ask him, I wasn't knocking someone's door down, I was running from that. When I got out, I was in that, I was already through that, I had that. I had the studio, I went to the studio, I went to Vox Studios. I had it all, and I looked at it and said, 'This is a bigger jail than I just got out of.' I don't want to take my time going to work, I got a motorcycle and a sleeping bag, And ten or fifteen girls, What the hell I wanna go off into - and go to work for? Work for what, money? I got all the money in the world. I'm the king, man! I run the underworld, guy! I decide who does what and where they do it at! What am I, gonna run around and act like I'm some teenybopper somewhere, for somebody else's money? I make the money, man, I roll the nickels. The game is mine! I deal the cards."
This was followed by a (loud) guitar droning paired with (also loud) drums.
"Whoa whoa whoa whoa what the fuck was that?" Interrupted Asuka, pausing the song.
"What was that beginning? Sounded like a crazy person rambling in English" Asked Shinji.
Asuka huffed "Okay, we'll have to come back to this later, but he was saying something along the lines of 'I run the game' and 'I deal the cards', which is a little powertrip-y for me."
After a beat, Rei pressed play and the chorus pulsed through the SDAT speaker.
"I close my eyes and seize it, I clench my fists and beat it, I light my torch and burn it, I am the beast I worship."
Asuka hastily translated it, then pondered on the words "Whoa."
Shinji was wide-eyed "If I didn't think these guys were already crazy, I definitely do now..."
Rei was nothing but intrigued "'I am the beast I worship'... how peculiar. Does this imply that instead of worshipping a beast of some sort, as if it were a religion, this narrator worships themself?"
Asuka caught onto the fascination "Oooh, Wondergirl gets insightful! I understand why Geek-Stooge has that camera with moments like these."
Rei repeated the line in her head a few times.
I am the beast I worship.
It made her think of her Lilith DNA.
And her purpose, Commander Ikari's scenario.
I am the beast I worship.
Rei's inner monologue was cut short by the bell.
After seeing Toji out and wishing him luck one last time before resuming class, the rest of the school day went by as usual, although with a lot of tension radiating off of Hikari. Even Shinji noticed, and he exchanged looks with Asuka when he noticed, wordlessly communicating that they could tell how worried the Class Rep was.
After the last 'Rise, bow' of the day, the pilots gathered at Rei's desk as she gathered her things for the day's album listening.
Shinji sat on the nearest desk "So, ready to-"
He was cut off by the angel alarm as the three's phones went off simultaneously.
Asuka looked at her phone first "Ah, shit! Angel! Sorry Wondergirl, we'll do the rest after! Now come on, let's move!" she boomed as she bolted out of 2-A with Shinji and Rei in tow.
As Rei ran, her mind drifted back to the new lyrics
I am the beast I worship.
The three pilots rushed to the changing rooms, plugsuited up and ready to get into battle.
"Alright you two, ready to crack some angel skulls?" Asked Asuka, already in the Captain Sohryu mindset.
Shinji mock-saluted "Ma'am, yes ma'am" as the pilots put their fists together and rushed to their Evas to sortie.
When they deployed onto the battlefield, Shinji saw the lumbering figure of Unit-03.
"What? No way that's an angel!" he called out in confusion.
The pilots heard a voice on the comms that was not that of their welcoming Major.
It was that of their cold and unforgiving commander.
"Yes. That is the target."
Asuka chimed in "It was taken over by an angel!?"
"Wait, is Toji still in there!?" Shinji asked with fear seeping into his voice
"Unimportant. Destroy the target." Came the commander's answer.
The angel, classified as Bardiel, didn't care about the exposition happening in front of it, lunged forward at the red Eva in front of it.
"Look out!" cried Shinji.
Asuka narrowly dodged being incapacitated "Not bad, idiot. Thanks!"
The two of them continued to dodge the rabid Eva as they silently formulated how to save their classmate and take out the target.
Rei looked on, rifle in hand, feeling a mental tug from the core of Unit-00, mind still echoing the lyrics.
I am the beast I worship.
The commander's cold voice cut in. "Pilot Ayanami, do you copy"
No response.
"Pilot Ayanami?"
I am the beast I wor-
Rei's vision went dark.
"Pilot Ayanami is unresponsive!" Shouted Lt. Aoba.
"Sending a recovery crew to bring Unit-00 back!" called out Lt. Ibuki.
"Shit!" Shinji and Asuka said in unison.
"We have to keep holding him off!" Said Shinji.
"Pilots Ikari and Sohryu, engage the target. That is an order." Interjected Commander Ikari.
"Roger." They said with faux enthusiasm, slightly modifying their movements to give the illusion of fighting while they figured something out. Their synchronicity from the Israfel battle helped immensely with such a feat.
Meanwhile, Unit-00 began to give Central Dogma some odd readings.
Rei found herself, still in her plugsuit, calf-deep in LCL that extended beyond her line of sight.
In front of her stood. young girl about as tall as Rei's waistline with blue hair and a red and pink dress, her crimson gaze locked on Rei's.
"What are you?" The girl asked.
"I am I. I am Rei Ayanami." Rei responded in an almost rehearsed fashion.
"Such a statement is a blatant lie. You are not truly Rei Ayanami, but an imitation. A spare. Another copy of that which is not original to begin with." The girl stated.
"That is not true. I have people who care about me for who I am." She retorted.
"They do not know your true origins or identity. They are no different from the older people who see you as some sort of animal, a scientific guinea pig." said the girl.
Rei's brow creased "You do not know who I am. My friends care about me and have proven such."
The girl's expression did not change "They do not. They are just like that disgusting man. And the people who follow at his heels. Or that old hag. If they knew you to be the cheap imitation that you are, they would put you in a cage themselves. You are not the true Rei Ayanami. Rei Ayanami is not even a true form herself, but a recreation of that which existed before."
Rei felt something pulse through her "Again, I am I, and you are not, therefore you can not speak for me."
The girl smirked "They will toss you aside, and you will be replaced. And you will be further from the true identity of Rei Ayanami, or even the true original, Yui Ikari."
Rei's eyes widened in shock.
Yui... Ikari...?
The girl took a step closer, a cynical smile on her face, looking up into Rei's eyes "I will tell you again; you are a fraud, a cheap imitation. You truly cannot deny this, so I will also ask you again; what are you?"
Rei's fists clenched as the feeling that was pulsing through her flared into something that she was not even sure she had ever felt.
Anger.
Rei lurched forward and put her hands around the girl's neck, eyed narrowed as she leaned forward, eye-to-eye with her.
"I am the beast I worship."
The little girl held her cynical and crooned "Just like her..."
The landscape the two were in began to rumble, the everything went white.
"Unit-00's readings are erratic, it's going berserk! Pilot Ayanami is still unresponsive!" Lt. Hyuga spoke up as the data came through on his end.
Gendo's eyes widened ever-so-slighly. "Cut the synchronization rate. Eject the plug immediately." He ordered.
"The unit is rejecting them, sir!"
His intertwined fingers tensed. "Force ejection of the plug."
There was a beat in the tense room as the other pilots continued to hold off the rogue Eva.
"Sir! Unit-00 is physically preventing ejection!" Hyuga called out as the screen showed Unit-00 with a hand on the nape of it's neck, keeping the entry plug from moving.
"Rei..." The commander said quietly
"Rei!" Shinji and Asuka called out, unknowingly at the same time as the commander.
Their concern was answered with a guttural roar from Unit-00, as it barrelled forward, zeroing in on the angel with the umbilical cable disconnecting behind it.
The blue Eva launched itself at Bardiel, putting the angel on it's back as it put its hands around the rogue unit's neck.
Shinji was in utter shock, thinking about his friend until Asuka opened a communication channel. "Alright, new plan! You grab Jock-Stooge while I reel in Wondergirl before she tears him apart!"
"Got it!" He replied as the two of them ran towards the unfolding scene.
Unit-02 yanked Unit-00 off of the angel, putting it in a position that it could not move it's arms, which didn't stop them from flailing erratically.
Meanwhile, Shinji put the stunned angel on its stomach and a foot on it's back as he carefully reached down to pull the entry plug free from the angelic membrane that blocked it from moving.
He managed to grab it between Unit-01's thumb and index and slide it out with some elbow grease as the angelic matter withered from it, leaving a clean entry plug with his friend inside.
His concentration was almost broken by his father's voice "Pilot Ikari, your order is to neutralize the target."
"I saved Toji, let me get him somewhere safe and I'll get rid of the angel."
Gendo did not reply and instead look onto the bridge "Cut the synchronization rate of the pilot. Switch to the dummy plug."
Maya tensed up "Sir, the dummy plug has a lot of problems, and without Dr. Akagi here-"
"It is better than a disobedient pilot. do it."
Maya swallowed the lump in her throat and croaked out a nervous "Yes, sir" as she began to type.
Shinji began to move Toji's plug somewhere safe, holding the plug at each end.
Suddenly, Unit-01 goes dark.
And the Eva begins moving on its own.
It's purple hands abruptly squeezed into fists, crushing the entry plug at each end, with the remainder of it falling to the ground.
"TOJI!" he shouts "FATHER, WHAT DID YOU DO?"
The dummy-controlled Unit lumbered towards the ongoing battle, narrowly missing stepping on pilot Suzahara.
"Asuka, let Rei go! My Eva is moving without me telling it to and I don't want it to-" The comm was abruptly cut.
She gave a small nod and released her grip on Unit-00 as it leapt at Unit-03 like a wild animal.
One would not believe that the Eva to brutally dismember an enemy in such a fashion would be piloted by the gentle and quiet Rei Ayanami, but in its berserk state it pulled no punches, kicks, stomps, bites, or strangulations.
Unit-00 was pounding on solid ground by the time it's internal battery ran out, and the Eva stopped in place.
The radio from the bridge crew came in "Eva Unit-03, no, the target is completely silent!"
Misato awoke on a stretcher, arm in a sling and one Ryoji Kaji kneeled by her side.
The last thing she remembered was wishing Suzuhara good luck and them running the activation before everything went dark.
"What happened!? Where am I!?" She shouted without a general target.
"You got lucky, Katsuragi." He answered
"Where's Rits?" She asked with urgency.
"She's fine. Better than you, actually." He answered.
She let out a small sigh of relief "Whew. What about Unit-03?"
Kaji gave a small smile "The Evas took care of it"
Her eyes widened "Shinji! I need to talk to him about the pilot!"
Unit-01 stood still in the middle of the battlefield, finally freed from its dummy takeover awaiting a recovery crew.
Shinji was on the edge of his seat until he heard a familiar voice "Shinji..." it was Misato.
"You're okay" He said, never was he so thankful to hear his guardian's voice.
"Yes. I-I'm sorry, we were activating with Toji and..." She began.
Shinji interjected "I know about the angel, we beat it, I was getting him to safety when my father, he did something, I don't know-"
"We have a report from the recovery crew. Confirmed survival of the pilot" Interrupted Maya unknowingly.
Shinji let out a sigh of relief. "He's alive."
The radio picked up chatter from the recovery crew. "Broken arm, high chance of concussion" Followed by a heap of medical jargon.
Shinji smiled sardonically "I'm glad it isn't worse."
"Good job Shinji. I'll see you at the geofront." said Misato with a smile.
Shinji was antsy to get back to NERV, hoping to make sure Rei was okay after her Eva went berserk. He climbed out of his plug and nodded to Asuka as she came to his side and they ran to Unit-00.
Some techs opened the plug to find Rei unconscious but seemingly intact "Get a stretcher and take this pilot to the infirmary." One of them said.
Shinji and Asuka let out a sigh of relief as they turned to shower and change when they were interrupted by Section 2.
"Pilot Ikari, you are under arrest for insubordintion. The commander will see you immediately." The burly agent said with a stony voice as the others cuffed Shinji's hands.
Wrists wrapped in an odd set of triple-handcuffs, Shinji was less escorted and more forcefully dragged to the menacing hellpit known as the Commander's office.
His father's office.
Father's cold gaze did not waver for even a moment before he rang up the charges on the Third Child. "Insubordination. Repeated disobedience of direct orders. These are punishable by law with serious sentences. Pilot Ikari, what is your duty?"
"To pilot Eva."
"Incorrect. Your duty is to defeat the angels. When I ordered you to fight the angel, you instead took it upon yourself to go upon some sort of self-assigned moral mission to save someone declared as lost."
Shinji could feel a vein in his forehead throb "But I'm protecting people by defeating the angels! I can do both! Toji survived! He's coming out of this relatively okay! I don't see what the problem is! I was able to protect him."
Father slammed a fist "Enough! Pilot Ikari, your actions and words are childish. You are to be locked in confinement for 24 hours. Any repeated acts of insubordination and I will revoke your status as the Third Child."
Shinji could no even get a word in edgewise before he was hauled away by the burly Section 2 agents.
'I am I'
a young girl
'You are a fraud, a cheap imitation'
bitterness
'or even the true original...'
malice
'Yu-'
Rei's eyes snapped open, with memories of her inner-confrontation retreating to the inaccessible recesses of her mind as she adjusted to the light.
She slowly sat up and saw the faces of her redheaded co-pilot and her Major.
"Rei!" Misato exclaimed, closing in on her and trapping her in a tight hug.
Asuka's grin morphed into a genuine smile as Misato broke the hug. She stepped forward and grabbed Rei's hand for a brief moment, passing over the back of it with her thumb. "Glad you're okay, Wondergirl. Prototype went feral out there."
Rei went pensive, recalling what she could about the angel attack. "Pilot Suzuhara, is he okay?"
"Yeah, the idiot managed to get his plug out before my grip slipped on your Eva. He's got a cast on his arm and a pretty bad concussion."
"Where is Pilot Ikari?"
Both girls went solemn.
"The commander... he activated something during the battle because Shinji wasn't following orders, it almost resulted in him crushing Toji like a grape. After Unit-01 got back, Section 2 took him to the commander, who put him in confinement." Misato said, downcast.
"Bastard. How long is the idiot in that rathole for?" Asuka whispered through gritted teeth, wary of the constant surveillance.
"24 hours, but I'll try and see if I can get him out sooner." Answered Misato.
Rei began to feel something previously unfelt.
Commander Ikari put him Shinji confinement?
After he saved Pilot Suzuhara?
The Commander is trustworthy, so he should be rewarding after successful missions, especially when a pilot's life was saved from an angel.
Alas, Shinji is my friend, and judging from Major Katsuragi's account he did what is morally correct, even if it was against orders.
Why would the Commander do this?
How?
Betrayal.
The seeds were planted, and they are being nurtured.
A/N: Wow, what a chapter! I had written the Bardiel fight early on, like while I was still writing the Money Store chapters, so I just tweaked it and developed the chapter around it, using the scenes from the show to sorta guide and deviating from there. I hope that the characterization is alright thus far. I'm trying to keep Shinji, Asuka, and Rei relatively the same aside from the changes in story, so while Asuka still has her attitude and calls Shinji idiot, he's figuring out how to riff right back and just roll with it, which I feel works in tandem with them living together, and he's slowly figuring her out. There will be a nice little moment for them in the next chapter (so buckle up Asushins ;]). The most changes will probably be Rei, given this is her story, you'll just have to see. In the meantime I have this text file where I write everything for this story so I slap ideas there then work with them to write out each chapter, and I'll be doing that a lot when we hit weewee album and glass breaking. The Powers That B will be interesting to write, and I have ideas on top of ideas.
I'm done rambling, so heres a preview: The pilots take on Exmilitary, Asuka is confronted with her past, and Zeruel disrupts the fun all-too quickly! Tunt in next time on Rei Grips - Exmilitary, Part 2!
Alright, cut the music, Omake time.
Omake: Big DILF
Unit-02 yanked Unit-00 off of the angel, putting it in a position that it could not move it's arms, which didn't stop them from flailing erratically.
Meanwhile, Shinji put the stunned angel on its stomach and a foot on it's back as he carefully reached down to pull the entry plug free from the angelic membrane that blocked it from moving.
He managed to grab it between Unit-01's thumb and index and slide it out with some elbow grease as the angelic matter withered from it, leaving a clean entry plug with his friend inside.
His concentration was almost broken by his father's voice "Pilot Ikari, your order is to neutralize the target."
"I saved Toji, let me get him somewhere safe and I'll get rid of the angel."
Gendo unbuttoned the top of his jacket and his shirt underneath "Fuck that. You are NOT disrespecting the Big DILF today"
Central Dogma went quiet.
All three Evangelions went quiet.
Even Matsuhiro went quiet.
Shinji had to confirm what his ears picked up "What the hell are you talking about, father!?"
Gendo smirked "I'm the big DILF, pilot Ikari, and you are NOT being a little shit today." He took it upon himself to rise from his desk and stride over to Maya's terminal "Get fucked nerd." as he activated the dummy plug.
Shinji massaged his temples "I never want to hear that string of words from that man's mouth ever again..."
Over in Matsuhiro, Ritsuko puked in her mouth a bit.
Far, far away, the author stepped back and questioned himself.