Chapter 14
The day after…
"How are the Evas?" asks Ritsuko as she stands in Central Dogma.
"Amazingly, neither Unit 00 or 02 have any damages," replies Maya.
"Interesting."
"The MAGI system can be transferred to a new location. We may be able to start work tomorrow."
"Then we'll have to scrap this place," says Ritsuko as she gazes at the hole the Angel left, "We'll have use the Secondary Control Center for the time being, then."
"But then we won't be able to use the MAGI. The sensors don't run smoothly and the chairs are cramped. It'll be difficult to work there," says Maya.
"At least it has the same layout as the original control center," says Aoba.
At Unit 01's cage…
Misato and Hyuga look up at the Eva. Its upper half and head are covered in bloodstained bandages. A single green eyes stares at them.
"It may be restrained by the cage, but are you sure its safe?" asks Misato.
"Yes, there's no activity from the Eva and the S2 unit," relies Hyuga.
"Even so, Unit 01 has moved without power on three separate occasions. You can't judge by what you can see and measure."
Secondary Control Center…
The word 'Refused' flashes on Maya's computer screen.
"It's refusing the code to eject the entry plug," says Maya.
"What about the backup codes?"
"Also refused. Even a direct circuit wouldn't work."
"The plug's video monitor is still working, though," says Hyuga, "Switching to main screen."
The main screen comes to life, showing the inside of Unit 01's entry plug. Everyone gasps at the image.
"What the hell is this?" asks Misato.
"I'd say that it's the truth behind the 400% synch - ratio," replies Ritsuko.
"What happened to Shinji?"
"The Eva has taken him into itself."
"What is that suppose to mean? What exactly is an Eva?"
"It is something created by man in man's own image. That is the only way I can think to describe it."
"You didn't create anything. You just copied something you found in Antarctica. What was the original?"
"It isn't a copy. It has a human will inside of it."
"Are you saying somebody willed this to happen?"
"No, the Eva did."
Misato glares at her friend and slaps her with her good hand.
"Aren't you going to take responsibility for this?! You created it!!"
Ritsuko doesn't reply.
The 2nd day…
Rei lies in the hospital bed; a bandage is wrapped around her head and her left eye. Slowly, she opens her good eye and looks up at the ceiling.
"I'm alive."
Asuka lies in her bed, her face buried in her pillow.
"Shinji, why did you have to do it? Don't leave me alone. Please don't leave me alone…"
Ritsuko, Maya, and Misato stand in Unit 01's cage. The Eva stares at the group with it uncovered green eye.
"What do you mean salvage Shinji?" asks Misato.
"Well, theoretically, Shinji's life force still exists in there," replies Ritsuko.
"So you're going to respect his life this time?"
"Losing Shinji is out of the question."
"I don't know. NERV wants Unit 01 as their tool, not Shinji."
"Our assumption is that Shinji lost his ego boarder and is floating in the entry plug in quantum form," says Maya.
"You're saying that Shinji's in a form that we can't see?" asks Misato.
"Yes, the LCL has been chemically altered into something that resembles that seas of primitive Earth," replies Maya.
"Everything that makes up Shinji is still in the plug and his soul is in there as well," says Ritsuko.
"This operation must reconstruct Shinji's body as well has fix his soul in it," says Maya.
"Is that possible?"
"With the MAGI's help, yes."
"This is all theoretical, am I right?"
"Yes, but you'll never know unless you try."
The 3rd day…
Asuka makes her way to school, a depressed look on her face.
"Hey, Asuka!!"
Asuka turns around and sees Hikari running towards her.
"Hi, Hikari."
She catches up with Asuka and they walk to school together.
"You look troubled Asuka, what's the matter?"
"It's nothing."
"Oh, come on. You can't fool me that easily. I know you too well. Beside, you know you can talk to me about anything!"
"Yeah."
Hikari sighs and looks up at the sky.
"I wonder where Toji's been…," she mumbles.
"She still doesn't know," thinks Asuka.
"So, are you going to tell me what's bothering you or what?"
"I'll tell you after school, ok, Hikari?"
"Fine. And I'm going to hold you to that!"
After school, the two girls walk from school together. They walk to the park and sit down on a bench.
"So, what's bugging you?"
Asuka looks down at her shoes.
"You gotta promise not to tell anyone."
"Ok, I promise."
Asuka straightens up and looks up at the sky.
"You know about the latest Angel attack and how Shinji stopped it, right?"
"Yeah."
"Well, something happened and he was absorbed into the Eva."
A single tear falls down Asuka's face.
"What?! How is that possible?"
"I don't know. I really don't know. They're trying to find a way to get him back, but it's all theoretical, so….."
"It's ok Asuka. I'm sure they'll get him back. He is the Invincible Shinji Ikari, right?"
Asuka smiles at her friend's comment.
"Yeah, I guess you're right."
"See, doesn't it feel better to talk to someone than to hold it inside?"
"Hikari…"
"What is it?"
"There's…something I need to tell you."
"Oh, no! Don't tell me Shinji got you pregnant!!"
Asuka turns red.
"NO!! That's not it!!"
Hikari chuckles.
"So what is it then?"
"It's about Toji…"
"Toji? What about him?"
"I know I should've told you this earlier, but I just couldn't. You remember when he was all depressed?"
"Yeah…"
"Well, that was because he was chosen to be the Fourth Child."
Hikari thinks for a moment. Then memories of Asuka referring to Shinji as the Third, Rei as the First, and herself as the Second come to her.
"You mean…he was chosen to be…an Eva pilot?"
Asuka nods. Hikari leans back on the bench.
"If he was chosen to be a pilot, how come he's been missing lately?"
"You remember the previous attack, before this one?"
"Yeah."
"They were doing an activation test of Unit 03 with Toji and during the test, it was taken over by an Angel.
Hikari looks wide-eyed at her friend.
"You mean, the Eva he was in was the Angel?"
"Yes. When they had us attack, they never told us who was the pilot. The Angel managed to disable Rei and me, and then it went for Shinji. He refused to fight it. The Commander ordered him to attack, but he refused because there was someone inside. I'm really not too sure as to what happened next, but the Commander activated something in Shinji's Eva that acted like autopilot and began to tear apart the Angel. From what I was told, it was going to crush the entry plug, but Shinji some how managed to stop it."
Hikari stared at her friend as she slowly absorbed all of this.
"What…what happened to Toji?"
"He was found alive, but was unconscious and……"
"And what?"
"And they had to amputate his left arm."
"My God…"
"I know I should have told you earlier, Hiakri. I'm sorry."
"It's ok Asuka. I can understand why you didn't tell me. Where is he being held?"
"In a NERV hospital."
"That means…I can't see him…"
"Not necessarily…."
The two girls walk into the NERV hospital. A guard stops them at the door.
"I'm sorry. Only NERV personal are allowed in here."
Asuka reaches into her pocket and pulls out her NERV ID card and shows it to the guard.
"Oh, I'm sorry. You may enter."
Asuka walks past the guard. Hikari follows, but is stopped by the guard.
"I'm sorry miss, but you can't go in."
Asuka turns and faces the guard.
"She with me, Commander's orders. If you have a problem with that you can take it up with him."
The guard turns pale.
"I'm sorry. You may enter."
Asuka and Hikari enter the main area of the hospital and look up Toji's room.
"You go on ahead, Hikari. I'll catch up."
Hikari nods and heads off to Toji' room. When she finds the room, she slowly opens the door and walk inside. Toji is lying on the bed covered by a blanket. His right arm is on top of the blanket. Hikari sits next to the bed and places her hand on top of his.
"Toji…"
The boy doesn't respond. Asuka walks into the room. She grins at her friend.
"Here."
Asuka hands Hikari a card. Hikari takes the card and looks at it.
"What is it?"
"It's a special access card so you can come here whenever you want."
Hikari jumps up and hugs her friend.
"Thank you Asuka! I don't know how to repay you!"
"No need. Besides, think of it was a gift for putting up with me all this time."
Hikari chuckles at her comment.
"Well, I gotta get to NERV for training. I'll leave you two alone."
Asuka leaves the room. Hikari watches her friend leave.
"She's changed, and for the better."
Hikari turns around and stands next to the bed. She gazes at the sleeping boy.
"Please wake up, Toji. I don't care what you look like. I will always love you."
She leans over and kisses him on the forehead.
"I'll see you later, Toji."
Hikari walks out of the door. If she had stayed just a few more seconds, she would have seen Toji's hand curl into a fist and then uncurl.
The 4th day…
"What happened?" wonders Shinji.
He gazes down at the seat in the entry plug.
"I'm not here, yet I am. What's going on?"
The scene begins to shift before his eyes.
"What's going on?"
The colors swirl around him and he is surrounded in a white light. When the light dies away, he finds himself, whole, lying in a field of grass. Shinji looks up at the clear sky. He shifts his gaze to a tree a short distance away. In front of the tree stands a woman around the age of 30, her back to him. Her short, brown hair sways slightly in the wind. She is dressed in a white lab coat. Shinji stands up and walks towards the woman.
"Maybe she knows where this place is," he thinks.
He continues to walk towards the woman.
"She seems so familiar. As if I know her," he thinks.
As Shinji stands a yard away from her, she turns around and smiles at him.
"Hello, Shinji," she says.
Shinji stops dead in his tracks as he stares at the woman.
"M…mother?" he manages to get out.
"Yes, Shinji. It's been a while."
Shinji runs towards Yui and embraces her in a hug, tears falling down his face.
"Mom! I missed you!"
Yui hugs her son and strokes his head.
"I've missed you too, Shinji. I've missed you too."
The day after…
"How are the Evas?" asks Ritsuko as she stands in Central Dogma.
"Amazingly, neither Unit 00 or 02 have any damages," replies Maya.
"Interesting."
"The MAGI system can be transferred to a new location. We may be able to start work tomorrow."
"Then we'll have to scrap this place," says Ritsuko as she gazes at the hole the Angel left, "We'll have use the Secondary Control Center for the time being, then."
"But then we won't be able to use the MAGI. The sensors don't run smoothly and the chairs are cramped. It'll be difficult to work there," says Maya.
"At least it has the same layout as the original control center," says Aoba.
At Unit 01's cage…
Misato and Hyuga look up at the Eva. Its upper half and head are covered in bloodstained bandages. A single green eyes stares at them.
"It may be restrained by the cage, but are you sure its safe?" asks Misato.
"Yes, there's no activity from the Eva and the S2 unit," relies Hyuga.
"Even so, Unit 01 has moved without power on three separate occasions. You can't judge by what you can see and measure."
Secondary Control Center…
The word 'Refused' flashes on Maya's computer screen.
"It's refusing the code to eject the entry plug," says Maya.
"What about the backup codes?"
"Also refused. Even a direct circuit wouldn't work."
"The plug's video monitor is still working, though," says Hyuga, "Switching to main screen."
The main screen comes to life, showing the inside of Unit 01's entry plug. Everyone gasps at the image.
"What the hell is this?" asks Misato.
"I'd say that it's the truth behind the 400% synch - ratio," replies Ritsuko.
"What happened to Shinji?"
"The Eva has taken him into itself."
"What is that suppose to mean? What exactly is an Eva?"
"It is something created by man in man's own image. That is the only way I can think to describe it."
"You didn't create anything. You just copied something you found in Antarctica. What was the original?"
"It isn't a copy. It has a human will inside of it."
"Are you saying somebody willed this to happen?"
"No, the Eva did."
Misato glares at her friend and slaps her with her good hand.
"Aren't you going to take responsibility for this?! You created it!!"
Ritsuko doesn't reply.
The 2nd day…
Rei lies in the hospital bed; a bandage is wrapped around her head and her left eye. Slowly, she opens her good eye and looks up at the ceiling.
"I'm alive."
Asuka lies in her bed, her face buried in her pillow.
"Shinji, why did you have to do it? Don't leave me alone. Please don't leave me alone…"
Ritsuko, Maya, and Misato stand in Unit 01's cage. The Eva stares at the group with it uncovered green eye.
"What do you mean salvage Shinji?" asks Misato.
"Well, theoretically, Shinji's life force still exists in there," replies Ritsuko.
"So you're going to respect his life this time?"
"Losing Shinji is out of the question."
"I don't know. NERV wants Unit 01 as their tool, not Shinji."
"Our assumption is that Shinji lost his ego boarder and is floating in the entry plug in quantum form," says Maya.
"You're saying that Shinji's in a form that we can't see?" asks Misato.
"Yes, the LCL has been chemically altered into something that resembles that seas of primitive Earth," replies Maya.
"Everything that makes up Shinji is still in the plug and his soul is in there as well," says Ritsuko.
"This operation must reconstruct Shinji's body as well has fix his soul in it," says Maya.
"Is that possible?"
"With the MAGI's help, yes."
"This is all theoretical, am I right?"
"Yes, but you'll never know unless you try."
The 3rd day…
Asuka makes her way to school, a depressed look on her face.
"Hey, Asuka!!"
Asuka turns around and sees Hikari running towards her.
"Hi, Hikari."
She catches up with Asuka and they walk to school together.
"You look troubled Asuka, what's the matter?"
"It's nothing."
"Oh, come on. You can't fool me that easily. I know you too well. Beside, you know you can talk to me about anything!"
"Yeah."
Hikari sighs and looks up at the sky.
"I wonder where Toji's been…," she mumbles.
"She still doesn't know," thinks Asuka.
"So, are you going to tell me what's bothering you or what?"
"I'll tell you after school, ok, Hikari?"
"Fine. And I'm going to hold you to that!"
After school, the two girls walk from school together. They walk to the park and sit down on a bench.
"So, what's bugging you?"
Asuka looks down at her shoes.
"You gotta promise not to tell anyone."
"Ok, I promise."
Asuka straightens up and looks up at the sky.
"You know about the latest Angel attack and how Shinji stopped it, right?"
"Yeah."
"Well, something happened and he was absorbed into the Eva."
A single tear falls down Asuka's face.
"What?! How is that possible?"
"I don't know. I really don't know. They're trying to find a way to get him back, but it's all theoretical, so….."
"It's ok Asuka. I'm sure they'll get him back. He is the Invincible Shinji Ikari, right?"
Asuka smiles at her friend's comment.
"Yeah, I guess you're right."
"See, doesn't it feel better to talk to someone than to hold it inside?"
"Hikari…"
"What is it?"
"There's…something I need to tell you."
"Oh, no! Don't tell me Shinji got you pregnant!!"
Asuka turns red.
"NO!! That's not it!!"
Hikari chuckles.
"So what is it then?"
"It's about Toji…"
"Toji? What about him?"
"I know I should've told you this earlier, but I just couldn't. You remember when he was all depressed?"
"Yeah…"
"Well, that was because he was chosen to be the Fourth Child."
Hikari thinks for a moment. Then memories of Asuka referring to Shinji as the Third, Rei as the First, and herself as the Second come to her.
"You mean…he was chosen to be…an Eva pilot?"
Asuka nods. Hikari leans back on the bench.
"If he was chosen to be a pilot, how come he's been missing lately?"
"You remember the previous attack, before this one?"
"Yeah."
"They were doing an activation test of Unit 03 with Toji and during the test, it was taken over by an Angel.
Hikari looks wide-eyed at her friend.
"You mean, the Eva he was in was the Angel?"
"Yes. When they had us attack, they never told us who was the pilot. The Angel managed to disable Rei and me, and then it went for Shinji. He refused to fight it. The Commander ordered him to attack, but he refused because there was someone inside. I'm really not too sure as to what happened next, but the Commander activated something in Shinji's Eva that acted like autopilot and began to tear apart the Angel. From what I was told, it was going to crush the entry plug, but Shinji some how managed to stop it."
Hikari stared at her friend as she slowly absorbed all of this.
"What…what happened to Toji?"
"He was found alive, but was unconscious and……"
"And what?"
"And they had to amputate his left arm."
"My God…"
"I know I should have told you earlier, Hiakri. I'm sorry."
"It's ok Asuka. I can understand why you didn't tell me. Where is he being held?"
"In a NERV hospital."
"That means…I can't see him…"
"Not necessarily…."
The two girls walk into the NERV hospital. A guard stops them at the door.
"I'm sorry. Only NERV personal are allowed in here."
Asuka reaches into her pocket and pulls out her NERV ID card and shows it to the guard.
"Oh, I'm sorry. You may enter."
Asuka walks past the guard. Hikari follows, but is stopped by the guard.
"I'm sorry miss, but you can't go in."
Asuka turns and faces the guard.
"She with me, Commander's orders. If you have a problem with that you can take it up with him."
The guard turns pale.
"I'm sorry. You may enter."
Asuka and Hikari enter the main area of the hospital and look up Toji's room.
"You go on ahead, Hikari. I'll catch up."
Hikari nods and heads off to Toji' room. When she finds the room, she slowly opens the door and walk inside. Toji is lying on the bed covered by a blanket. His right arm is on top of the blanket. Hikari sits next to the bed and places her hand on top of his.
"Toji…"
The boy doesn't respond. Asuka walks into the room. She grins at her friend.
"Here."
Asuka hands Hikari a card. Hikari takes the card and looks at it.
"What is it?"
"It's a special access card so you can come here whenever you want."
Hikari jumps up and hugs her friend.
"Thank you Asuka! I don't know how to repay you!"
"No need. Besides, think of it was a gift for putting up with me all this time."
Hikari chuckles at her comment.
"Well, I gotta get to NERV for training. I'll leave you two alone."
Asuka leaves the room. Hikari watches her friend leave.
"She's changed, and for the better."
Hikari turns around and stands next to the bed. She gazes at the sleeping boy.
"Please wake up, Toji. I don't care what you look like. I will always love you."
She leans over and kisses him on the forehead.
"I'll see you later, Toji."
Hikari walks out of the door. If she had stayed just a few more seconds, she would have seen Toji's hand curl into a fist and then uncurl.
The 4th day…
"What happened?" wonders Shinji.
He gazes down at the seat in the entry plug.
"I'm not here, yet I am. What's going on?"
The scene begins to shift before his eyes.
"What's going on?"
The colors swirl around him and he is surrounded in a white light. When the light dies away, he finds himself, whole, lying in a field of grass. Shinji looks up at the clear sky. He shifts his gaze to a tree a short distance away. In front of the tree stands a woman around the age of 30, her back to him. Her short, brown hair sways slightly in the wind. She is dressed in a white lab coat. Shinji stands up and walks towards the woman.
"Maybe she knows where this place is," he thinks.
He continues to walk towards the woman.
"She seems so familiar. As if I know her," he thinks.
As Shinji stands a yard away from her, she turns around and smiles at him.
"Hello, Shinji," she says.
Shinji stops dead in his tracks as he stares at the woman.
"M…mother?" he manages to get out.
"Yes, Shinji. It's been a while."
Shinji runs towards Yui and embraces her in a hug, tears falling down his face.
"Mom! I missed you!"
Yui hugs her son and strokes his head.
"I've missed you too, Shinji. I've missed you too."