EVANGELION: REWIRED
By Anguirus1955
Disclaimer: Neon Genesis Evangelion and all related characters therein are the intellectual property of Studio Gainax and Hideaki Anno.
Pre-Story Ramble
So... here I am, writing fan fiction for Evangelion. Yes, I realize that doing this while I have so many other unfinished works is pretty much biting off more than I can chew. But you know what?
I don't care. I will write what I want, when I want, and how I want. If it takes me a month to write a single chapter because I'm having trouble focusing, then so be it. I hope that this won't be the case here, but... chapters will be posted sporadically. Also, each chapter will be referred to as an episode, much like my various Daria crossover stories.
Now, for the main reason to write this is... I like Evangelion, and that's about it. Well, okay, I want to write my own version of the story, with characters' personalities changed a bit, some new characters added in, a new Angel or two, and some other characters changing themselves as the story goes on. Most of the characters in this first episode will be mostly identical to their original NGE counterparts, save for... a few quirks here and there.
On another note, in this version of the story, 2nd Impact occurs in 2025, and the main story begins 17 years later, with our main pilots all being 16 years of age at the start... for reasons that will become obvious as the story progresses. So, the main story now starts in the year 2042, because 2015 has already passed in reality.
On a final note, this story's rating is subject to change from T - M as the story develops. This is, after all, based on Evangelion, a series that is practically built upon nightmare fuel, emotional insecurities, and psychological trauma.
End of Ramble
UPDATE AS OF 06/04/2018: I have added a new introductory "Title Crawl" to the opening episode, to give it a slightly more apocalyptic feel... and to provide some obvious exposition for this particular story's universe.
UPDATE AS OF 06/06/2018: Having re-read this episode, I must agree with one particular reviewer that my paragraphs are indeed obscenely long and that the placement of dialogue is a bit confusing at times... in many chapters. I will be correcting this and restructuring various paragraphs to feel less clunky and make following dialogue between characters much easier to follow. I will be doing this for all currently posted episodes, although this will be an ongoing process, as publishing new chapters come first and foremost in my mind, while changing existing chapters comes second.
As with all stories that I write, I've written this while listening to music, mostly soundtracks, but with a few rock albums here and there. Soundtracks include Neon Genesis Evangelion Original Soundtrack Volumes 1 - 3 by Shiro Sagisu, Evangelion S2 Works by Shiro Sagisu, Evangelion Wind Symphony by Shiro Sagisu and Masamichi Amano and Yoichi Murata, Aliens: The Deluxe Edition (1986/2001) by James Horner, Godzilla 2000 Millennium (1999) by Takayuki Hattori, and Shiro SAGISU Music From Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone (2007) by Shiro Sagisu.
Yes, I am using music by James Horner as part of the soundtrack for this fan fiction. Why? Well... watch the sequence where Shinji prepares to use Eva 01 for the first time (either the original NGE version or the Rebuild 1.0 version), and let Combat Drop play over it. You'll understand. Oh, yeah, for some chapters, I will list each piece of music in the Author's Notes section to detail when and where each piece is played... so as to avoid spoiling things most of the time. For most chapters, though, I will have the track listing below the music source listing. Please note that listening to this music while reading the story is not a requirement. I simply provide this as a little something extra to help enhance the reading experience, if you the readers so wish to do so. Most of this music can be found and heard on YouTube or any number of anime soundtrack websites.
Sudden and Suspicious Disclaimer: I also advocate the purchasing and obtaining of official soundtracks through legal means.
Music From The Birthday of Rei Ayanami (2001): A Cruel Angel's Thesis (Director's Edit ~ Ayanami Version) (Performed by Megumi Hayashibara).
Music From NGE OST 1 (1995): Rei I, Eva 01.
Music From Godzilla 2000 Millennium (1999): Inches From Disaster.
Music From Aliens (1986): Combat Drop.
Music From Rebuild 1.0 (2007): I'll Go On Lovin' Someone Else, Les Betes (The Beast), Crepuscle - Tokyo III.
Music From Evangelion Wind Symphony: A01 - Rei I, E06 - Angel Attack, Preview Of Next Time Take 1.
Music From Evangelion S2 Works: Everything You've Ever Dreamed (Performed by ARIANNE).
Track Order Listing - All After Opening Theme And Before Ending Theme
01. Rei I (Introduction), 02. Angel Attack (Sachiel vs. JSSDF), 03. Inches From Disaster (Misato picks up Shinji), 04. Crepescule - Tokyo III (Entering the Geofront), 05. I'll Go On Lovin' Someone Else (Shinji meets Unit 01 and Rei), 06. Combat Drop (Eva Unit 01 preparing for Launch/Launching Unit 01), 07. Les Betes (Unit 01 goes berserk), 08. A01 - Rei I (Aftermath).
Music After Ending Theme
09. Preview Of Next Time Take 1.
OPENING THEME: A Cruel Angel's Thesis (Director's Edit)(Ayanami Version), Performed by Megumi Hayashibara
Episode 01: Step Forward Into Terror
INTRODUCTION
ON DECEMBER 25, 2025, THE CATACLYSMIC EVENT KNOWN AS 2nd IMPACT OCCURRED.
ACCORDING TO OFFICIAL SOURCES, A METEOR STRUCK DOWN IN ANTARCTICA, THE IMPACT OF WHICH CAUSED THE EARTH'S VERY AXIS TO SHIFT, LEADING TO LOSS OF LIFE ON A PREVIOUSLY UNSEEN SCALE AS RAPIDLY CHANGING TIDES, EARTHQUAKES, AND TSUNAMIS DECIMATED COASTAL REGIONS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD, LEADING TO LOSS OF LIFE, RESOURCES, AND LIVING SPACE FOR HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF PEOPLE.
THE RECORDED HUMAN POPULATION PRIOR TO 2nd IMPACT WAS 7.8 BILLION INDIVIDUALS.
THE RECORDED HUMAN POPULATION FOLLOWING 2nd IMPACT WAS 4.6 BILLION INDIVIDUALS.
AT LEAST EIGHTY MILLION DIFFERENT PLANT AND ANIMAL SPECIES WENT EXTINCT AS A RESULT OF 2nd IMPACT, ADDING TO THE LOSS OF FOOD AND OTHER NATURAL RESOURCES USED BY THE EARTH'S HUMAN POPULATION.
DUE TO THE MASSIVE LOSS OF RESOURCES AND LIVING SPACE, NATIONS AROUND THE WORLD BEGAN FIGHTING ONE ANOTHER FOR ACCESS TO WHAT REMAINED, LEADING TO A YEAR OF BLOODY ARMED CONFLICTS, KNOWN COLLECTIVELY AS THE IMPACT WARS.
BY THE TIME THE LAST CONFLICT WAS SETTLED, THE REMAINING HUMAN POPULATION HAD BEEN FURTHER REDUCED TO 3.2 BILLION RECORDED INDIVIDUALS.
ACCORDING TO OFFICIAL SOURCES, SHORTLY AFTER THE METEOR HIT ANTARCTICA, A SERIES OF ANCIENT TEXTS WERE DISCOVERED.
EARLY TRANSLATIONS OF THESE TEXTS REVEALED THE EXISTENCE AND EVENTUAL REAPPEARANCE OF ANCIENT GODLIKE LIFE FORMS, CALLED "ANGELS", WHICH WERE DESCRIBED AS BEING CAPABLE OF CAUSING DESTRUCTION ON A SCALE SIMILAR TO OR GREATER THAN THAT OF 2nd IMPACT.
TO PREVENT A THIRD IMPACT FROM OCCURRING, THE UNITED NATIONS FORMED A NEW ORGANIZATION, CALLED GEHIRN, A MASSIVE GLOBE-SPANNING RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION.
WITHIN A FEW YEARS, THE U.N. TRANSFORMED GEHIRN INTO NERV, A PARAMILITARY ORGANIZATION DEVOTED TO DEVELOPING WAYS TO STOP THESE ANGELS WHEN THEY FINALLY APPEARED.
IT HAS BEEN 17 YEARS SINCE 2nd IMPACT, AND HUMANITY HAS BEEN WAITING...
Somewhere in Japan, Tuesday, June 10, 2042 A.D.
Standing in the middle of a seemingly abandoned city, 16 year-old Shinji Ikari looked at the picture in his left hand of an attractive 30-something year old woman with long dark hair and skimpy clothes. There was a small arrow drawn that pointed at her cleavage, with a message saying, 'LOOK HERE!', along with a lipstick kiss. The woman's name had been scribbled up near the top right hand corner of the front of the photo, barely legible. The picture had a time and date listed on the back for when this woman was supposed to pick Shinji up, along with an address. Shinji had arrived on time, but with the city being seemingly abandoned, he was beginning to wonder if there had been a mistake.
A few days earlier, he had received a phone call from his father, telling him to come to Tokyo-3, and that he would be provided transportation. Looking around at the abandoned city, with alarms starting to blare in the background, Shinji sighed in frustration. "This had better not be a cruel joke," he muttered to no one in particular. Taking his cell phone out of his pocket, he looked up his contact list, before he realized that he didn't really have anyone listed except himself and his uncle.
He prepared to dial, until his phone flashed a 'NO SERVICE' message. "What? But there are cell towers all over the place," Shinji said in confusion as he looked around. He then heard a flock of birds cry out as they flew away from a nearby tree, drawing Shinji's attention to the mountain range. He quickly pocketed his phone before he spotted an old archaic pay phone nearby.
Ignoring the birds in the air, Shinji walked over to the pay-phone and counted the coins he had in pocket, soon realizing that he hadn't brought enough with him. "Well... that figures," he muttered to himself before letting out a sigh of frustration. "This sucks," he said to himself.
He then heard a faint buzzing noise, which grew louder and closer with every passing second, followed by a faint boom. Looking over at a puddle of water nearby, Shinji saw ripples in the water as the thooming noise grew nearer. Looking back at the tree line, and the mountains in the distance, Shinji soon heard the sounds of helicopter blades spinning, along with something else he couldn't immediately identify.
After a few more minutes passed, the noises Shinji heard finally become recognizable as several military Vertical Take Off and Landing craft flew overhead, each one armed to the teeth with weaponry. Several helicopters flew in formation nearby, and Shinji soon felt the ground shake as the tremors grew closer. "What the hell's going on?" Shinji asked, just before a power line collapsed nearby, falling to the ground with a thud.
Looking up ahead, Shinji soon saw the cause of the tremors. It was a large, black beast, with broad shoulders, and various bone-like protrusions covering its body, with one in the center-top region of its torso that resembled a bird-like skull. In the center of the monster's chest region was a large red orb, surrounded on the left and right sides by what appeared to be rib-like protrusions along the torso. On the shoulders of the creature were what resembled large smooth pads.
Shinji's mouth dropped in awe as he took in the sight of the beast, until he saw its skull glance down at him, glowing dots in each eye hole peering down like flood lights. Shinji's mouth went dry, and his eyes widened as he struggled to find the strength to move, until the beast turned its attention to the aircraft surrounding it. After what seemed to be a tense stand off, the Japan Strategic Self Defense Force began firing at the beast, with every single bullet and missile hitting the target, but doing nothing to scratch it.
As the gunfire rang out, Shinji covered his ears and forced himself to run away to safety, if any part of the abandoned city could even be called that at the moment.
NERV HQ, Japan-Branch, Hakone Geo-Front...
Sitting at a desk near the top of the control room, NERV Commander Gendo Ikari watched the footage of the battle with mild disinterest. The military generals in front of him, however, kept their eyes looking forward. "Dammit, not a scratch on it!" one of them said angrily.
Standing next to Gendo, Vice Commander Kozo Fuyutsuki merely inhaled and exhaled in a seemingly bored fashion. "The Third Angel has appeared, Ikari," Fuyutsuki said. Gendo subtly nodded his head in agreement.
"Yes. It is known in the Dead Sea Scrolls as Sachiel," Gendo noted as he continued watching the battle on the screen, his tinted glasses reflecting the light of the explosions.
"It had to come today of all days, didn't it?" Fuyutsuki asked with a sigh. Gendo said nothing in response. "We should have had him brought here sooner," Fuyutsuki said. Gendo nodded his head in agreement, knowing exactly who the older man was talking about.
"Perhaps," Gendo finally said.
"We haven't heard from Captain Katsuragi yet. The Angel is in the same city that Shinji was supposed to meet her in. Do you think she'll get to him in time?" Fuyutsuki asked. Gendo closed his eyes briefly before opening them, finally tearing his eyes away from the carnage on the screen to glance up at his former University Professor and current subordinate.
"Do not worry, Fuyutsuki. Despite her eccentricity and other shortcomings, I do have some degree of faith in Captain Katsuragi's abilities," Gendo replied sharply, before returning his attention to the screen once more. Realizing that Gendo would not say anything further, Fuyutsuki nodded his head.
"Very well then. I hope you are right," Fuyutsuki said before he returned his own attention to the screen as well, watching as the Japan Strategic Self Defense Force continued their ineffective barrage against the Angel.
Inside A Car...
"Aw, shit!" Captain Misato Katsuragi swore as she saw the military fighting the behemoth up ahead. "Dammit! Why didn't I take that turn-off ramp when I was supposed to!?" Misato asked herself with an annoyed whine. Checking the car's clock, she noted that she was already fifteen minutes behind schedule.
"Good going, Misato. If you'd been paying attention, you'd already have the kid and be on your way back to the Geo-Front by now," she grumbled to herself as she drove her blue Renault Alpine A310 into the empty streets of the city, searching for the young man she had been charged with picking up. The further inward she drove, the louder the sounds of battle became, even with the car windows rolled up. She sincerely hoped that her charge was far, far away from the battle raging in the city center.
Somewhere Very, Very Close To The Battle Raging In The City Center
Shinji screamed in fright as a burning helicopter struck down just meters away from him, fiery shrapnel flying everywhere as he tripped and fell back into a bench on a sidewalk. "This isn't happening! This can't be happening!" Shinji cried out in panic as he saw another VTOL explode in the air after the monster shot a bright lance from its right hand into the aircraft. Another VTOL managed to avoid being destroyed outright, but it was heavily damaged and spinning out of control as it descended to the city streets, crashing into the ground in a fiery explosion.
"I-I've gotta get out of here!" Shinji exclaimed in a panic as he tried to stand up, just moments before another attack helicopter crashed into the roof of the building behind him, showering debris onto the street below, with a broken blade falling meter feet away from Shinji as he darted away from the bench. I must run away! I must run away! I must run away, Shinji thought to himself as the ancient instinct of self-preservation kicked into high gear.
The sounds of battle continued all around him as the remaining VTOLs fired volley after volley of missiles and bullets at the monster, still to no avail. As the aerial vehicles continued circling the black monolithic giant, Shinji heard the sound of tires on pavement. Looking away from the battle, he saw a blue car speeding towards him. Well... if I don't get killed by shrapnel, I'll get run over by someone instead. My life sucks, Shinji thought to himself in resignation as his legs refused to move him out of the way.
The car soon skidded to a halt as the driver angled the vehicle so that the passenger door was facing Shinji. The door quickly opened from inside, and Shinji saw a woman with dark hair holding it open, leaning over the center console while wearing a red jacket over a black shirt. "Shinji Ikari, right?" the woman asked him.
"Y-Yeah. That's me!" Shinji replied with wide eyes.
"Good! I need you to get in the car," the woman said. Shinji quickly recognized her as the woman on the photograph sent to him. Her name was... Misao? No, it was something else. Misato? I think that's it, Shinji thought to himself as he studied her face. "Don't wait, kid! Come on!" she exclaimed as another VTOL crashed into a building nearby, its flaming body smashing inside through a window while fiery pieces of debris fell the ground outside. Shinji nodded his head with a gulp and quickly darted forward, his hands grabbing onto the car seat and pulling himself inside before grabbing the door and slamming it shut.
Shinji hurriedly put on his seat belt as Misato pulled the car away, just seconds before a giant foot came crashing down onto the ground where Shinji had been standing just seconds earlier. "Hang on!" Misato exclaimed as she put the car into high gear and continued backing away, her head turning left and right as she tried to keep herself from crashing the backwards-moving vehicle. Another foot came down near them, causing the ground to shake and the car to jump in the air for a fraction of a second.
Shinji could feel his heart hammering against his ribcage as Misato sped her car backwards at full speed before making a sharp K-turn, causing him to lurch around in his seat, before Misato hit the gas again and sped off through the town while finally facing forward. Another attack helicopter crashed down on the street just meters behind the car, shrapnel flying everywhere and lancing against the side of the car. "Shit! I hope that didn't hit my tires! I just got them replaced," Misato spat as she glanced at the rear-view mirror.
Returning her attention to the road in front of them, Misato floored the gas pedal, slowing down only slightly when she needed to take a corner or to avoid a utility pole falling down in front of them. Soon, a damaged helicopter crashed onto the street in front of them, and Misato had no choice but to move the car onto the sidewalk. "This is gonna be rough," she said to Shinji as she maneuvered the car, scraping her side doors against the outer walls of several shops before finally passing the flaming wreckage of the military helicopter. In the passenger seat, Shinji could practically feel his heart trying to escape from his chest as he breathed rapidly through his nose, keeping his mouth shut in an attempt to stop himself from screaming bloody murder at the chaos around him. Misato quickly brought her car back onto the road proper and continued gunning forward at top speed, eventually escaping back out onto the highway.
As Misato and Shinji escaped the burning city, the massive beast continued its destruction of the JSSDF vehicles attacking it without slowing down. Soon, all thirty of the attack craft sent to hold it off had been destroyed, their wreckage burning on the streets below or in the sides of buildings they had crashed into. Soon, however, another wave of attack vehicles swooped in from the East, launching barrage after barrage of missiles, rockets, and bullets at the beast. Again, this did nothing the slow its progress as it continued its slow march through the city.
As the sounds of battle became faint noise in the distance, Misato began to slow down the car. She didn't let up on the gas too much, but she didn't want to blow out her tires either. After a few more minutes had passed, Misato let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. "Oh boy, that was a close one," she said to herself. Misato quickly glanced over at the boy in the seat next to hers, his right hand clutching his chest as he took deep breaths, while his left hand clutched the edge of the seat itself, his knuckles white from fear.
"So... um, sorry I'm late," Misato said apologetically. "I... uh, missed a turn off... or two. I'm really not used to driving around these parts," she explained sheepishly. Shinji glanced over at her, his eyes still wide and his heart still pounding in his chest from their recent ordeal, although his breathing had slowly started to return to normal.
"Uh-huh," Shinji let out with a nod of his head.
"By the way, my name's Misato," Misato said as she took one hand off the steering wheel to reach across the aisle.
"I know," Shinji replied, hesitantly reaching out with one still-shaking hand to grasp hers for a brief shake.
"Really?" she asked him in return as both of their hands let go, her hand returning to the wheel and his hand returning to his side.
"Yeah. Your name is... on that picture you sent me," Shinji explained, his heart rate having finally slowed down and his breathing having fully returned to normal.
"Oh, right. Gotcha," Misato said with a smile. "It was a nice picture, wasn't it?" she asked him teasingly. Shinji resisted the urge to roll his eyebrows, although a slight blush did rise to his cheeks.
"Mm, yeah. It's uh, a very nice picture. Good camera angle and use of lighting," Shinji said sharply, still addled by recent events. "Um, by the way, Misato?" Shinji asked the woman.
"Yeah?" she asked him.
"What the hell is going on!?" Shinji asked her excitedly. "What was that thing back there!? Why was it attacking us!? Where did it come from!?" Shinji continued asking.
"Well, that thing that attacked us back there is called an Angel," Misato stated in a calm tone. Shinji looked at her with a raised eyebrow.
"A what?" he asked her, not thinking he'd heard her right. Weren't angels supposed to be beautiful and look like people with big white bird-like wings and halos over their heads?
"An Angel," Misato reiterated firmly. Shinji blinked at her this time.
"Uh-huh. That thing didn't look like an angel to me," Shinji said, shaking his head.
"Well, that's just the term we use for them," Misato elaborated. "In actuality... they're an alien life form. Angel is just a convenient term derived from a mistranslation of ancient texts that accompanied the remains of the first two found on Earth in the mid Twenty-Tens," Misato elaborated further.
"Wait... what?" Shinji asked her, confused. He'd asked for answers, but very little of what he was currently hearing was making any sense to him.
"That Angel back there isn't the first one to appear on Earth, Shinji. At least two others have been found before, but both of them were dormant when they were discovered... initially," Misato said, remembering the day her father and millions of other people around the world died after the first Angel, ADAM, was accidentally awakened. "You know about Second Impact, right?" Misato asked Shinji as she continued to drive along the highway.
"Yeah, why?" Shinji asked her quizzically in return.
"Do you know what caused it?" Misato asked him pointedly.
"Sure. A meteor crashed into Antarctica in the year Twenty-Twenty-Five," Shinji replied. It was the same story that he'd been told all his life by everyone around him, especially in school or on government TV stations and newspapers. He'd heard a few conspiracy theories about how 2nd Impact had actually been caused by some nation's military testing an experimental weapon or how it was caused by some oil company violating international laws and drilling deep into the ice and hitting something explosive by accident, but he'd never paid those crackpot theories any mind.
"Wrong. There was no meteor. That's just the official cover story for what really happened, but since you're now a member of NERV, you get to hear the truth," Misato said, occasionally glancing at her rear-view mirror to check for signs of the Angel, since it was heading for the same destination as herself.
"The truth? Wait a minute... are you saying that... Second Impact was caused by one of those... Angels?" Shinji asked her, remembering what she had just said about there having been two other Angels discovered prior to this one's appearance.
"Yes. The first Angel, Adam, was accidentally awakened during a scientific experiment. I was there when it happened, Shinji. My father, the head of the Katsuragi Expedition, died during the incident, and while he and the remaining members of the research team succeeded in subduing Adam... they couldn't stop the after-effects of Adam's awakening. My father died shortly after Adam was subdued, having been fatally injured when Adam detonated itself. He'd used his body to shield me from the explosion, and he got impaled by debris as a result," Misato explained in a solemn tone.
"I have a scar of my own from the incident, but I might show it to you when we're finally somewhere safe. Although... it's not exactly somewhere that would be appropriate for me to show someone your age, now that I think about it," Misato said thoughtfully. Shinji slowly nodded his head as he quietly processed everything that Misato had just told him.
"Well... at least your father gave a damn about you," Shinji finally said.
Misato raised an eyebrow at his words. "Okay. What's that supposed to mean?" she asked him curiously.
"Your father willingly sacrificed himself to save your life. I know that mine would never even think of doing the same for me," Shinji said with a hint of anger in his voice.
"How can you be so sure?" Misato asked him.
"Because... he abandoned me when I was only five years old. It was just after my mom died, and he abandoned me when I needed him the most," Shinji said with a scowl on his face. Misato slowly nodded her head in understanding.
"Well... at least you still have one living parent," Misato finally said. "My mother... she died about a year after I graduated from college. I've been on my own ever since," Misato said with a forlorn sigh.
"At least you got to know her that long," Shinji said in response.
"Yeah," Misato said softly, nodding her head in agreement. "I wish it had been longer, though," she added with a hint of sadness in her voice. Shinji quietly nodded his head in understanding. He knew how it felt to be alone.
Glancing into her rear-view mirror, Misato saw something curious. There were fighter craft in the air, but they were flying away from what looked like the Angel in the far distance. The Angel itself was far enough away that it looked like an ant in the distance, but with the fighter craft soon flying high over her car, Misato knew that she needed to hit the gas.
"Hold on, Shinji," Misato said as the car began to pick up speed again.
"Huh? Did that thing catch up with us!?" Shinji asked her fearfully.
"No, but something else might," Misato said as he car soon reached a speed of 120 miles per hour, zooming across the empty highway.
"What do you mean? What's gonna catch up with us?" Shinji asked her, confused by her statement.
"An aerial strike. The JSSDF is moving its forces away from the target. That means they're planning to-" Misato was cut off as a bright light appeared in the distance, almost blinding in its intensity, as though it were a miniature star being born.
"Oh shit! Just hold on!" Misato exclaimed shortly before she and Shinji felt the quakes and tremors of the blast start catching up with the section of road they were driving on.
"What the hell was that!?" Shinji cried out in fear as he clutched his seat with white knuckles.
"They just dropped an N-Two mine!" Misato explained as she kept her foot on the gas pedal. The tires of her Alpine screeched against the pavement as she pushed them to keep ahead of the shockwaves created by the explosion in the distance.
"A what!?" Shinji asked her, still confused by the entire situation.
"N-Two; it means non-nuclear. It's the heaviest weapon in the Self Defense Force's arsenal. It may not reach the same yield as a nuke, but it also lacks the fallout as well. That being said, you do not want to be near the blast radius," Misato explained as she felt the tremors subsiding, eventually slowing down the car again.
"So... did they get it?" Shinji asked her as he looked over his shoulder at the back window.
"I want to say yes, but... It's impossible to tell right now," Misato said, looking in her rear-view mirror to see dark clouds and plumes of smoke rising above the orange glow of fire that was covering the ground hundreds of miles away in the distance.
"Huh?" Shinji asked her.
"Look, whether or not they succeeded, I ain't stoppin'," Misato said as she kept driving the car forward.
Back At NERV HQ...
Looking at the static screen, the JSSDF generals all began congratulating themselves on a job well done against the Angel. One of them looked up at Ikari and Fuyutsuki with a smug smirk on his face. "Well, Commander Ikari, it seems that we won't be needing your help after all," the general said.
Gendo said nothing. He merely pointed a gloved finger toward the screen as it cleared. "I-Impossible!" another general said, causing the first one to turn around and gasp in shock. On the screen, Sachiel stood amidst the flaming remains of the countryside. Its bird-like mask had been cracked, and it had burn marks all over it, but as its flesh bubbled and simmered, a new mask began to grow underneath the old one, eventually pushing it out of the way before Sachiel reached up and gingerly removed the old mask from his face, dropping the cracked shell onto the decimated forest floor below.
"It... it just regenerated itself. Healed its wounds like nothing had even happened," one general said in complete awe.
"That's it, then. The N2 mine was our last resort," one particularly shaken general said.
"Wait, couldn't we just drop another one onto it? It seemed to be injured by the first one," one optimistic general suggested.
"No. We'd need to drop a hundred mines onto that thing. Plus, with the way that thing can regenerate itself, it would be pointless, and far too destructive," another general said in response.
The highest ranking of the generals, General Kisuke Hikawa, turned around to look at Gendo and Fuyutsuki. "Gentlemen... this operation is now under the jurisdiction of NERV," Hikawa said reluctantly.
Gendo, his face obscured by how he had his hands postured, smirked. "Of course, General. After all, this is what NERV is for," he said.
Hikawa sighed in response. "Lets hope that these... toys of yours can do a better job than we did," he said begrudgingly. Gendo smirked subtly from behind his gloved hands.
Outskirts of Tokyo-3, 30 Minutes Later...
"Okay, we're almost there," Misato said as she drove the car into a dark mountain tunnel. Soon, they came upon a large gate, guarded by armed NERV personnel. As Misato came to a stop and rolled down her car window, one of them stepped forward.
"Identification?" he asked her. Misato whipped out her ID badge and held it up for him to see.
"As you were, Captain," the guard said with a nod of his head.
"Hey, could you call HQ and tell them that I'm on my way? I dropped my phone under the seat earlier," Misato requested.
"Yes, Ma'am," the guard said before he walked over to a door and entered a small box room, picking up a phone after opening the gate to let Misato drive her car forward and onto an elevator platform.
The gate slowly closed behind Misato's car and the platform began to descend. Inside the car, Misato let out a breath. "Whew! We're almost there," Misato said in relief as she looked over at Shinji. After Shinji had told her about his father, the boy had become somewhat withdrawn and quiet.
Reaching down to retrieve her cell phone from under the car seat, Misato felt a large envelope under the tips of her fingers. "Oh! I almost forgot," she said as she pulled out the envelope and handed it to Shinji before bending over again to retrieve her phone. Shinji opened the envelope and looked at the documents held inside of it, including an ID card, several pamphlets, and a handbook for NERV employees.
Shinji looked at the logo on the front of the envelope, reading its banner.
WELCOME TO NERV. GOD'S IN HIS HEAVEN. ALL'S RIGHT WITH THE WORLD.
"Huh. So I have a job now?" Shinji asked rhetorically as Misato finally reached her phone and pulled it up from the floor.
"Well shit," she muttered as she looked at the battery life displayed on the screen. Shinji raised an eyebrow and looked at Misato, prompting her to hold up the phone so that he could see the screen. "I forgot the charge the damn thing before taking off," she explained with lament.
"Hm," Shinji mumbled as he started reading the various pamphlets from the envelope.
"So, how much did your father explain to you when he called you here?" Misato asked absentmindedly.
"Not much. He just said to come to Tokyo-3, arrive at the address on the card sent to me in the mail, and that things would be explained in greater detail after I arrived," Shinji replied with a shrug.
"Really? He didn't tell you anything else?" Misato asked him curiously.
"Nope," Shinji replied, shaking his head.
"Huh. You're right. He does have problems communicating with people," Misato said.
"Assuming he's even a person," Shinji remarked darkly. "Sometimes... I wonder if he ever loved me at all. I mean, as soon as my mother died, he just sent me away to live with my uncle and his family. The first time I saw him again... he didn't even act like he was happy to see me. He just... saw me as something that existed," Shinji said with a sigh.
"How long ago did your mother die again?" Misato asked him.
"Nearly eleven years ago," Shinji replied, keeping his eyes focused on the ID card in his hands. "The last time I saw my father was... I think eight years ago, maybe seven. I'm not too sure," Shinji said quietly.
"Hm... I guess my father certainly does seem better now in retrospect," Misato said as she leaned back against her car seat. "I mean, he was a workaholic, and he rarely spent time at home with me or my mom, but... he was caring and affectionate from time to time," she reminisced, her eyes gazing out the car door window. "And... as I said before, he gave his life to save mine. I used to hate my father when I was younger, right up until Adam woke up, and then... I've spent years trying to figure out my feelings for the man. I guess I can say that he was a flawed man who cared about his family, but didn't really know how to show it," Misato said.
"That's still leagues ahead of my own father," Shinji said in reply. Soon, the elevator's interior gave way to a view that caused Shinji to drop the envelope in his hands. "Holy... is that? Is that a real Geo-Front!?" he asked excitedly, a smile plastered on his face as he saw the modular buildings in the cavern ceiling, before gazing down at the pyramid structure next to a large lake and forest below. Behind the pyramid structure was a large curved wall, while surrounding the pyramid in four locations were large opaque metal shafts that shot up from the ground, resembling support struts as they attached to the bottom of what was Tokyo-3. Several more large shafts ran along the side of the interior walls, some disappearing into the cave walls themselves.
"Yep. This is NERV HQ, Shinji," Misato said with a smile on her face. "Welcome to the first day of the rest of your life," she added humorously.
"Hey, Misato... did my father tell you anything about why he wanted me here?" Shinji suddenly asked the woman sitting next to him.
"Me? Well, not really, although... I do have my suspicions," Misato replied.
"Uh-huh. And... what do you suspect he wants me for?" Shinji asked her curiously. Misato reached up and scratched the back of her head.
"Well... have you ever heard of Project Evangelion?" Misato asked Shinji.
"Evangelion?" Shinji asked in return. He felt a small nagging sensation in the back of his head, as the name seemed... vaguely familiar. He couldn't be positive, but he felt as though he'd heard the word somewhere before, although he couldn't remember when or where he'd heard it.
"It sounds... kind of familiar. But... I'm not sure I know what it is," Shinji finally replied.
"Okay, let me give you some basic information," Misato said to the 16-year old boy. "Project Eva is NERV's solution for stopping the Angels. Basically, what we have are giant... cyborgs, for lack of a better term. You'll understand better once we meet up with Ritsuko," Misato said.
"Ritsuko?" Shinji asked her. "Mm-hm. Ritsuko Akagi, head of NERV's research department. She and I are pretty good friends, so if you need to know anything about the Evas, just ask her or ask me to ask her," Misato said.
"Okay. Akagi... have I heard that name before?" Shinji asked himself, as the nagging sensation in the back of his head began to grow even more. A brief, murky image of a middle-aged woman with curly brunette hair entered his head, before it quickly went away.
"So... these Evangelions are giant cyborgs. What exactly am I needed for again?" Shinji asked Misato.
"Well, I think... I think Commander Ikari wants you to pilot one of them," Misato said uneasily.
Shinji blinked at her in confusion. "He... he wants... he wants me to what?" he asked Misato in disbelief.
"I don't know for sure, but it's what I suspect he called you here for," Misato said apologetically.
"Figures. I was kind of hoping... that maybe, just maybe, he'd found his heart and wanted to be my father again. I... I guess I should've known better," Shinji said forlornly. Misato reached over and put her hand on his shoulder.
"Hey, for what it's worth... I'm sorry, Shinji," Misato said. Shinji merely nodded his head with a sigh in response. The rest of the elevator ride continued in silence.
Inside NERV HQ...
Ritsuko Akagi swore up and down as she made her way over to the nearest elevator. "Damn it all, she was supposed to be here an hour ago," she grumbled as she passed by several technicians fixing a ceiling light in a corridor. As she made her way over to the visitor's lobby, Ritsuko took a few seconds to compose herself before opening the door.
Standing in the middle of the lobby were a young boy with dark brown hair and brown eyes, wearing a white button-up shirt and black slacks, and a woman only two years younger then herself with raven hair and a red jacket. She was busy yelling into a wall-mounted phone, while the boy was looking at her curiously. Stepping forward, Ritsuko held out a hand to the boy, who hesitantly took it and gave her a brief shake.
There was the briefest glimpse of recognition in his eyes, as though he could remember meeting her before. Of course, that was over ten years ago. He's probably blocked the entire incident from his memory by this point, Ritsuko thought to herself as she remembered the one time the boy had indeed met her, back when they were both far, far younger.
Ritsuko then turned her attention to Misato. "Well, where is she!? Come on, Hyuga! Ritsuko's supposed to be waiting for us so that she can bring the kid up to speed!" Misato yelled into the phone as Ritsuko walked up behind her. Ritsuko smirked and tapped Misato on her left shoulder. Misato merely swatted the faux blonde away.
"Not now, Rits. I'm trying to find out where... oh," Misato said in embarrassment. "Uh, sorry about that, Hyuga. I found her. Bye," she said before hanging up the phone and turning to look at Ritsuko. Ritsuko sighed at Misato's antics.
"You're late, Misato," Ritsuko said with an annoyed tone of voice, tapping one foot on the floor and narrowing her eyes into a glare as a frown marred her face.
"I... I took a couple of wrong turns... and missed a few right ones on the way up there," Misato said sheepishly.
"And you couldn't call to let us know that you would be late?" Ritsuko asked her pointedly, squinting her eyes to add to the glare.
"I was going to, but I dropped my phone and it fell under the seat. I... also forgot to charge it last night," Misato said sheepishly.
"Sometimes," Ritsuko said in exasperation, "I wonder how you ever became the Operations Director."
"We~ellll..." Misato started as she looked away from Ritsuko.
"Alright, look. We don't have much time," Ritsuko said brusquely before she switched her attention to Shinji.
"I take it you're Shinji Ikari?" Ritsuko asked him, despite already knowing the answer.
"Yes, Ma'am," Shinji replied curtly.
"Good. Please, follow me. I'll take you to Cage 01, where the Eva is located right now. We currently have it submerged for a maintenance test that was supposed to happen later tonight," Ritsuko explained as she motioned for Shinji and Misato to follow her through the corridors of NERV HQ. Shinji made a quick jog to catch up with the woman as Misato fell into step behind her.
"However, with circumstances being what they are today, we had to move up our time-table considerably. So, Evangelion Unit One is technically ready for launch. She just needs a pilot," Ritsuko finished as she continued leading the duo through the maze-like corridors of NERV HQ.
Looking at Ritsuko from behind, Shinji couldn't help but feel as though he'd seen her somewhere before. It was hazy, but there was something familiar about Ritsuko Akagi, something from a long time ago in his childhood. If only he could remember what that was. Her blonde hair, the mole under her left eye, the hair style itself, the lab coat... all of if seemed so familiar to him.
"Um, excuse me, Miss Akagi?" Shinji asked her.
"It's Doctor Akagi, although you may call me Ritsuko, Third Child," Ritsuko replied.
Third Child? What does that mean? "Uh, okay. Um... look, I know this may seem strange, but... have we ever met before? I swear you look familiar somehow," Shinji said, causing Misato to raise an eyebrow.
"Well, if you really want to take a trip down memory lane... yes. You were here once before. It was a very long time ago, however. I'm actually surprised that you remember me at all, considering you and I only interacted with each other very briefly," Ritsuko said, her memory of the incident playing through her mind on a loop.
I wonder... when he sees Unit One, how will he react? Will he remember the details at all? He saw his own mother... Dammit, Gendo! This plan of yours had better not bite us in the ass, Ritsuko thought to herself as she led Shinji and Misato to the Eva cage. When the trio arrived, Ritsuko swiped a key card to open the door before setting it to automatic mode. "Forgot to do that earlier today," she quipped before she noticed that the lights were off, all except for one in a large window box overlooking the cage area.
I know he likes to set a mood, but this... come on, Gendo, Ritsuko thought in annoyance as she walked over to the wall and hit the light switch, causing a series of lights hanging overhead to come to life, illuminating the room for all to see. Because Misato had taken place in front of Shinji, he hadn't been able to see the full expanse of the room when the lights came on. Walking behind Misato, Shinji soon peered out around her before he noticed something near the center of the room, just below a window box.
It was a large purple helmet with a horn on it. "This, Shinji, is humankind's ultimate multipurpose weapon against the Angels: the synthetic humanoid Evangelion!" Ritsuko announced proudly.
"Synthetic... humanoid? So, it is a cyborg, just like Misato said," Shinji noted absentmindedly, as he was busy studying the features of the monster in front of him.
Wait... I've seen this before, Shinji realized. But... where? Where have I seen... oh.
An image of his mother's smiling face flashed before him. The sounds of alarms going off filled his mind. The murky images of various people inside of a room panicking began to become clearer with each passing second, as the voice of his father screaming in fear for his mother shot through his head.
No, this... no, no, no... it-it's the same... it's... Shinji's eyes widened and he began to back up from the Eva, his breathing starting to pickup as the memories came flooding back into his brain. "No. No, no, no, no, no, no! No, please, no!" Shinji cried out as the memory of the last time he saw his mother kept flashing through his head, every detail as vivid now as it had been on that very day.
"Shinji!?" Misato asked him in concern. "Shinji what's-" "I've seen this thing before! I know what this thing is, Misato!" Shinji exclaimed, shock and horror written across his face.
So, he remembers what happened after all, Ritsuko noted grimly as she watched Shinji step back into the safety rail behind him. "Then you also know that it is our best chance for survival," came a cold and detached voice from the room's speaker systems. Everyone looked up at the window box to see a man in a dark outfit standing by himself, holding a transceiver up to his mouth, while also wearing a headset.
"Father!" Shinji yelled in recognition. "Shinji," Gendo replied tersely. "Why did you call me here!?" Shinji asked him, hoping against all odds for an answer that involved Gendo wanting to actually be his father again. "Isn't it obvious? I finally have a use for you," Gendo replied coldly.
"This... this is why you brought me here!? To pilot this... thing!?" Shinji asked him in return, his heart sinking. "That is correct," Gendo replied. "But... but this is the thing that killed mom! You expect me to get inside of it after what it did to mom!?" Shinji asked him incredulously.
"There is no other choice. It won't accept anyone else as its pilot, and the only other person who it does accept is critically injured at the moment. You are the only one who can do it," Gendo said.
"But... I don't even have any training! How am I supposed to pilot this thing!?" Shinji retorted desperately. "You will receive instructions," Gendo replied. Just then a slight tremor shook the base. "It's here. Shinji, we don't have much time. You can either pilot the Eva, or go away. I have no use for someone who intends to stand around doing nothing," Gendo said firmly.
"I...I can't! I can't! Not after... not after remembering what it did to mother!" Shinji cried out fearfully, the memory of he and his father finding a puddle of orange goo in the cockpit pushing itself to the forefront of his mind. "That problem has since been fixed, Shinji. The Eva will not do that anymore," Gendo said.
"Then why don't you pilot it!?" Shinji shot back. "It won't accept me," Gendo said bluntly, causing Misato to look at him in bewilderment before turning her attention to Ritsuko, just before another tremor was felt throughout the facility. "Shinji, time is short. Will you pilot the Evangelion?" Gendo asked his son point blank.
"N-No! I won't do it! I can't do it! Not... not after... I still remember what it did to Mom! I just can't do it!" Shinji cried as he sank to his knees, the memory of his mother's death replaying in his mind over and over again in an endless loop of emotional pain and agony.
Up in the window box, Gendo scowled before letting out a sigh. "Very well then," he muttered in contempt before tapping on his headset. "Fuyutsuki, I need Rei sent to the holding cage immediately," Gendo said. "Are you sure? She can barely walk," Fuyutsuki replied over the headset.
"Patch me through to her," Gendo commanded. A few seconds later, he heard a small ping from the headset. "Rei, are you able to move?" Gendo asked through the headset. "Y-Yes... Commander. I still function," Rei replied.
"Good. I'm sorry to have to do this, Rei, but the designated pilot for Unit 01 is unusable. You will have to take his place," Gendo said. "I understand," was the soft reply. "Good," Gendo said before switching channels and grabbing the transceiver from the control terminal in front of him.
"This is Commander Ikari. Medical staff must escort Pilot Ayanami to Eva Holding Cage One immediately," he said, just before another tremor shook the base. It's getting closer, Gendo thought to himself worriedly.
A few minutes later, down in the holding area, a door opened and two medical technicians strolled out with a metal gurney between them. On the gurney was a pale white girl with blue hair, red eyes, and multiple bandages covering her face, arms, and legs. Her left arm was in a sling, while an IV drip was attached to her right arm. A bandage wrapped around her face covered her left eye, while her right eye was left uncovered, showing off her piercing red eye. Shinji noticed the girl almost immediately.
Just as the gurney passed by him and Misato, another tremor, one more powerful than the others, shook the base, causing equipment and ceiling struts to fall apart and collapse. The lights flickered, and there was a loud crashing sound from somewhere nearby, along with the sound of water sloshing around.
"ATTENTION! ATTENTION! THE ENEMY HAS DAMAGED GEO-SHIELD LAYERS ONE THROUGH EIGHT! ALL EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAMS REMAIN ON STANDBY!" a female voice called out over the intercom.
During the quake, the gurney had fallen over, flinging the girl onto the floor. Hearing her gasp in pain caused something to stir within Shinji, and he ran over to the girl, gently placing his arms under her back as he held her, feeling the blood seeping from her bandages and onto his arms and hands. The girl gasped in pain yet again. "The... the entry plug," she said through gritted teeth. "Get...get me into the-the entry plug," she requested, just before another tremor shook the base. Looking up, Shinji finally saw the giant purple arm and hand hovering over the walkway.
Standing beneath the arm and hand, Ritsuko glanced between the limb and Shinji, her intimate knowledge of the Eva's inner workings and other secrets within NERV allowing her to accurately deduce why the cyborg had protected the boy. Misato, however, was bewildered as she tried to understand how the cyborg had moved any of its limbs on its own. Ritsuko had to restrain herself from sighing at Misato's lack of knowledge on the subject. She would eventually tell her friend in due time, but there were other things required far more immediate attention.
In the window box, Gendo smirked at the sight of Shinji holding Rei in his arms. Will you run away now, Shinji? Gendo then watched as Shinji looked between the girl and the Eva. He knew that his son had more of a heart than he himself did, and he was counting on that to help Shinji make his decision. Even from a distance, Gendo could see his son coming to a decision as he continued glancing between the girl and the Evangelion.
This girl's in no condition to fight... or do much of ANYTHING for that matter! If she goes out there... she'll be killed! I-I can't let that happen! I...I won't run away. I won't run away from this, I won't!
Soon, Shinji looked back up at the window box and the silhouette within it. Father, were you really going to send someone this badly injured out there to their death? What is WRONG with you!? I hope I don't regret this, Shinji thought to himself. "Okay... I'll do it!" Shinji shouted with a grimace on his face.
"Good. Attention all personnel, please standby for activation of Unit One," Gendo announced over the bases intercom system.
Still holding the girl in his arms, Shinji took a deep breath, before noticing the girl staring at him in bewilderment. This close to her, Shinji saw that her eyes truly were red, and not merely an effect of the room's lighting. Due to her fall and hard landing, much of her face was now covered in spots of blood, and looking more closely at her blue hair, Shinji could find no traces of any other colors to indicate that her hair was dyed. A small whimper of pain from the girl brought Shinji's attention back to her piercing red eye. Both teenagers locked eyes for a moment, before the girl winced in pain once more as she struggled to move. "Hey, take it easy. Don't push yourself," Shinji said softly as Ritsuko came over and helped him get the girl onto the gurney after getting it back upright.
Taking one last glance up at the window box, Shinji frowned at his father's silhouette.
EVA Holding Cage 01, Ten Minutes Later...
Sitting in the entry plug of Unit 01, with two strange triangular devices clipped into his hair, Shinji Ikari took a deep breath. He listened in on the various communication and radio chatter between work crews as the prepped the Evangelion for launch. "This is suicide," Shinji muttered to himself as he stared down at the control yokes. "I'm gonna die in here, just like Mom did," he muttered again. "Except... maybe this time there might be a body to recover," he added grimly.
Inside The Control Room, Central Dogma...
Gendo stood above Misato and Ritsuko as they watched video feed of every area of the holding cage. "Commander, I don't want to overstep my bounds, but... why didn't you have Shinji brought here earlier?" Misato asked as she looked up at Gendo, who was leaning over the rails of his raised platform.
"I had been hoping... that Rei would have been able to pilot the Eva, while the boy would begin his pilot training. Keep in mind that I did not expect the Angel to appear when I called for him to arrive in Tokyo-3. As Doctor Akagi can tell you, Shinji's genetic code was tested and found to be compatible with the Eva. However, as all of our tests have shown... barring Rei's successful synchronization tests, it won't accept anyone else. Not even me, as Doctor Akagi can tell you," Gendo replied, keeping a neutral tone, save for the very last part of his final sentence, where a hint of... something, Misato didn't know what, could be heard in his voice.
"If we had held off on Unit Zero's activation test today, then Rei would be piloting Unit One right now," Gendo added, almost as an afterthought. "As it stands... I made a mistake when scheduling the test for today, and now we must make do with what we have," Gendo added in an extremely rare moment of humility, accepting that something going wrong was his fault.
Of course, if those bastards at SEELE hadn't ordered me to try using Unit 00 as the first Eva to face the Angel, I wouldn't have scheduled the test in the first place. Unit 01 is important to all of us, SEELE for their plan, and me for my own plan, but... having Rei pilot her into battle would have allowed us to achieve an easy victory over Sachiel, who will no doubt pummel Shinji into the ground. Actually, though... watching that might be somewhat entertaining, Gendo thought to himself.
Although... perhaps I should have had Shinji brought here much earlier. Maybe a few days or even a few months, at least. Of course, I didn't expect him to remember the details of his mother's death so... accurately. I was so certain that sending him away from here would cause him to forget the details of that event so it would be easier to convince him to pilot the Eva when the time came, but... Murphy's Law is a bitch. I should have brought him here sooner to get him better acclimated to the whole thing. At least then he'd have the basics of piloting and might stand a chance against Sachiel, Gendo thought to himself before he felt a nudge at his side. He glanced over at Fuyutsuki, who had a raised eyebrow.
"I'm thinking of how this will turn out. With an untrained pilot in the Eva... we must hope that he gets lucky," Gendo said, noticing Misato glancing his way every now and then, no doubt eavesdropping on him. Of course, it was entirely possible that she was simply trying to comprehend the fact that Gendo had admitted to making a mistake, something she had never witnessed once in the entire time she had been at NERV. It may have been mind-blowing for her.
Back Inside The Evangelion...
Meanwhile, inside the Eva, Shinji listened to the ongoing communication chatter. "Preparing LCL in T-Minus ten seconds," the voice of a female technician said. "Shinji, can you hear us? We're going to start filling the Eva's entry plug with a breathable liquid called El-Cee-El. It will help cushion your body while piloting the Eva, and it helps with the neural linkage," the tech explained, just seconds before a reddish-orange, almost amber-colored liquid starting filling up the entry plug.
Immediately, the memory of his father opening Unit 01's entry plug hatch to find a pool of the same liquid entered Shinji's mind, and he found himself panicking briefly, until he forced himself to calm down and take deep breaths. Then he remembered what the tech said about the liquid being breathable, and he realized that the LCL was still rising, soon coming up to his chest. "A-Are you guys sure this is breathable!?" Shinji cried out in panic as the LCL soon reached his neck.
"Electrolyzing LCL in three, two, one... LCL electrolyzed," the female tech said calmly. A very faint and almost imperceptible shine flowed through the liquid as it continued rising up to Shinji's chin. However, Shinji didn't notice this because of how much he was panicking.
"I-I'm gonna drown in here! I'm gonna drown!" Shinji cried out, sputtering and panicking as LCL began entering his mouth.
"Shinji, just relax. We've all breathed liquid for nine months. Your body will remember," the technician's voice said in an attempt to calm him. Shinji heard her, but he was too busy trying to hold his breath, eventually forcing himself to open his mouth when the stuff entered his nostrils, sending a bizarre sensation through him that caused a gag-reflex as he opened his mouth in panic.
"It's okay, Shinji. Just breath deep. Nice and slow, understand? In... and out. In... and out. Inhale... and exhale. Inhale... and exhale," the female tech said as she coached him through the process of breathing the LCL.
It tastes like... blood. What the hell is this stuff? Shinji's musings were interrupted as he heard the next phase of launch begin. "Activating remote sync node receivers," the tech said. He soon felt a slight tingling sensation in his head, coming from the triangular sync node clips in his hair. And then, as the view of the entry plug changed to show the world outside the Eva along with a series of holographic or even hard-light controls and screens surrounding him, he felt... something. It was... warm, almost comforting as it washed over him. He felt... safe, somehow, as though there was a friendly presence in there with him, one that he couldn't see. There was the strangest sense of familiarity to the presence.
"You're doing good, Shinji. Sync rate is climbing up to forty-five percent and rising. Just stay calm and relax. Wow! Fifty three percent... now fifty eight percent! Sync ratio rising to sixty-three-point-five percent and holding," the tech said.
Soon, klaxons began going off all throughout the holding cage, and lights began spinning as another tremor was felt, although this one was not as strong as the ones before it. "Okay! Evangelion Unit One, prepare for launch!" the tech said over the com. "Wait a minute! How do I control this thing!?" Shinji asked.
"Use your mind! That's what the neural links are for, Shinji. Your thoughts control the Eva," the tech replied.
"So, I just... think it, and the Eva will do it? It's really that simple? That's all there is to it?" Shinji asked incredulously.
"Yup! Keep in mind, however, that the link is not one way. You can feel what the Eva experiences through the neural feedback, depending on how high your sync rate is. The neural link is a two-way street," the tech explained. "If the Eva gets injured, you'll feel it, though you won't actually sustain the injuries yourself,"she finished. "So, just think for the Eva to do something, and it'll do it," she added.
"Okay. So, if I think about shooting lasers from my eyes, will the Eva shoot lasers?" Shinji asked curiously.
"Um... no. What I meant was that you control the Eva's actions and movements with your mind. Think for it to walk, or raise an arm, or turn its head. That kind of thing," the tech explained.
"Oh. Okay," Shinji said with a hint of disappointment in his voice. "Preparing for launch!" another voice called out over the com system. Shinji gulped as he felt the harness holding the Eva move it backwards with a shudder, just before hearing a countdown starting. "Launching in T-Minus ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two... one... LAUNCH!"
And then the Eva lurched upward. It was an odd sensation, somewhat akin to being on a roller coaster, yet at the same time... it was more restrained. This was perplexing to Shinji, although he had little time to give any thought to this, as he soon saw darkness surround the Eva as it moved upward through the deployment shaft, the giant harness and platform attached to it carrying it with great momentum.
Soon, the darkness gave way to reveal the skyline of Tokyo-3, just seconds before the holding clamps released the Eva. It was now free-standing. "Huh... it's dark already?" Shinji asked rhetorically as he looked around. Soon, loud footsteps caught his attention as he saw a large black humanoid creature step around a tall building nearby, before it turned to face the Evangelion. It was the Angel.
"Uh, M-Miss tech lady?" Shinji asked nervously as the Angel paused its movement to regard the Eva quizzically. "You may call me Lieutenant Ibuki," she replied. "Right. Um, Lieutenant Ibuki? If I die... please tell my father it's his fault," Shinji requested.
The Command Center/Control Room
"Please tell my father it's his fault," Shinji's voice said over the com system of Central Dogma's control room. Misato groaned in annoyance, while Fuyutsuki smirked as he stood next to Gendo, who was now sitting down behind the desk he always had in his spot. Gendo showed no outward signs of being affected by his son's request. Then again, a bird could crap on Gendo's head, and he still would remain silent and unflinching.
Soon, Misato walked over Lieutenant Maya Ibuki's station and grabbed a spare headset before turning it on. "Shinji, this is Misato. Sorry I've been away, but I had some business to attend to for a short period. Look, just remember what Lieutenant Ibuki told you. The Eva does what you think for it to do. Focus on making it walk, and then go from there," Misato said.
"Right," Shinji replied over the com.
Tokyo-3, Topside...
"Okay. One step at a time. One step at a time," Shinji said to himself as he willed the Eva to raise its right foot and move forward. The foot lifted upward and soon came down onto the pavement of the wide street below. Shinji then did the same with the left foot. He repeated this process several times, until he remembered why he was out there to begin with.
"Um... what should I do? I mean... what, uh... do I just... pummel the Angel?" Shinji asked as he realized the Eva had no weapons. Just then, the Angel lifted its right arm and hand, pointing it directly at the Eva. "Uh-oh," Shinji said with wide eyes, seconds before a bright lance of light surged forward from the Angel's hand and slammed into Unit 01's chest, knocking the Eva back onto the street.
"Aaahhh!" Shinji cried out fearfully as he felt a mild sensation in his chest. "I...I felt that. I felt that!" Shinji cried out. He soon heard a series of loud booms as the Angel walked closer, until he felt a faint pressure around his head as the Angel lifted Eva Unit 01 up into the air. Shinji gulped as he saw the Angel raised its other hand.
Sachiel's lance shot forward again and again, hitting the Eva in its helmeted head repeatedly, until it tried to lash out with its left arm. Sachiel grabbed the arm and twisted it. Inside the entry plug, Shinji cried out as he felt his own arm being twisted. "Aaarrghhh!"
"Shinji, stay focused! Your arm isn't really being twisted! That's just feedback from the Eva! Concentrate!" Misato exclaimed over the com. "I-I can't!" he cried, just before the Angel snapped Unit 01's arm like a twig. Shinji felt a searing and intense pain spread from the same spot in his own arm. "Oh fuck!" he swore in anguish.
And then Sachiel resumed its assault on Unit 01's head, causing Shinji to feel pressure in his head again. He couldn't focus. He couldn't concentrate. The pain was too much for him to handle. With every hit to Unit 01's head, Shinji felt himself getting closer and closer to blacking out. "Th-This is it! I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die in here!" Shinji whimpered, just before Sachiel let loose its final hit, spearing Unit 01 through the head, causing blood to spray out of the cyborg.
I'm gonna die in here... just like Mom, Shinji thought to himself before the pain overwhelmed him and he blacked out.
...
...
...
No... you won't.
...
...
...
As Sachiel turned around and began walking away from the Eva, which was now lying face-down on the street, it paused. It sensed something in the air. Behind Sachiel, Unit 01's eyes flashed brightly, before it began standing up, the damage to its head starting to heal itself.
Turning around, Sachiel watched as the purple cyborg rose to its full height, before breaking the bolts keeping its mouth closed and letting out a thunderous roar. For the first time in its existence, Sachiel was surprised. And, as the Eva stopped roaring and quietly looked at Sachiel with a hungry look in its eyes, for the first time in his existence, Sachiel... felt fear.
Back Inside The Command Center...
"Alright, way to get back up, Shinji!" Misato exclaimed joyously. Standing next to her, Ritsuko looked at the pilot's vital readings on a monitor.
"Wait just a minute," Ritsuko said as she double-checked the vital readings. "Shinji isn't conscious, Misato. He's not controlling the Eva," Ritsuko said fearfully.
"What? But then... how is-" "She's berserking!" Ritsuko interrupted with a gasp as the main screen showed Unit 01 charging Sachiel.
"It's what!?" Misato asked Ritsuko in bewilderment and confusion.
"B-Berserking! She's acting on her own accord!" Ritsuko explained frantically.
"Did you know it could do this!?" Misato asked Ritsuko with wide eyes.
Meanwhile, behind the bridge crew, Gendo smirked as he watched the battle unfolding on the main screen.
The Streets Of Tokyo-3...
Unit 01 charged Sachiel at full speed, slamming into the Angel with mighty fury. Sachiel stumbled backward and fell to the ground as Unit 01 let out a vicious snarl. Noticing the Eva bending its legs in preparation for another attack, Sachiel quickly implemented his A.T. field, causing Unit 01 to lunge into an orange hexagonal field of light. Now safe from the Eva, Sachiel began to push himself up off the ground.
He then held out his right hand, and lowered the A.T. field for a split second, just before shooting out a lance of light. Unit 01 stumbled back from the attack, falling onto its side before pushing itself back up and charging at the Angel yet again. It repeatedly slammed itself against Sachiel's A.T. Field to almost no effect. Looking down at her broken arm, Unit 01 grabbed it with her good hand and realigned her bones, snapping them back into place and healing them with ease.
Unit 01 then looked at Sachiel with a feral grin, her tongue briefly darting out of her mouth to run across her teeth. Letting out another roar, Unit 01 launched forward, slamming into the A.T. Field. This time, however, she raised her own A.T. Field and placed both of her hands against Sachiel's, puncturing his field as the two fields overlapped. Unit 01 slowly spread her hands apart to rip a hole in Sachiel's field, before finally negating it with her own and stepping through to face Sachiel on even ground.
Sachiel began backing up as Unit 01 charged him, slamming her body into him and knocking him back into the ground. Shocked by this, Sachiel brought up his arms to defend himself as Unit 01 slammed a fist into his mask. Grabbing one of Sachiel's arms, Unit 01 held it firmly aside as she slammed her fist repeatedly into the Angel's face, before Sachiel used his free hand to knock Unit 01 back with a lance of light.
Quickly getting up from the ground, Sachiel prepared to deliver another blast, just as Unit 01 darted behind a building to avoid it. The lance detonated against another building in the distance, before Unit 01 reappeared from her cover and charged at him once more, grabbed both of Sachiel's arms by the wrist. With a sinister smile, Unit 01 snapped Sachiel's wrists like toothpicks, ripping his flesh and causing blood to splash out.
Lunging forward, Unit 01 pushed Sachiel onto his back before wailing on him, hitting the Angel repeatedly in the face and torso. Soon, Unit 01 grabbed one of the ribs covering Sachiel's core and broke it off. Sachiel squealed in surprise at the action, before Unit 01 brought the sharp end of the rib bone down upon Sachiel's core over and over again.
Unit 01 stabbed at Sachiel's core repeatedly, watching with satisfaction as cracks began to appear on the red orb. Sachiel's eyes widened as he realized he was about to die. With a loud screech, Sachiel made one last ditch effort to eliminate his opponent, stretching his body around her like a wrapping sheet and holding on as he let out a tremendous burst of energy, detonating in a shower of blood and body parts as he combusted himself.
After the smoke had cleared, Unit 01 stood up and looked around at the blood-soaked buildings and streets. There was nothing left of Sachiel, except for his blood. Smiling in approval at her handiwork, Evangelion Unit 01 looked up to the sky and let out a victorious roar, before slowly making her way back to the deployment box, where she stepped back into place and shut herself down.
NERV HQ Command Center...
On the bridge of NERV HQ, Misato opened and closed her mouth in an effort to speak, but no sound came forth. Sitting in front of her, Lieutenant Makoto Hyuuga, a man in her age group with black hair and glasses, gulped as he typed in a series of commands for the deployment box to activate its restraints and keep the Eva locked in place. Sitting back at his desk, with his hands postured in front of him, Commander Gendo Ikari smirked.
"So, our first fight against the Angels has yielded victory," Fuyutsuki said. Gendo nodded his head in agreement.
"Yes, but had we been able to use Rei, it would have been over much sooner," Gendo replied, his smirk fading.
"The Committee made the request," Fuyutsuki said quietly.
"Indeed, but it was a foolish one," Gendo replied.
"True. Very true," Fuyutsuki said in agreement, nodding his head.
"Still... both pilots are alive. When Rei has been healed, we'll schedule another activation test with Unit Zero, but only after the Third Child has been given a modicum of proper training for Unit One. I'd prefer to avoid having a repeat of tonight," Gendo said quietly.
Fuyutsuki nodded his head in agreement, while down below, Ritsuko listened in on the two men before switching her attention to a panicking Misato as she tried to contact an unresponsive Shinji in Unit 01's entry plug. Although Ritsuko knew exactly why Unit 01 had gone berserk, she also knew that most of the people in the command center were not allowed to hear the truth. Thus, she kept these secrets to herself, and pretended to be as baffled as everyone else.
Watching Ritsuko play along as she was supposed to, Gendo smirked. Everything was going according to the scenario. Well, almost everything...
ENDING THEME: Everything You've Ever Dreamed (Performed by ARIANNE).
PREVIEW OF NEXT EPISODE
On the next episode of EVANGELION: REWIRED, Shinji recovers from his battle against Sachiel before meeting Rei properly, while Misato takes Shinji in to live with her in her apartment. Shinji then discovers the true horror of living with Misato: The only food in her home... is instant food. There's also a penguin living there too.
Author's Notes: And that was the first episode of EVANGELION: REWIRED. As you can tell, it isn't too far removed from what was seen in NGE and Rebuild 1.0, but there are substantial differences. Rei is still the same as her TV and movie counterparts at this point in terms of behavior, while Shinji is... less annoying. I don't want to make him super competent like some re-write stories do, but I don't want to leave him the mess that he was in the original series.
As for Misato, I've decided that she should be knowledgeable like her Rebuild counterpart, but only in certain areas. Since Ritsuko is in charge of the research and development of the Evangelions, and most of the research done at NERV HQ, she knows far more than Misato does. She also knows far more about certain things than Gendo does as well, such as the locations of and passwords to certain storage rooms holding very expensive brands of wine hidden deep inside of NERV HQ. Also, Misato still sucks at cooking in this story, as you will see in the next episode, but Ritsuko will be revealed to be no better... for different reasons in the fourth episode, but that's quite a way down the road.
Shinji will still be better at cooking than Misato, but otherwise his cooking skills will be average. He'll only seem to be a great chef in comparison to Misato.
One important note. In this version of the story, Rei is still a clone, but... with a twist. Yes, she is made with DNA from Lilith, but the human donor is... someone that allows Shinji to get together with Rei without any incest happening, because while I'm sure that incest is relative in this case, it is still a turn off to me. So... take bets on who this mysterious donor will be, although I will drop small clues here and there throughout various episodes leading up to the reveal near the final handful of episodes. On another note, while Rei will develop her ability to express emotions as seen in umpteen other stories out there, it will progress rather slowly in this story, as this story will take place over the course of two years. On one more note for Rei, she still looks the same as she does in NGE and Rebuild, despite having a different human DNA donor, because in this story's continuity, Lilith's DNA ensures that Rei looks the way she does regardless of whether the human DNA came from Yui, or Misato, or Asuka, or Ritsuko, or Mari, or Maya, or whoever. So, don't think of Rei looking like Yui Ikari. Think of Rei as looking like a woman who happens to resemble Lilith's human form, albeit with a few physical and behavioral traits that are specific to her human DNA donor.
Now, while I have indeed changed Rei's human DNA donor from Yui Ikari to someone else, the character of Gendo is unaware of this, and he believes that Rei is a clone of Yui and Lilith. Therefore, he still treats Rei very much the same way that he does in both NGE and Rebuild. Rei's superficial resemblance to Yui is all that Gendo needs for himself to believe that she was cloned with her DNA.
As for Shinji retaining the memory of his mother's death? Well, I thought that would be an interesting take on the character and would give him a far more believable reason to refuse to pilot the Eva. Granted, he doesn't remember right away, and only after he finally sees the Eva do his memories come back. Still, it's a far better reason to refuse than simply not having seen the damn thing before, as he complained in NGE and Rebuild... or did he only say that in Rebuild?
Also, something that's been bugging me is whether or not only humans were affected during Instrumentality in EoE. Did Pen-Pen and other non-human animals turn into tang? Did only humans get affected? If anyone knows the answer, please tell me.
Anyway, please be sure to let me know what you think of the story so far in your reviews. Oh, and don't forget to guess who Rei's new human DNA donor is for this story. There are only six characters who I will tell you are clearly not her DNA donors; Gendo Ikari (Because that would be just... wrong, on so many levels), Kozo Fuyutsuki, Keel Lorenz , Ryouji Kaji (Despite that premise being a twist of delightfully twisted Shayamalan proportions, I'm afraid the answer is no. Not for this story), Yui Ikari (Because I want to make this point absolutely clear), and obviously Pen-Pen (who is a friggin' penguin). Aside from these six excluded characters, I won't blatantly tell anyone who the real donor of Rei's human DNA is until the reveal, but as the story progresses, various clues will be left here and there for readers to pick up on.