Disclaimer: I don't own anything in here..
Their orders finally came.
"Man! I am starving!" Kadena screamed out.
All four bowed their heads, put their hands together and prayed.
"Thank you for the food!" They prayed in unison.
Takihiro started slurping loudly, along with Kadena and Tenku. They had just come out of their regular 12-hour shift. With only light snack feedings in-between, the three guys, along with Yuri, who had decided to accompany them, were starving for real food. Soon, plate after plate were beginning to pile up on top of each other, as the men's insatiable hunger did not seem to dissipate.
Every evening at 6, the four officers would have dinner together at Takihiro's expense, in a little restaurant about 3 blocks from the Main Building. After leaving the Academy with top honors and at the top of his class, Takihiro was quickly snatched by Terra's secret service known loosely as "NERV." He was trained as a Mech pilot, and later Commander, but most of his efforts went into Base Command, a position he knew, where he would attain greater rank, than simply piloting. After 4 years in Nerv, he was promoted as Nerv's Tactical Commander, with the condition that he would head Tokyo 5's Training School. There, he was given 3 new recruits. Since they were younger, from 22 to 24, than him, 27, and were not trained in a military lifestyle, he decided to take them under his wing, as a big, authoritative, brother figure. It paid off. He got motivated officers, whom, under any circumstances, would follow orders to a "t," while they got someone who made sure they were taken care of inside the military.
"I just lost all my appetite looking at you guys eat." Muttered Yuri while she held her first plate, while the others were already in their fifth.
"Oh, come on!" Said Kadena. "You can't tell me that just by looking at us eat, you're going to loose your appetite!"
All three men stopped eating and stared at each other for a while. Bits and pieces of food stuck out their mouths.
"Nah!" They roared as they resumed eating. Yuri simply sighed, closed her eyes and began to slowly eat.
"I heard the kid woke up today." Tenku said. "What was his name? Shinji, wasn't it?"
"Shinji, yes." Yuri answered. "He opened his eyes today, but in his condition, he looks comatose. He occasionally whispers, but when we listen in, he seems to be talking to himself. He seems to address a girl named Asuka."
"Is it true he's related to Commander Ikari?"
"Could be coincidence. Everyone speaks about it, but no one has anything on it, yet. We ran a DNA test on the kid, but the results were taken by the Commanders, both Ikari and Evans. Sir, do you know anything?"
"You guys know that I don't like to talk about work while I eat," Takihiro responded as he put down his bowl of noodles. "Besides, I am also being kept in the dark."
"Whatever it's happening right now," added Kaneda, "it's meant to be kept secret. We don't even have a name, or the body, of the second occupant inside the mech."
"There was no second occupant. The "famous" second heartbeat everyone heard was caused by the boy himself while he was inside the cockpit, or the "Plug" as we are calling it now. All everyone heard was an echo."
All four turned to see who spoke. Standing behind them was Sub-Commander Evans and his daughter Dr. Daniella Evans. It has been Dr. Evans who had spoken.
"May we join you?" Commander Evan asked.
Everyone turned immediately to Takihiro. When he had first joined Nerv, he met Daniella, two years his senior, but a romance, nonetheless, began. Both, being young and ambitious, began to nurture their careers, rather than their relationship. Things turned sour when Daniella was ordered as a Statistics Officer in Strana Mechty for the Clans' Trial of Refusal. Takihiro was bitter than she did not fight to stay, while Daniella was bitter that Takihiro did not fight to keep her in Terra. While they were on separate paths, they both moved up in rank. Takihiro moved up in Strategy and Tactics, while Daniella moved up in Statistics and Health. Being brought back together at Nerv had not being easy, either for them or everyone else.
"Commander, please take a sit," he responded, not even glancing towards their direction. "As for your guest, well, I guess she can join us as well. There in so point, now, in being rude, correct?"
"No, there isn't."
As everyone moved around to make room for the new guests, Yuri began to ponder on Dr. Evans response. According to Evans, the second heartbeat had been caused by an echo inside the plug, but her systems terminal had recorded it. If the heartbeats would have been the same, then the delayed one would still have moved under the same tempo as the first, but in this case there was a difference between the two. While one heartbeat was beating at one, the second heartbeat had a slower beat, which was regularly related to people of larger size. Whether Dr. Evan was telling the truth or not, Yuri could not decide, but for now she decided to keep quiet about it. Nerv was not known for having a forgiving nature for officers who defied or tried to prove wrong their superior officers.
"Takihiro?" Asked Dr. Evans, as she sipped tea. "I heard you would be put in charge of the boy once I released him from intensive care."
"First of all," he responded as he resumed eating without looking at her, "I will not be called by my name in front of my officers, Dr. Evans. If you wish to address me, you will address me as Commander Takihiro. As for the boy, I had not the slightest idea I would be babysitting anyone."
"Well, Commander," Commander Evans said. "Once the boy is seen to be fit to leave Intensive Care, he will be placed under your care. It has already been decided by both Commander Ikari and myself."
"Well, regarding that, why doesn't Commander take the boy in? Aren't they related, if at least by name?"
"The name Ikari," responded Dr. Evans, "is as common as any other name, whether here on Terra, or even in the Draconis Combine area of control. And the order is already being given. There is no say in it."
Yuri noticed that Commander Evans did not answer, but simply held his cup as if trying to concentrate.
=====
"Ikari, Shinji."
He opened his eyes when he heard his name. The voice calling him was too familiar to be unrecognizable. Even the tone of voice, cold and uncaring, was still the same. He did not want to see him, but he had to. After everything that had happened, maybe this time he would give him some words of encouragement. At least tell him that everything was going to be alright.
"Father?"
"Ikari, Shinji. What year is it?"
"What? I don't understand?"
"What year is it?"
"It's. It's 2014."
Why would he ask him that?
Their orders finally came.
"Man! I am starving!" Kadena screamed out.
All four bowed their heads, put their hands together and prayed.
"Thank you for the food!" They prayed in unison.
Takihiro started slurping loudly, along with Kadena and Tenku. They had just come out of their regular 12-hour shift. With only light snack feedings in-between, the three guys, along with Yuri, who had decided to accompany them, were starving for real food. Soon, plate after plate were beginning to pile up on top of each other, as the men's insatiable hunger did not seem to dissipate.
Every evening at 6, the four officers would have dinner together at Takihiro's expense, in a little restaurant about 3 blocks from the Main Building. After leaving the Academy with top honors and at the top of his class, Takihiro was quickly snatched by Terra's secret service known loosely as "NERV." He was trained as a Mech pilot, and later Commander, but most of his efforts went into Base Command, a position he knew, where he would attain greater rank, than simply piloting. After 4 years in Nerv, he was promoted as Nerv's Tactical Commander, with the condition that he would head Tokyo 5's Training School. There, he was given 3 new recruits. Since they were younger, from 22 to 24, than him, 27, and were not trained in a military lifestyle, he decided to take them under his wing, as a big, authoritative, brother figure. It paid off. He got motivated officers, whom, under any circumstances, would follow orders to a "t," while they got someone who made sure they were taken care of inside the military.
"I just lost all my appetite looking at you guys eat." Muttered Yuri while she held her first plate, while the others were already in their fifth.
"Oh, come on!" Said Kadena. "You can't tell me that just by looking at us eat, you're going to loose your appetite!"
All three men stopped eating and stared at each other for a while. Bits and pieces of food stuck out their mouths.
"Nah!" They roared as they resumed eating. Yuri simply sighed, closed her eyes and began to slowly eat.
"I heard the kid woke up today." Tenku said. "What was his name? Shinji, wasn't it?"
"Shinji, yes." Yuri answered. "He opened his eyes today, but in his condition, he looks comatose. He occasionally whispers, but when we listen in, he seems to be talking to himself. He seems to address a girl named Asuka."
"Is it true he's related to Commander Ikari?"
"Could be coincidence. Everyone speaks about it, but no one has anything on it, yet. We ran a DNA test on the kid, but the results were taken by the Commanders, both Ikari and Evans. Sir, do you know anything?"
"You guys know that I don't like to talk about work while I eat," Takihiro responded as he put down his bowl of noodles. "Besides, I am also being kept in the dark."
"Whatever it's happening right now," added Kaneda, "it's meant to be kept secret. We don't even have a name, or the body, of the second occupant inside the mech."
"There was no second occupant. The "famous" second heartbeat everyone heard was caused by the boy himself while he was inside the cockpit, or the "Plug" as we are calling it now. All everyone heard was an echo."
All four turned to see who spoke. Standing behind them was Sub-Commander Evans and his daughter Dr. Daniella Evans. It has been Dr. Evans who had spoken.
"May we join you?" Commander Evan asked.
Everyone turned immediately to Takihiro. When he had first joined Nerv, he met Daniella, two years his senior, but a romance, nonetheless, began. Both, being young and ambitious, began to nurture their careers, rather than their relationship. Things turned sour when Daniella was ordered as a Statistics Officer in Strana Mechty for the Clans' Trial of Refusal. Takihiro was bitter than she did not fight to stay, while Daniella was bitter that Takihiro did not fight to keep her in Terra. While they were on separate paths, they both moved up in rank. Takihiro moved up in Strategy and Tactics, while Daniella moved up in Statistics and Health. Being brought back together at Nerv had not being easy, either for them or everyone else.
"Commander, please take a sit," he responded, not even glancing towards their direction. "As for your guest, well, I guess she can join us as well. There in so point, now, in being rude, correct?"
"No, there isn't."
As everyone moved around to make room for the new guests, Yuri began to ponder on Dr. Evans response. According to Evans, the second heartbeat had been caused by an echo inside the plug, but her systems terminal had recorded it. If the heartbeats would have been the same, then the delayed one would still have moved under the same tempo as the first, but in this case there was a difference between the two. While one heartbeat was beating at one, the second heartbeat had a slower beat, which was regularly related to people of larger size. Whether Dr. Evan was telling the truth or not, Yuri could not decide, but for now she decided to keep quiet about it. Nerv was not known for having a forgiving nature for officers who defied or tried to prove wrong their superior officers.
"Takihiro?" Asked Dr. Evans, as she sipped tea. "I heard you would be put in charge of the boy once I released him from intensive care."
"First of all," he responded as he resumed eating without looking at her, "I will not be called by my name in front of my officers, Dr. Evans. If you wish to address me, you will address me as Commander Takihiro. As for the boy, I had not the slightest idea I would be babysitting anyone."
"Well, Commander," Commander Evans said. "Once the boy is seen to be fit to leave Intensive Care, he will be placed under your care. It has already been decided by both Commander Ikari and myself."
"Well, regarding that, why doesn't Commander take the boy in? Aren't they related, if at least by name?"
"The name Ikari," responded Dr. Evans, "is as common as any other name, whether here on Terra, or even in the Draconis Combine area of control. And the order is already being given. There is no say in it."
Yuri noticed that Commander Evans did not answer, but simply held his cup as if trying to concentrate.
=====
"Ikari, Shinji."
He opened his eyes when he heard his name. The voice calling him was too familiar to be unrecognizable. Even the tone of voice, cold and uncaring, was still the same. He did not want to see him, but he had to. After everything that had happened, maybe this time he would give him some words of encouragement. At least tell him that everything was going to be alright.
"Father?"
"Ikari, Shinji. What year is it?"
"What? I don't understand?"
"What year is it?"
"It's. It's 2014."
Why would he ask him that?