Chapter 8
The Calm
Shinji stirs in the bed. His eyes bolt open, realizing that he was no longer in LCL. He instantly regrets his decision as his eyes were burned by the sudden brightness. Quickly, he shut his eyes. He began to slowly reopen his eyes, letting them gradually adjust to the light. After a few seconds, his eyes had adjusted to the light. He gazes around his new surroundings. The first thing that he notices is the ceiling, followed by the white walls.
"I'm in the infirmary," he thinks.
As he becomes aware of his other senses, he realizes that his left arm was partially asleep. He tries to lift it, but to no avail. It was being held down by a weight of some sorts. Shinji turns his head to look at the restrained arm. He finds the cause for the numbness, as well as the weight on it, for resting on his arm was the Second Children, fast asleep. She was resting her head on her crossed arms, which were resting on top of his arm. A small smile creeps up on Shinji's face as he gazes at the sleeping redhead. Cautiously, he reaches over with his free hand and brushes some loose strands of hair away from her face. This causes Asuka to stir. She slowly lifts her head up and rubs her eyes.
"Huh? What?"
Her eyes adjust to the light in the room. The first thing she sees is an awake, smiling, Third Children sitting up in his bed, looking at her.
"Shinji! You're awake!"
Asuka proceeds to hug the boy. He returns the hug. She loosens her grip and looks into his eyes. Asuka breaks away, and then slaps Shinji.
"What was that for?" he asks, slightly shocked.
"That was for acting like a dummkopf and charging in and scaring all of us half to death!"
"I'm sorr....."
Asuka cuts him off by leaning over and kissing him. The kiss lasts for a few minutes.
"What was THAT for?" he asks slowly.
"That was for coming back alive."
The couple is interrupted by their guardian rushing in through the door and bear-hugging Shinji.
"Shinji! You're awake! I was so worried!!"
"Me...too..," he manages to get out.
"Misato! He just woke up! Are you trying to knock him unconscious again by suffocating him?!"
Misato looks at the angry redhead, and then at Shinji, who is struggling for oxygen. She releases her hold on him.
"Oh! Sorry Shinji!"
"It's....ok Misato..," he says between breaths for air.
"Well, the doctor said that you could be released today. I'll be right back. I'm going to sign your release papers."
Misato leaves the room.
"I'm going to get something to drink."
Asuka leaves the room, leaving Shinji alone. He lies back in the bed, staring at the ceiling.
"How did I get here?"
20 minutes later...
The group enters the apartment. Asuka heads off to her room while Misato goes to the fridge and grabs a beer.
"Misato?"
Misato looks up from her beer.
"Yes, Shinji?"
"Um, how did you get me out of the Angel?"
Misato looks at the boy, cocking one eyebrow.
"You mean you don't remember?"
He shakes his head.
"What was the last thing you remember?"
"Um, I remember being in the entry plug, inside of the Angel, then blacking out."
"Maybe you should sit down for this."
Shinji gives Misato a curious look, but sits down across from her.
"Do you remember when Unit 01 went berserk during your first fight?"
"Sort of, yeah."
"Well, it went berserk again."
Shinji stares at his guardian, a look of shock on his face.
"In a nutshell, Unit 01 tore itself out of the Angel, literally. The Angel was left in two different pieces when it escaped. The only strange thing was that it looked at Unit 02 for a moment before it deactivated."
Shinji sits there, a dumbfounded look on his face as he absorbs the words. He snaps out of his trance.
"Um, what do you mean, it looked at Unit 02?"
Misato leans back in her chair and looks up at ceiling before answering.
"Well, after it was free, it let out what we guess was a roar, then stared at Unit 02. It just stared for about a minute, then deactivated. It was really weird."
Shinji thinks for a moment.
"Could it be because.? Nah. It couldn't," he thinks.
"You had better get some rest Shinji. You have to get up early to head to the Geofront tomorrow."
"How come?"
"Well, Ritsuko wants to run some 'tests' on you."
"Um, why?"
"Well, she says it's because she wants to make sure that nothing happened to you while you were in the Sea of Dirac."
"Sea of Dirac?"
"The place you were stuck in."
"Oh. Well, goodnight Misato."
"Goodnight Shinji-kun."
Shinji stands up and heads to his room. He stops in front of his door and turns around, glancing at Asuka's door for a moment before heading into his room.
The door opens with a small hiss of air. Ritsuko enters the vast, dark room. She glances up at the ceiling, upon which of a design of 10 circles, connected by lines.
"What is the status of the Fourth Children, doctor?"
The voice snaps Ritsuko back into reality. She walks up to the desk and places a file on it.
"The Murdock has just identified him. Here are his files."
Gendo flips through the papers before setting them back down on the table.
"And what of Unit 03?"
"It is near completion and will be flown here within the next 3 weeks."
"Excellent. All goes according to the scrolls. That is all. You are dismissed."
Ritsuko nods and turns, walking to the door. After she leaves, Gendo straightens up. He reaches into his pocket and produces a key. He uses it to unlock one of the drawers of his desk. Inside the drawer is a picture frame, with an old picture inside of it. He takes out the picture and looks at it.
"Soon. Soon we can be together again, Yui. Soon."
The Calm
Shinji stirs in the bed. His eyes bolt open, realizing that he was no longer in LCL. He instantly regrets his decision as his eyes were burned by the sudden brightness. Quickly, he shut his eyes. He began to slowly reopen his eyes, letting them gradually adjust to the light. After a few seconds, his eyes had adjusted to the light. He gazes around his new surroundings. The first thing that he notices is the ceiling, followed by the white walls.
"I'm in the infirmary," he thinks.
As he becomes aware of his other senses, he realizes that his left arm was partially asleep. He tries to lift it, but to no avail. It was being held down by a weight of some sorts. Shinji turns his head to look at the restrained arm. He finds the cause for the numbness, as well as the weight on it, for resting on his arm was the Second Children, fast asleep. She was resting her head on her crossed arms, which were resting on top of his arm. A small smile creeps up on Shinji's face as he gazes at the sleeping redhead. Cautiously, he reaches over with his free hand and brushes some loose strands of hair away from her face. This causes Asuka to stir. She slowly lifts her head up and rubs her eyes.
"Huh? What?"
Her eyes adjust to the light in the room. The first thing she sees is an awake, smiling, Third Children sitting up in his bed, looking at her.
"Shinji! You're awake!"
Asuka proceeds to hug the boy. He returns the hug. She loosens her grip and looks into his eyes. Asuka breaks away, and then slaps Shinji.
"What was that for?" he asks, slightly shocked.
"That was for acting like a dummkopf and charging in and scaring all of us half to death!"
"I'm sorr....."
Asuka cuts him off by leaning over and kissing him. The kiss lasts for a few minutes.
"What was THAT for?" he asks slowly.
"That was for coming back alive."
The couple is interrupted by their guardian rushing in through the door and bear-hugging Shinji.
"Shinji! You're awake! I was so worried!!"
"Me...too..," he manages to get out.
"Misato! He just woke up! Are you trying to knock him unconscious again by suffocating him?!"
Misato looks at the angry redhead, and then at Shinji, who is struggling for oxygen. She releases her hold on him.
"Oh! Sorry Shinji!"
"It's....ok Misato..," he says between breaths for air.
"Well, the doctor said that you could be released today. I'll be right back. I'm going to sign your release papers."
Misato leaves the room.
"I'm going to get something to drink."
Asuka leaves the room, leaving Shinji alone. He lies back in the bed, staring at the ceiling.
"How did I get here?"
20 minutes later...
The group enters the apartment. Asuka heads off to her room while Misato goes to the fridge and grabs a beer.
"Misato?"
Misato looks up from her beer.
"Yes, Shinji?"
"Um, how did you get me out of the Angel?"
Misato looks at the boy, cocking one eyebrow.
"You mean you don't remember?"
He shakes his head.
"What was the last thing you remember?"
"Um, I remember being in the entry plug, inside of the Angel, then blacking out."
"Maybe you should sit down for this."
Shinji gives Misato a curious look, but sits down across from her.
"Do you remember when Unit 01 went berserk during your first fight?"
"Sort of, yeah."
"Well, it went berserk again."
Shinji stares at his guardian, a look of shock on his face.
"In a nutshell, Unit 01 tore itself out of the Angel, literally. The Angel was left in two different pieces when it escaped. The only strange thing was that it looked at Unit 02 for a moment before it deactivated."
Shinji sits there, a dumbfounded look on his face as he absorbs the words. He snaps out of his trance.
"Um, what do you mean, it looked at Unit 02?"
Misato leans back in her chair and looks up at ceiling before answering.
"Well, after it was free, it let out what we guess was a roar, then stared at Unit 02. It just stared for about a minute, then deactivated. It was really weird."
Shinji thinks for a moment.
"Could it be because.? Nah. It couldn't," he thinks.
"You had better get some rest Shinji. You have to get up early to head to the Geofront tomorrow."
"How come?"
"Well, Ritsuko wants to run some 'tests' on you."
"Um, why?"
"Well, she says it's because she wants to make sure that nothing happened to you while you were in the Sea of Dirac."
"Sea of Dirac?"
"The place you were stuck in."
"Oh. Well, goodnight Misato."
"Goodnight Shinji-kun."
Shinji stands up and heads to his room. He stops in front of his door and turns around, glancing at Asuka's door for a moment before heading into his room.
The door opens with a small hiss of air. Ritsuko enters the vast, dark room. She glances up at the ceiling, upon which of a design of 10 circles, connected by lines.
"What is the status of the Fourth Children, doctor?"
The voice snaps Ritsuko back into reality. She walks up to the desk and places a file on it.
"The Murdock has just identified him. Here are his files."
Gendo flips through the papers before setting them back down on the table.
"And what of Unit 03?"
"It is near completion and will be flown here within the next 3 weeks."
"Excellent. All goes according to the scrolls. That is all. You are dismissed."
Ritsuko nods and turns, walking to the door. After she leaves, Gendo straightens up. He reaches into his pocket and produces a key. He uses it to unlock one of the drawers of his desk. Inside the drawer is a picture frame, with an old picture inside of it. He takes out the picture and looks at it.
"Soon. Soon we can be together again, Yui. Soon."