Okay, here is my first Chapter up for your enjoyment. Please Read & Review, and I will add another chapter when I get round to writing more. Thank you! Thanks to sprite for the pre-read.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this fic apart from my own. They are property of GAINAX.
Chapter 1
Misato gazed across the spectacular view of Tokyo-03 in the sunset. An empty plateau of metal plates dominated most of the landscape, while in the distance a small cluster of buildings made up the rest of the space. The entirely metal landscape glowed orange as it reflected the setting sun.
Misato looked at her watch. "Almost time," she thought, and returned her brown eyes to the city. Sure enough, a siren rang out across the empty plateau. In answer to the wailing call, the metal plates slowly opened up, and the rest of the city slowly rose to join the other part. Huge skyscrapers slowly grew to fill the view, the massive city soon returning to normal size. Sunlight gleamed off the windows, bathing everything in a warm, golden glow. As the sun slowly lumbered into the ground, Tokyo-03 stretched out and turned into the busy city Misato knew so well. She sighed. On any other evening, no matter how many times she saw it, it still took her breath away. What was so different about tonight? Her mind was on other things. Dwelling on the new boy that had recently joined NERV as an Eva pilot. He seemed okay, but she couldn't help thinking that he was not happy here. She had shown him this sight yesterday, and shown him what he had saved, but he still didn't seem to lighten up.
"I think I can guess why," she mused, and her thoughts angrily turned to one Gendo Ikari, supreme commander of NERV. "He knew that would happen," Misato's fists clenched as the anger welled up within her, "he doesn't care how his only son feels. All he wants is to achieve his goal, no matter the cost."
And what was his goal? Misato didn't really know. Defeating the Angels? Possibly. But she sensed there was an ulterior motive to the commander's actions. Like he knew why they were attacking. Misato shook her head to clear her thoughts.
"Never mind," she reflected, "let him do what he wants. All I care about is the destruction of the Angels." Instinctively her hand went to the small cross that hung around her neck.
"Father," she whispered and returned her gaze once more to the fortress city of Japan's latest capital, Tokyo-03.
Back at the apartment, the boy in question was lying on his mat, SDAT player in hand, music playing in his ears. Only he wasn't listening to it. His mind was whirling with the sudden changes that had turned his life upside down, and with the last fight. Shinji Ikari sighed and turned over to lie on his side, and winced as memories of the previous day flashed in his mind's eye. The Eva, the Angel, Tokyo-03, the girl with blue hair, and his father all spun around in his mind, twirling and surfacing, whirring around and gurgling away as if down a drain. He sighed again and lay on his stomach instead.
Across the globe, in a city known as New London, another boy of the same age was contemplating something else.
"Japan? I dunno," Kevin said cautiously, "I mean, they don't even have proper food."
"It's not as if you have any choice. Your flight is booked, and everything is sorted. You're leaving in two days."
"Fine, fine," he grumbled, "I'll go, but I dunno whether I'm ready yet."
"You leave whether you are ready or not. You will continue training there."
"Yeah, yeah, I know. I was kidding," he said, and sighed. Japan. The land of the Rising Sun. He switched off his mobile and swept his dark green eyes across the expanse of water that buried Old London and sighed again. Second Impact had devastated England. Over half the population had been wiped out, and since England's population wasn't very big to start with, well, that made it worse.
"Not that it matters that much," Kevin mused, "England is smaller anyway, with all the higher water levels." He hated to think what had happened in the Netherlands. Probably virtually gone, he surmised, with all that "borrowed" land from the sea.
"Oh well," he thought, "Japan in two days. Yahoo." He didn't want to leave his home but what choice did he have? The almighty NERV Corporation dictated his life now. Kevin's left hand moved to his right where a ring rested on his ring finger. He slipped it off and held it to his chest. "Mother," he whispered, "where did you go? I need you." He sighed for a third time, and put the ring back on. "No matter," he said, glaring at the sea, "I'll show them. I'll make you proud, mum."
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"You've requested the fourth child?" Misato asked the stern figure incredulously.
"Correct," He replied, "we need as many pilots as possible at the moment. And as Rei is incapacitated this boy will have to do."
Misato glared at the figure, but he made no response. Instead, he folded his gloved hands in front his face and replied coldly, "You are dismissed."
Misato looked pleadingly at the dark figure standing behind the desk, but he also made no move. Glaring once more at the brooding figure, she left the spacious office.
"She is not happy," Kozo Fuyutski said to the motionless black-clad man seated at the desk.
"I have gathered that," Gendo Ikari replied, "however, it cannot be helped. We need more pilots. And Evas," he added.
"So you really think this is necessary? When do you plan to bring in the girl from Germany?"
"Yes. And I will bring her over when she is needed."
Reluctantly, Fuyutski relinquished the questioning, realising he would gather nothing more from the cold man. He sighed. Well, he trusted Gendo's intentions, and if he preferred that no one knew, he didn't mind.
"So it has finally begun," he muttered, "the Angels have returned."
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Kevin shuffled uncomfortably as the plane slowly descended for the landing. He hated this part, his ears always hurt like hell. Something to do with the pressure, or something, either way it was painful.
"Ow," he groaned as the pressure increased, and held his hands over his ears, though it did nothing. Finally he felt the familiar jolt as the plane made contact with the ground, and sighed with relief as the pressure was relinquished on his ears, albeit slowly. As he left the plane he winced as both his ears popped.
"Dammit, I hate flying," he complained, lugging his heavy hand luggage down the steps.
Dumping his bag on the concrete ground he brushed his long, pitch-black hair back and looked around for the person he was supposed to be meeting.
"Misato Katsuragi? Hm, odd name. But then, I suppose all Japanese names are."
"Excuse me?" A voice in Japanese behind him demanded.
"Oops, damn," Kevin muttered in English, and slowly turned around to see a young woman in her late twenties, with dark purple hair and brown eyes glaring at him.
Misato sized up the boy that stood before her designated the fourth child. He had long, black hair that almost shimmered blue in the light and was of a slim build. He was a little taller and broader than Shinji, but his most prominent feature was his eyes. They were deep swirling orbs of emerald green, and seemed to shine with an inner light.
"He has a strong spirit," she thought, "let's hope he doesn't lose it."
"Well?" She demanded. "Are you going to just stand there, or follow me?"
"Sorry, ma'am," he mumbled in Japanese, picked up his bag and followed her across the runway into the main building.
The car drive to the NERV complex and its surrounding flats was a quiet one. Kevin glanced over at Misato, then back at his hands.
"Erm, ma'am? I just want to say I'm sorry for what I said on the runway."
"Oh, it's no problem. I'm just in a bad mood. I didn't mean to appear cold." She glanced at his hands. "That's an interesting ring you have."
"This? Oh, just a memento of my late mother. She died in a car crash after Second Impact." Kevin fought back the depression he felt coming on.
Misato's tone softened. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know. I know what it's like to lose a parent at a young age."
Kevin looked up. "Really?"
"Yeah, my father died during Second Impact."
"Oh." Not knowing what else to say he kept quiet, realising she had told him a very personal thing. He thought about what the future held in store for him and was silent for the rest of the journey.
Misato parked her car outside the block of flats, "Here you go. Your room is on the ground floor. Remember, you have a synch test tomorrow morning."
"Yeah, great," he mumbled, "but thanks for the lift."
"You know your way round, right?"
"Yeah, thanks again."
"No problem," Misato smiled, and headed off for her own apartment, her spirits a little higher. "Well," she thought, "at least he seems okay."
Kevin watched her retreating back, a smile also on his face. "She seems friendly enough when she's in a good mood," he thought, and walked to his apartment door, bag in hand. He unlocked the door, let himself in and took a deep breath inside the apartment. He looked for his bedroom and fell onto the mat.
"I forgot, they sleep on the floor," he mused, "should be interesting. Synch test tomorrow. Ah well, better get some sleep."
With that the fourth child changed his clothes and lay staring at the ceiling.
"Damn body clock," he muttered, and turned on his side, trying to get into a comfortable position.
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Author's note: Ok, this is now finally my complete chapter 1. Please let me know about any mistakes, and I graciously accept any advice. Thank you for reading this, I greatly appreciate it. Please let me know what you think! ^_^
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this fic apart from my own. They are property of GAINAX.
Chapter 1
Misato gazed across the spectacular view of Tokyo-03 in the sunset. An empty plateau of metal plates dominated most of the landscape, while in the distance a small cluster of buildings made up the rest of the space. The entirely metal landscape glowed orange as it reflected the setting sun.
Misato looked at her watch. "Almost time," she thought, and returned her brown eyes to the city. Sure enough, a siren rang out across the empty plateau. In answer to the wailing call, the metal plates slowly opened up, and the rest of the city slowly rose to join the other part. Huge skyscrapers slowly grew to fill the view, the massive city soon returning to normal size. Sunlight gleamed off the windows, bathing everything in a warm, golden glow. As the sun slowly lumbered into the ground, Tokyo-03 stretched out and turned into the busy city Misato knew so well. She sighed. On any other evening, no matter how many times she saw it, it still took her breath away. What was so different about tonight? Her mind was on other things. Dwelling on the new boy that had recently joined NERV as an Eva pilot. He seemed okay, but she couldn't help thinking that he was not happy here. She had shown him this sight yesterday, and shown him what he had saved, but he still didn't seem to lighten up.
"I think I can guess why," she mused, and her thoughts angrily turned to one Gendo Ikari, supreme commander of NERV. "He knew that would happen," Misato's fists clenched as the anger welled up within her, "he doesn't care how his only son feels. All he wants is to achieve his goal, no matter the cost."
And what was his goal? Misato didn't really know. Defeating the Angels? Possibly. But she sensed there was an ulterior motive to the commander's actions. Like he knew why they were attacking. Misato shook her head to clear her thoughts.
"Never mind," she reflected, "let him do what he wants. All I care about is the destruction of the Angels." Instinctively her hand went to the small cross that hung around her neck.
"Father," she whispered and returned her gaze once more to the fortress city of Japan's latest capital, Tokyo-03.
Back at the apartment, the boy in question was lying on his mat, SDAT player in hand, music playing in his ears. Only he wasn't listening to it. His mind was whirling with the sudden changes that had turned his life upside down, and with the last fight. Shinji Ikari sighed and turned over to lie on his side, and winced as memories of the previous day flashed in his mind's eye. The Eva, the Angel, Tokyo-03, the girl with blue hair, and his father all spun around in his mind, twirling and surfacing, whirring around and gurgling away as if down a drain. He sighed again and lay on his stomach instead.
Across the globe, in a city known as New London, another boy of the same age was contemplating something else.
"Japan? I dunno," Kevin said cautiously, "I mean, they don't even have proper food."
"It's not as if you have any choice. Your flight is booked, and everything is sorted. You're leaving in two days."
"Fine, fine," he grumbled, "I'll go, but I dunno whether I'm ready yet."
"You leave whether you are ready or not. You will continue training there."
"Yeah, yeah, I know. I was kidding," he said, and sighed. Japan. The land of the Rising Sun. He switched off his mobile and swept his dark green eyes across the expanse of water that buried Old London and sighed again. Second Impact had devastated England. Over half the population had been wiped out, and since England's population wasn't very big to start with, well, that made it worse.
"Not that it matters that much," Kevin mused, "England is smaller anyway, with all the higher water levels." He hated to think what had happened in the Netherlands. Probably virtually gone, he surmised, with all that "borrowed" land from the sea.
"Oh well," he thought, "Japan in two days. Yahoo." He didn't want to leave his home but what choice did he have? The almighty NERV Corporation dictated his life now. Kevin's left hand moved to his right where a ring rested on his ring finger. He slipped it off and held it to his chest. "Mother," he whispered, "where did you go? I need you." He sighed for a third time, and put the ring back on. "No matter," he said, glaring at the sea, "I'll show them. I'll make you proud, mum."
-----------------------------------
"You've requested the fourth child?" Misato asked the stern figure incredulously.
"Correct," He replied, "we need as many pilots as possible at the moment. And as Rei is incapacitated this boy will have to do."
Misato glared at the figure, but he made no response. Instead, he folded his gloved hands in front his face and replied coldly, "You are dismissed."
Misato looked pleadingly at the dark figure standing behind the desk, but he also made no move. Glaring once more at the brooding figure, she left the spacious office.
"She is not happy," Kozo Fuyutski said to the motionless black-clad man seated at the desk.
"I have gathered that," Gendo Ikari replied, "however, it cannot be helped. We need more pilots. And Evas," he added.
"So you really think this is necessary? When do you plan to bring in the girl from Germany?"
"Yes. And I will bring her over when she is needed."
Reluctantly, Fuyutski relinquished the questioning, realising he would gather nothing more from the cold man. He sighed. Well, he trusted Gendo's intentions, and if he preferred that no one knew, he didn't mind.
"So it has finally begun," he muttered, "the Angels have returned."
-----------------------------------
Kevin shuffled uncomfortably as the plane slowly descended for the landing. He hated this part, his ears always hurt like hell. Something to do with the pressure, or something, either way it was painful.
"Ow," he groaned as the pressure increased, and held his hands over his ears, though it did nothing. Finally he felt the familiar jolt as the plane made contact with the ground, and sighed with relief as the pressure was relinquished on his ears, albeit slowly. As he left the plane he winced as both his ears popped.
"Dammit, I hate flying," he complained, lugging his heavy hand luggage down the steps.
Dumping his bag on the concrete ground he brushed his long, pitch-black hair back and looked around for the person he was supposed to be meeting.
"Misato Katsuragi? Hm, odd name. But then, I suppose all Japanese names are."
"Excuse me?" A voice in Japanese behind him demanded.
"Oops, damn," Kevin muttered in English, and slowly turned around to see a young woman in her late twenties, with dark purple hair and brown eyes glaring at him.
Misato sized up the boy that stood before her designated the fourth child. He had long, black hair that almost shimmered blue in the light and was of a slim build. He was a little taller and broader than Shinji, but his most prominent feature was his eyes. They were deep swirling orbs of emerald green, and seemed to shine with an inner light.
"He has a strong spirit," she thought, "let's hope he doesn't lose it."
"Well?" She demanded. "Are you going to just stand there, or follow me?"
"Sorry, ma'am," he mumbled in Japanese, picked up his bag and followed her across the runway into the main building.
The car drive to the NERV complex and its surrounding flats was a quiet one. Kevin glanced over at Misato, then back at his hands.
"Erm, ma'am? I just want to say I'm sorry for what I said on the runway."
"Oh, it's no problem. I'm just in a bad mood. I didn't mean to appear cold." She glanced at his hands. "That's an interesting ring you have."
"This? Oh, just a memento of my late mother. She died in a car crash after Second Impact." Kevin fought back the depression he felt coming on.
Misato's tone softened. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know. I know what it's like to lose a parent at a young age."
Kevin looked up. "Really?"
"Yeah, my father died during Second Impact."
"Oh." Not knowing what else to say he kept quiet, realising she had told him a very personal thing. He thought about what the future held in store for him and was silent for the rest of the journey.
Misato parked her car outside the block of flats, "Here you go. Your room is on the ground floor. Remember, you have a synch test tomorrow morning."
"Yeah, great," he mumbled, "but thanks for the lift."
"You know your way round, right?"
"Yeah, thanks again."
"No problem," Misato smiled, and headed off for her own apartment, her spirits a little higher. "Well," she thought, "at least he seems okay."
Kevin watched her retreating back, a smile also on his face. "She seems friendly enough when she's in a good mood," he thought, and walked to his apartment door, bag in hand. He unlocked the door, let himself in and took a deep breath inside the apartment. He looked for his bedroom and fell onto the mat.
"I forgot, they sleep on the floor," he mused, "should be interesting. Synch test tomorrow. Ah well, better get some sleep."
With that the fourth child changed his clothes and lay staring at the ceiling.
"Damn body clock," he muttered, and turned on his side, trying to get into a comfortable position.
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Author's note: Ok, this is now finally my complete chapter 1. Please let me know about any mistakes, and I graciously accept any advice. Thank you for reading this, I greatly appreciate it. Please let me know what you think! ^_^