Matsu Takako is a great singer. I'm listening to her right now.
Chapter 10: The Eye of the Beholder
Evans had just finished taking his physical. The doctor had told him to eat more greens so that his cholesterol would improve. That was a joke. He had his life to worry about. What if his cholesterol was higher than usual? Well, maybe the stress was getting at him. Strange that stress would affect him.
"Okay, we're finished. You may go."
"Thank you," said Evans. He was just glad to be able to leave.
"By the way, are you involved with Ms. Ibuki?"
"News sure travels fast," Evans commented.
The doctor gave Evans an almost disapproving look.
"Are you going to marry her?" he asked.
"Providing we get out of this alive."
"Good."
Evans looked at the doctor for a few seconds, but dropped it. If there was something happening with Maya, she would tell him if it was important. He left the medical wing of NERV. Each of the pilots had spent more time than they should have had to here. That was an occupational hazard when you piloted an EVA. Well, it wasn't as if he could do anything. No, he corrected himself. He just wasn't willing yet.
"Asuka didn't mean what she said," Shinji said to Rei. Asuka was still in her room, brooding. Shinji had wanted to stay and comfort her, but he had another fire he needed to put out.
"So why would she say it?"
"Because she wasn't completely in control of herself at the time," Shinji said. Rei could very rather difficult to reach through common sense, but that wasn't exactly her fault.
"So her outburst was because she had started going insane."
"She's in control of herself now. Asuka probably won't say anything like that again to you."
"Probably?"
Shinji shrugged. "I can't really say. I mean, Asuka is Asuka and she deals with her problems in different ways than you or me."
"Why did she try to help me?" Rei asked.
"Because she cares, even if she doesn't always show it," said Shinji, smiling. That thought made him proud of the progress Asuka had made in such a short amount of time.
"Perhaps she does. Thank you for clearing up some things for me Shinji."
Shinji nodded as Rei got up and went back into her room to read. Well, probably read. Shinji was never sure what Rei did in there. The perverted side of his brain started to get active, but he squashed it right away. He went back to the room he now shared with Asuka. She was asleep now and lay spread all over the bed. Shinji sighed. Asuka looked so peaceful when she slept. That was a nice thought, a peaceful Asuka. Well, with a little more work, that would very likely become reality.
Two days later, Shinji, Asuka, and Rei were in the combat simulators. Rei was using Unit 07 and they were facing off against multiple opponents. Shinji dodged an attempt to slice his EVA unit in half and used his knife to pierce into the opponent's core. He pressed the enemy back and it fell to the ground. Rei was taking on two other enemy units while Asuka was just finishing off her opponent. Two more had been avoided so far but they were headed for Asuka. Shinji ran over and rammed one into the ground. He grabbed the creature's large blade and crushed the core with it. The other one turned its attention to him and charged him. Shinji blocked the blade and swept it aside. He then leapt into the air and landed on the creature. Shinji literally ripped apart the creature and it finally fell. Suddenly, everything ended. He was sweating badly and his hands were shaking. The battle replayed in his head, the things he had done forever sealed inside his mind. He slopped down and tried to relax.
"I don't think Shinji can handle this," Misato commented.
"Shinji's strong," said Maya, "I'm sure that he can make it through this. He got through everything else didn't he?"
Misato conceded that point, but she was still worried. Things built up, and Shinji did not need this at a time like this.
"I'm going down to see how he's doing."
She exited the room, leaving Maya and the other two technicians to their work.
"I wonder why she's so worried," said Shigeru.
"It's because of that rumored attack from the Japanese government," said Makoto, "It's pretty much confirmed."
"Do you really think the commander will make the EVA pilots fight?" Maya questioned.
"He's desperate. He'll do anything to win."
Shinji was sweating even after he had taken a shower. The pressure was building up inside him. He just couldn't control it anymore. He had avoided Asuka because he knew he couldn't handle her perkiness and hadn't talked to Rei because he did not have the energy to go around the barriers she had against other people. He wandered around the complex. The elevator doors were about to close when a hand stopped it. It was Evans. He got in with Shinji and pressed for the parking level. The two were silent as the car went up. It stopped and the doors opened. Evans stepped out and suddenly stopped.
"Aren't you coming?"
Shinji at first didn't realize what he was saying. He stepped out before he knew what he was doing.
"I've noticed you've been rather tense lately," Evans noted.
"I've had a lot on my mind."
"That's no surprise. Wanting to protect the ones you care about. That's the reason many of us even joined NERV. Instead, we found that we were unable to protect people we loved. We had to depend on three children to fight for us."
"I'm sorry if I've failed."
"Don't regress now," Evans said gently, "You have nothing to be sorry for."
He turned his head to look at Shinji.
"The world is a painful place, but that is what emotions are for. It interprets what is painful and what is enjoyable for us. You haven't let any of us down. You've always come through no matter what. But I warn you Shinji. The trials of the future are always greater than the trials of the past."
Evans walked away, his boots making the only sound in the entire parking lot. Shinji stood there, digesting the words that he had just heard. After Evans was out of view, he snapped out of his trance.
"Wait!"
The sound of footsteps stopped. Shinji ran over and saw Evans waiting for him.
"Can I have a ride back? Misato already took Rei and Asuka back."
"Sure."
Evans took out a small remote and pressed a key. The doors to a black convertible parked a few feet away opened. It was a design that Shinji had never seen before. He got into the car and Evans started it up.
"The first thing I had to get used to was that the driver's seat in a Japanese car was on the right."
"Did the US have them on the left?"
"Yeah."
The rest of the drive was in silence. Shinji didn't know what else to say, and Evans certainly didn't offer any more conversation. It was rather peaceful, just riding through the streets. About ten minutes later Evans stopped outside of Shinji's apartment. He got out and shut the door.
"Thanks," he said.
Evans nodded and sped off. Shinji got into the elevator and was soon on his floor. He fished out his keycard and opened the door. The TV was on so he assumed that Asuka was home. Suddenly, Asuka burst out of the bathroom and ran up to him.
"Where were you!"
"I had some things to think over."
"You were avoiding me!"
"No I wasn't!"
Asuka's glare challenged that.
"All right. I was. I just needed some time to think. That's all."
"Well next time tell me. I was worried that something was wrong."
"You were worried about me?"
"Don't let it go to your head Shinji."
Asuka plopped down onto the sofa and continued watching the show. It was an old Japanese soap opera that was from before the Second Impact.
"Where's Rei?"
"Don't know. Misato couldn't find her so she dropped me here before she went off looking for her."
Something inside Shinji clicked. Something was seriously wrong. Just then, the door slide open and an exhausted Misato appeared.
"Shinji, Asuka, we have to get to NERV now."
"What is it?" Shinji asked.
"They're coming."
Shinji froze for two seconds before he grabbed hold of Asuka and pulled her with him as he bolted out the door. Misato barely got out of the way as the two teenagers charged out.
"Wait!"
She ran and caught up to a hurried Shinji and a confused Asuka.
"What's going on?"
The three ran down the stairs and got into Misato's car. This time, she drove even crazier than usual. The two held on for dear life even though there was no traffic in the city anymore. Just then, a black convertible appeared and sped alongside them.
"That's Evans," said Shinji.
The convertible ran right through the lowered gate into NERV and finally slowed down at the car elevator. Misato was right behind him. The two cars got on and were lowered into the parking lot. Evans parked his car next to a pillar and Misato parked next to him. The four got out of their respective vehicles. Evans nodded to them before running off somewhere.
"What is going on!" Asuka demanded.
"We were supposed to have another week or so," said Misato, "The Japanese government has decided to take action against NERV."
"What? They're attacking?"
"Get down and changed. We might need the EVA units for this."
"You expect us to fight against other humans?" Asuka asked, horrified.
"It's either them or us," said Shinji, "Asuka, if we don't do this there won't be a world left. Trust me."
He took hold of her hand and squeezed it. Asuka looked at him and finally nodded. The two ran down to the lockers.
Evans shouldered an OICW and took out his pistol. It was a custom-made weapon, able to go semi-automatic and automatic. Each clip had fifteen rounds and he had five extra clips just in case. He would be needing them. It was time to settle this man to man.
End of Chapter 10
The fighting's about to begin and NERV is going to be in some serious trouble. Trust me on that one. Also, who do you think Ryan really is? I know that I've described him lightly, but who do you think it is? That ought to get some of you thinking.
Z98
Chapter 10: The Eye of the Beholder
Evans had just finished taking his physical. The doctor had told him to eat more greens so that his cholesterol would improve. That was a joke. He had his life to worry about. What if his cholesterol was higher than usual? Well, maybe the stress was getting at him. Strange that stress would affect him.
"Okay, we're finished. You may go."
"Thank you," said Evans. He was just glad to be able to leave.
"By the way, are you involved with Ms. Ibuki?"
"News sure travels fast," Evans commented.
The doctor gave Evans an almost disapproving look.
"Are you going to marry her?" he asked.
"Providing we get out of this alive."
"Good."
Evans looked at the doctor for a few seconds, but dropped it. If there was something happening with Maya, she would tell him if it was important. He left the medical wing of NERV. Each of the pilots had spent more time than they should have had to here. That was an occupational hazard when you piloted an EVA. Well, it wasn't as if he could do anything. No, he corrected himself. He just wasn't willing yet.
"Asuka didn't mean what she said," Shinji said to Rei. Asuka was still in her room, brooding. Shinji had wanted to stay and comfort her, but he had another fire he needed to put out.
"So why would she say it?"
"Because she wasn't completely in control of herself at the time," Shinji said. Rei could very rather difficult to reach through common sense, but that wasn't exactly her fault.
"So her outburst was because she had started going insane."
"She's in control of herself now. Asuka probably won't say anything like that again to you."
"Probably?"
Shinji shrugged. "I can't really say. I mean, Asuka is Asuka and she deals with her problems in different ways than you or me."
"Why did she try to help me?" Rei asked.
"Because she cares, even if she doesn't always show it," said Shinji, smiling. That thought made him proud of the progress Asuka had made in such a short amount of time.
"Perhaps she does. Thank you for clearing up some things for me Shinji."
Shinji nodded as Rei got up and went back into her room to read. Well, probably read. Shinji was never sure what Rei did in there. The perverted side of his brain started to get active, but he squashed it right away. He went back to the room he now shared with Asuka. She was asleep now and lay spread all over the bed. Shinji sighed. Asuka looked so peaceful when she slept. That was a nice thought, a peaceful Asuka. Well, with a little more work, that would very likely become reality.
Two days later, Shinji, Asuka, and Rei were in the combat simulators. Rei was using Unit 07 and they were facing off against multiple opponents. Shinji dodged an attempt to slice his EVA unit in half and used his knife to pierce into the opponent's core. He pressed the enemy back and it fell to the ground. Rei was taking on two other enemy units while Asuka was just finishing off her opponent. Two more had been avoided so far but they were headed for Asuka. Shinji ran over and rammed one into the ground. He grabbed the creature's large blade and crushed the core with it. The other one turned its attention to him and charged him. Shinji blocked the blade and swept it aside. He then leapt into the air and landed on the creature. Shinji literally ripped apart the creature and it finally fell. Suddenly, everything ended. He was sweating badly and his hands were shaking. The battle replayed in his head, the things he had done forever sealed inside his mind. He slopped down and tried to relax.
"I don't think Shinji can handle this," Misato commented.
"Shinji's strong," said Maya, "I'm sure that he can make it through this. He got through everything else didn't he?"
Misato conceded that point, but she was still worried. Things built up, and Shinji did not need this at a time like this.
"I'm going down to see how he's doing."
She exited the room, leaving Maya and the other two technicians to their work.
"I wonder why she's so worried," said Shigeru.
"It's because of that rumored attack from the Japanese government," said Makoto, "It's pretty much confirmed."
"Do you really think the commander will make the EVA pilots fight?" Maya questioned.
"He's desperate. He'll do anything to win."
Shinji was sweating even after he had taken a shower. The pressure was building up inside him. He just couldn't control it anymore. He had avoided Asuka because he knew he couldn't handle her perkiness and hadn't talked to Rei because he did not have the energy to go around the barriers she had against other people. He wandered around the complex. The elevator doors were about to close when a hand stopped it. It was Evans. He got in with Shinji and pressed for the parking level. The two were silent as the car went up. It stopped and the doors opened. Evans stepped out and suddenly stopped.
"Aren't you coming?"
Shinji at first didn't realize what he was saying. He stepped out before he knew what he was doing.
"I've noticed you've been rather tense lately," Evans noted.
"I've had a lot on my mind."
"That's no surprise. Wanting to protect the ones you care about. That's the reason many of us even joined NERV. Instead, we found that we were unable to protect people we loved. We had to depend on three children to fight for us."
"I'm sorry if I've failed."
"Don't regress now," Evans said gently, "You have nothing to be sorry for."
He turned his head to look at Shinji.
"The world is a painful place, but that is what emotions are for. It interprets what is painful and what is enjoyable for us. You haven't let any of us down. You've always come through no matter what. But I warn you Shinji. The trials of the future are always greater than the trials of the past."
Evans walked away, his boots making the only sound in the entire parking lot. Shinji stood there, digesting the words that he had just heard. After Evans was out of view, he snapped out of his trance.
"Wait!"
The sound of footsteps stopped. Shinji ran over and saw Evans waiting for him.
"Can I have a ride back? Misato already took Rei and Asuka back."
"Sure."
Evans took out a small remote and pressed a key. The doors to a black convertible parked a few feet away opened. It was a design that Shinji had never seen before. He got into the car and Evans started it up.
"The first thing I had to get used to was that the driver's seat in a Japanese car was on the right."
"Did the US have them on the left?"
"Yeah."
The rest of the drive was in silence. Shinji didn't know what else to say, and Evans certainly didn't offer any more conversation. It was rather peaceful, just riding through the streets. About ten minutes later Evans stopped outside of Shinji's apartment. He got out and shut the door.
"Thanks," he said.
Evans nodded and sped off. Shinji got into the elevator and was soon on his floor. He fished out his keycard and opened the door. The TV was on so he assumed that Asuka was home. Suddenly, Asuka burst out of the bathroom and ran up to him.
"Where were you!"
"I had some things to think over."
"You were avoiding me!"
"No I wasn't!"
Asuka's glare challenged that.
"All right. I was. I just needed some time to think. That's all."
"Well next time tell me. I was worried that something was wrong."
"You were worried about me?"
"Don't let it go to your head Shinji."
Asuka plopped down onto the sofa and continued watching the show. It was an old Japanese soap opera that was from before the Second Impact.
"Where's Rei?"
"Don't know. Misato couldn't find her so she dropped me here before she went off looking for her."
Something inside Shinji clicked. Something was seriously wrong. Just then, the door slide open and an exhausted Misato appeared.
"Shinji, Asuka, we have to get to NERV now."
"What is it?" Shinji asked.
"They're coming."
Shinji froze for two seconds before he grabbed hold of Asuka and pulled her with him as he bolted out the door. Misato barely got out of the way as the two teenagers charged out.
"Wait!"
She ran and caught up to a hurried Shinji and a confused Asuka.
"What's going on?"
The three ran down the stairs and got into Misato's car. This time, she drove even crazier than usual. The two held on for dear life even though there was no traffic in the city anymore. Just then, a black convertible appeared and sped alongside them.
"That's Evans," said Shinji.
The convertible ran right through the lowered gate into NERV and finally slowed down at the car elevator. Misato was right behind him. The two cars got on and were lowered into the parking lot. Evans parked his car next to a pillar and Misato parked next to him. The four got out of their respective vehicles. Evans nodded to them before running off somewhere.
"What is going on!" Asuka demanded.
"We were supposed to have another week or so," said Misato, "The Japanese government has decided to take action against NERV."
"What? They're attacking?"
"Get down and changed. We might need the EVA units for this."
"You expect us to fight against other humans?" Asuka asked, horrified.
"It's either them or us," said Shinji, "Asuka, if we don't do this there won't be a world left. Trust me."
He took hold of her hand and squeezed it. Asuka looked at him and finally nodded. The two ran down to the lockers.
Evans shouldered an OICW and took out his pistol. It was a custom-made weapon, able to go semi-automatic and automatic. Each clip had fifteen rounds and he had five extra clips just in case. He would be needing them. It was time to settle this man to man.
End of Chapter 10
The fighting's about to begin and NERV is going to be in some serious trouble. Trust me on that one. Also, who do you think Ryan really is? I know that I've described him lightly, but who do you think it is? That ought to get some of you thinking.
Z98