Disclaimer: I own nothing. Nada. Zilch.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --Evangelion: God's Wings

"We apologize, but do to the state of emergency all phone lines have been disconnected. This is a recording." A grumble was heard followed by the sound of the pay phone hanging up.

"This is stupid! I never should have come." Echoed the statement of a fourteen year old boy as he looked again at the photo of the woman he was supposed to meet. His voice carried across the empty streets and signs saying there was an emergency and to proceed to the nearest shelter.

"Maybe I should just find a shelter. . . she isn't coming. This is stupid. Why did I even come?"

Turning around, Shinji Ikari caught his first look at Rei Ayanami. She seemed to be an illusion, and the fact she disappeared a second later reinforced that fact. He stared at the spot were he had seen her, contemplating his sanity.

Shaking his head, Shinji turned and headed down the road to find a shelter.

Some small birds were stirred up, and they took flight. Shinji watched them in envy. He had never flown before, but he had dreamed of flying. To him, flying was absolute freedom, away from the pain of normal life.

Shinji stopped when he felt the ground shaking. "Any earthquake?!?" The shaking stopped a moment later, but was soon followed by another, and continuously ran in that cycle.

The shaking almost felt like. . . "Footsteps!?"

The sound of VTOL engines made the boy spin towards the source of the sound. Three assault craft hovered around a small mountain, retreating from a giant creature.

"What the hell is that!?!" The aircrafts fired volleys of bullets into the monstrosity, but it just kept walking seemingly unaffected. It raised one of its arms, and used a biological pole that shot out of it's arm to smash through one of the retreating VTOLs.

The wrecked aircraft landed a few dozen feet from the frightened Shinji. He barely had time to raise his hands over his head before the wind blast from the crash hit him, along with debris tossed up in the explosion. Suddenly, the wind was blocked and he couldn't feel anymore small rocks pelting his skin.

Shinji looked up to see a small blue sports car between him and the approaching Angel. The side door of the car opened, held by the woman he was supposed to meet.

"Get in!" Shinji didn't need to be told twice. He dove into the car. The violet haired woman behind the wheel threw the car into reverse, backing it into a debris pile a second before the monster's foot came crashing down where the car was. Falling concrete pounded on the roof of the car and created large dents above Shinji before the car was floored.

A moment later Shinji and the woman named Misato were miles away from the monster, which was proceeding into the forest beyond the city. They stopped outside the city, where they could see the giant walking. The VTOL were still there, but were just tiny dots from this distance.

Misato was bent over Shinji, who was trying not to be too interested in the Major's breast hanging near his head. Misato watched the fight through binoculars. She was just in time to observe the aircrafts scatter, trying to get away from the target at maximum velocity.

"Wait a minute . . . They're going to use an N2 mine! GET DOWN!" Misato grabbed the boy, and shoved him down on the seats, covering his body with her own two seconds before a ground-shaking explosion consumed not only the behemoth but also the entire mountain as well. Shockwaves rocked the small car, flipping it over and over off the street.

Finally the car stopped moving and stood on its side. Cautiously, two heads peeked up out of the window of the car, watching the aftermath of the explosion die down.

Misato climbed out of the car through the window now facing up, and helped Shinji crawl out the same way. "Are you OK?"

"Phht. . . My mouth is full of dirt . . . *spit* . . . "

"You'll be ok." Misato put her back to the roof of the car. "Could you give me a hand with this?" Shinji followed her lead, and on a three count, were able to right the car.

"Thanks, Shinji. You know, you're pretty useful."

"Thanks, I guess."

"Come on, we had better get going. I need to get you somewhere safe, or my butt's in trouble."

~0~

"Don't worry, his safety is my top priority!"

'It is!?!' thought Shinji as he and Misato cruised down the road into the city. 'We've already speeding, nearly flipped the car twice, and traveled over half the way to this place in the wrong lane, and now she's doing it with one hand on the wheel and talking on a cell phone, and she says safety is her top priority!?!'

"Could you get a car train ready for us? An express, of course. Thank you, buh-bye." Misato hung up the phone and turned to Shinji. 'Awww . . . This car was just repaired and it's a wreck already . . . Thirty-three more payments, plus the cost of repairs . . .'

"Um, Misato?"

'And my favorite blouse is ruined! I looked so good in it . . .'

"Misato?"

"Oh! Um, yes Shinji?"

"Those batteries, isn't that, um . . . " Shinji's face scrunched into an accusing stare. " . . . theft?"

"Well, um, we needed a working car, right? Besides, it was an emergency. Plus, I'm a government official, so it was for official reasons, and it's alright, ok? Ok."

"Humph."

Misato gave the boy an amusing glance. "You know, you're not as cute as I thought you would be."

"And you're not as mature as I thought you would be."

Days later Shinji still could not recall how the Major managed to keep the car going down the street when both of her hands were reaching out to strangle him.

~0~

The door opened to admit the small car without a sound, and Misato drove it onto the elevator. Although the side of the train the car was facing was windowed, they could not see anything for there was nothing but concrete as the car was carried down.

"Shinji, do you have your summons?"

"Oh! Um, yeah, here." Shinji handed Misato a letter from his pocket. It was extremely wrinkled as if it had been crumbled and thrown in the trash, and was actually in pieces and taped back together. It only said his name and the word 'Come!'

Misato looked at it. "Ok, here, read this." She handed the boy a book, taped shut to indicated it had not been opened, and was labeled top secret. Its title was NERV.

"Nerv? My father's organization? I'll be working with my father?"

"That's right!"

Shinji's face turned sour. 'Father . . . . . .'

Misato watched him. "Don't get along with your dad, huh? You sound just like me . . . "

Shinji sat in silence, but opened the manual he was given and began to read, to at least pass the time away and to distract him from thoughts about his father. However, his brain screamed out one question he could not ignore.

"Will . . . Will I see my father?"

"Of course!"

Shinji didn't respond. He sat in silence as the train took the two farther down underground. Eventually, they passed the concrete and the windows beheld a magnificent site.

"A . . . geofront! A real Geofront!"

Misato grinned. "That's right. This is Tokyo-3, a fortress for mankind. To stand against the Angels." Shinji stared out at the grass below him and the pyramid-shaped building. Above, there looked like skyscrapers hung upside down.

"Magnificant, isn't it? This Geofront was made to combat the Angels. It's our last hope."

~0~

Shinji had stopped counting the number of doors he had gone through with Misato a long time ago, now just reading the manual and following her down the catwalk they were on. Another door opened before them, and the wind from within the chamber beyond blew Misato's skirt up.

"It's because of these things that I hate to wear a skirt around here. Um, I'm sorry about all of this. This place is still kind of new to me . . . ."

"I think that we passed this place twice already."

Misato grumbled, and picked up her cell phone to make a call. Shinji returned to his manual. After getting off the catwalk, Misato lead Shinji down two more corridors and finally to an elevator. They descended several levels.

When the doors of the elevator opened, they revealed a blonde scientist, clad in bathing suit and lab coat.

"Oh! Um, hi there, Ritsuko . . . "

The look on Ritsuko's face was both amused and annoyed. "Got lost again, huh?"

"Er, sorry . . . "

"Hmm. You know, we're short on both manpower and time. We can't spend our time tracking you down twice a day."

"I said sorry. How did you find us so fast, Ritsuko?"

"Knowing you, I had a tracker placed in your phone from day one."

Misato grimaced and Ritsuko looked down at Shinji. "So, this is the boy?"

"That's right. According to the Marduke report, he's the third child. Shinji, this is Dr. Ritsuko Akagi, Ritsuko, this is Shinji Ikari."

Ritsuko smiled. "Pleased to meet you, Shinji."

"Pleased to, um, meet you too."

The group finally exited out of the elevator, and followed Ritsuko to where they needed to be. Shinji didn't know exactly where that was, but he stayed with them. Ritsuko had the group walk on to a lift, which carried them up along a wall of pink. Had Shinji been paying attention, he would have noticed that the wall was a holding tank, or at least the giant hand reaching out to the side of the tank.

Shinji wasn't really paying attention to the two women. They were carrying on about a unit one and unit zero, something about a zero-nine system, and funding.

Coming to the top, they only walked a short distance before entering a large, completely dark room.

"What . . . why is it so dark in here?"

The door closed behind them, enclosing them in complete darkness and causing Shinji to gasp in surprise. Then the lights turned on.

Shinji found himself suddenly sitting down.

In front of him was a large, purple head. Its empty eyes seemed to stare right through him.

"Wha . . .What is . . . A face? . . . A giant robot!?"

"Correct!"

Shinji barely recognized the voice. He slowly looked up above the robot to an observation room above. Through the glass windows stood a man whom Shinji hoped he would never have to see again. A man whom he had not seen in over three years, a man whose cold heart drove Shinji away, leaving him with people who did not really care for the boy. A man he called father.

"It's been awhile." Said Gendo Ikari. There was no smile, no emotion in his voice.

Shinji turned away in disgust and fear, unable to look him in the eyes. Gendo didn't react.

Ritsuko spoke up. "This is Evangelion - mankind's ultimate combat machine. This is the only thing that can stand up to the Angels."

Gendo interrupted her. "We're moving out."

Misato looked like she had stuck a knife in an electrical socket. "Wait a minute! How can we?!? Unit 00 is still in cryostasis!" She looked at Ritsuko, and then to the Eva. "You're going to use unit 01? But, Rei can't do it yet! We don't have a pilot!"

Ritisko didn't even flinch. "We just received one."

Misato's mouth worked, trying to form words. "You mean . . . Shinji!?! But . . . even Rei Ayanami took three months to synchronize with her Eva! He just got here!"

"All he needs to do is sit in the seat. We don't expect him to do any more than that. Look, Major, we don't have a choice. He's the only one who can right now. If he has even the slightest chance of synchronizing with unit 01, then we have to risk it."

Misato slumped over, defeated. "It's . . . It's your choice Shinji."

Shinji looked up at his father after a moment of silence. "Why . . . why did you send for me father?"

"Because I had a use for you."

"And. . . you. . . you . . . why did you have to send for me?!?"

"If you're going to do it, do it, for else leave and never return!"

"I . . . I . . . How could you do this to me?!? I've never even see this thing before! I can't!"

Rumbling could be heard, close to the base. Gendo looked up. "It's close. It can sense us. Make your choice!"

Misato looked down at the frightened youth. "Shinji, you have to stand up to him. Get in."

"No! I can't! I JUST CAN'T!"

Silence. Then, Gendo sighed and turned to a com terminal on the wall. "Fuyutsuki."

"Yes, sir?"

"Our spare is unusable. We will have to use Rei."

"Of course sir."

A new screen appeared where Fuyutsuki once was, but now it said 'Voice only'. "Rei."

"Yes, sir?"

"You will do it again."

". . . Yes sir."

Shinji stood were he was, ignoring the glares he was getting from his father and Risiko. The door he had entered through opened, and he could he footsteps and wheels moving across the metal catwalk. Looking up turned out to be a shock.

The blue haired girl he thought he saw earlier outside was now being wheeled in on a hospital bed. However, unlike earlier, her head and right arm were heavily bandaged. Blood stained the bandages and an IV hung from a pole to drip fluid into a needle in her arm. She struggled to get up, crying out in pain as she did so.

Shinji cringed. 'Why . . . She's . . . It's . . . not right . . .'

Then, a powerful shockwave hit the facility without warning. It knocked everyone over; including the bed Rei had been lying on and sends her tumbling. Light fixtures the size of cars was shaken loose above Shinji, and fell towards the catwalk below. Shinji barely had time to realize and react before they were upon him. He braced himself for the blow.

It never came. Looking up, Shinji beheld a sight he never would have expected.

The hand of unit one was above him, blocking the fixtures from harming him.

"The Eva activated itself!"

"But that's impossible! The entry plug wasn't even inserted!"

"Did it move to protect something? To protect him?"

Shinji wasn't listening to the babble of the people around him. He rushed to the girl that he thought shouldn't be there. He carefully picked her up, but still she cried out in pain. He felt some warm liquid cover his hand underneath her.

It was blood.

"I mustn't run away . . . I mustn't run away . . . I'LL DO IT! I'LL PILOT IT!"

~0~

Shinji sat in the chair; inside the long white cylinder they called an Entry plug. He had no idea what to expect or do, but he hoped that Misato and the others would help him as much as they could. Momentum and sound of mechanical apparatus told him that the plug was lowered into the Eva.

Shinji couldn't see a thing besides the white wall of the entry plug, but he could certainly hear. Communications from the control room, or whatever, were constant.

"Plug secure."

"Connections to the Eva beginning."

"Filling the entry plug."

Shinji barely had time to think 'filling?' before a pink liquid rose up from the bottom of the entry plug and began to immerse him. He instinctively held his breath. 'Are they trying to drown me?!?'

"Shinji! Don't worry, once the LCL fills your lungs, your blood will be oxygenated directly. You'll get use to it."

Not convinced, Shinji still held his breath until he couldn't hold it any longer. Air bubbles exploded out of his mouth and LCL rushed in to fill the vacuum in his lungs.

It tasted like blood.

"I think I'm going to be sick . . . "

"No complaining!" Came Misato's voice. "You're a man, you know!"

Shinji's face looked pained. 'Your trying to drown me because I'm a boy?'

"Connecting the pilot to the Eva."

"Beginning nerve connections. Starting synchronization." Suddenly the plug filled with a display of images, including rainbows of colors and landscapes.

'Whoa . . . It's like traveling through another world . . .'

Then, monitors came up around Shinji, displaying what was around him. He could see the catwalk, the observation room, and the techs located around him.

"He's past the border line. No problem detected."

"Incredible, he's steady at forty percent . . . "

"Right. Magi report no problems or fluxulations."

Misato's voice raised above the others. "Get ready for launch."

"Primary safety locks disengaged."

"Secondary restrictions removed." Shinji watched as the walls on the side of the Eva moved forward, freeing the Eva's arms.

"Move Unit 01 to the launch tube." A sudden jerk, and Shinji could feel the Eva being moved backwards and slightly upwards a ways before coming to a stop.

"Open launch bay!"

"Launch bay number 5 doors opened."

"Eva launch!"

The sudden force of being thrown upwards surprised Shinji almost as much as the LCL did. He was pretty sure he left his stomach behind, along with his brain and liver. However, he knew his heart was still with him, trying to break out of his chest, and his feet where all of his blood rushed.

The Eva jerked again to a stop as sudden as it started.

'I need to talk to Misato about these little surprises.'

Shinji looked around, and found he was once again in the city. The Angel that had nearly stomped on him was only a few blocks away. However, being as high as most of the buildings surrounding him, a few blocks felt more like a few feet.

"Disengage final safety locks!" The Eva leaned forward, now not even connected to the catapult and standing freely. "Eva unit 01, move out!"

'And how am I supposed to do that!? I don't know how! And that thing is right there!'

"Shinji." Ritsuko's voice came over the com. "Just concentrate on walking for now. Eva reacts to your thoughts - just think about walking."

"Walk . . . ." Concentrating, Shinji felt the Eva's right foot slowly move forward, taking its first step.

"He's walking!"

"Walking . . . ." Unit 01's left foot now moved forward. However, Shinji saw the Angel move forward and Shinji recoiled in fear. The Eva stopped in mid step, and unbalanced, fell unceremoniously to the pavement.

"Shinji!" He looked up to see the Angel right on top of him, looking down at him. "You've got to get up! Shinji!"

The angel helped the Eva get up by grabbing Unit 01's head and picking it up off it's feet. Unit 01 hung in its grasp as the Angel grabbed the Eva's left arm and pulled. Shinji cried out as he felt a tightening around his real arm.

"Shinji, that's not your real arm!"

Misato was shouting, but Shinji was in too much pain to hear right. Then, just as the Eva's arm snapped with a terrible cracking, Shinji felt his own arm snap. Pain, unimaginable pain wracked through his body, emanating from his arm and spreading. He didn't know he could feel such pain.

"Left arm damaged!"

"His defense systems aren't responding! His field isn't up!"

"It's not up?!?"

Shinji was grimacing in remembered pain, clutching his left arm. He barely noticed that the hand that held his Eva and spread across most of his front monitors was glowing before his head exploded in new pain.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!"

"There's a crack in front of the brain case!"

"That armor can't take much more!"

Then Shinji's head split open. Or, rather, it felt like it did when the Angel finally punched through the Eva's head. The blow sent the Eva flying backwards into a building, slumping and spilling blood everywhere.

"We're having trouble maintaining activation. Dammit, Eva has ceased activation, it's gone silent!"

' . . . this isn't fair, this isn't right . . . '

"Status Report!"

' . . . help . . . me . . .'

"Links to the pilot are severed! His condition's unknown!"

"We've got no choice - eject the entry plug!"

"We can't! It's not accepting the signal!"

"What did you say!?!"

' . . . anyone . . . help me . . . I . . . I . . . hate this . . . father . . . angels . . . damn it . . . I hate . . . hate . . . hate . . . '

~0~

Maya Ibuki, tech bunny number 1, was desperate to reconnect unit 01 and find out what was going on. To eject the entry plug and get the new pilot out of there. To get unit 01 working. To do something.

She was a little surprised when the graphs and charts that were previously blank after unit 01's shutdown fill with data. It could mean only one thing.

"Eva has reactivated!"

She stared at the view screens ahead of her and watched the Eva stand, it's remaining eye glowing. Glancing at her terminal, she recoiled. "Doctor Akagi!"

Ritsuko looked over her shoulder. "Shinji's synch ratio is all over the charts!"

"Berserker!"

The Eva picked itself up, and Ikari smiled. "We've done it."

"Mutations within the Eva!" Gendo, for the first time anyone could remember stood up from his seat in shock. He hadn't expected this to happen.

Ritsuko looked over Maya's station. "This is impossible! Evas cannot change their internal natures like this! The bindings won't hold!" As soon as she spoke, the armor plates surronding the Eva's stomach exploded, revealing a hard, red sphere implanted in its chest.

"What the hell is going on Ritsuko!?!"

"I don't know! The Eva is repairing itself and breaking loose! This shouldn't be happening!"

"Dear God . . . Eva's core . . . "

The Eva's core pulsed with light and energy. Unit one opened its mouth, revealing a set of teeth that had not been there before. It remaining eye was now round instead of its usual narrow shape and glowing red, looking around like a human eye in any normal person. However, the scariest aspect of the transformed Eva was the grunts and roars the biomechanical monster made.

Eva charged the third angel down, and jumped up, landing on the angel's face. Two punches, and the Eva leaped off the angel to land a few hundred feet from it. The Angel recoiled in shock, it head and torso thrown back. Unit 01 charged, but was stopped by an energy field that projected like an orangle hexagon.

"An AT Field!"

"As long as that field in up . . . "

"It can't get near that Angel!"

Unit one backed off for a second and raised its damaged left arm. It eyes glowed brighter for a moment, then the damaged area repaired itself.

"The left arm . . . regenerated itself!"

"No way . . . "

Now using both arms, Unit 01 pushed against the AT field of the Angel. It's fingers only took a second to make a hole.

"Unit 01 is spreading its own AT field - it neutralizing the phase-face."

"It's breaking through it!" At that exact second the Eva ripped the AT field apart like paper.

"It broke through that AT field like it wasn't even there!"

The Eva growled at the Angel, daring it to do something. The Angel's eyes glowed, and the Eva was consumed in the Angel's blast. Buildings cracked and shattered from the force of the blast, as it spread into the shape of a cross.

The explosion died down, and Unit 01 could be seen. It lifted its head, hardly even phased by the Angel's attack, and then grabbed the Angels arms in its hand. Unit 01 twisted its hand, breaking the arms off the Angel's body and kicked its body hundred of yards away.

Eva unit 01 didn't give the Angel any time to react. It charged down the Angel and pinned it down with its arms. It's mouth opened and descended.

Sounds of crunching and slurping echoed across the city and countryside as the Third Angel was consumed by the berserk Unit 01.

"It's . . . eating the . . . Angel . . . "

"Why . . . why . . . ?"

Maya hurled while Aoba had to turn away, green in the face. Ritsuko stood in horrified paralysis, and Misato was twitching.

The cries of the Angel died down, but the Eva did not stop until every last piece of the Angel was consumed. Then it stood up, roaring as the bindings on its back and neck snapped off. The shoulder blades designed to carry the progressive knives shot off, landing with a clatter on the streets.

"Those plates weren't just armor. The Eva is removing the things that bind it to our will. The beast is now free to its own will."

Misato stood in shock. Her body wouldn't move and her brain was not even able to form coherent thoughts.

Gendo stood in silence.

The command center stood silent until the voice of Shuga shouted, "I've got readings on the pilot!"

"What's his status!?!"

"He's still breathing!"

"Synch ratio is fluxuating all over the place!"

"Psychograph is extremely unstable!"

"He's going to convulsions!"

"Get him out of there! Eject, Eject!"

"Negative, the signal isn't being accepted!"

"Psychograph is deteriorating!"

"Shinji!"

Eva unit one bent over, and the entry plug rocketed out of its back, blowing the armor plating that covered the plug clean off. It's eyes continued to glow, but slowly faded as the Eva unceremoniously toppled over like a puppet whose strings were cut.

"Entry plug has been ejected, but it wasn't us!"

"What do you mean?"

"We weren't transmitting the signal at the time!"

"What is Unit 01 status?"

"The Eva has gone completely silent. It's not moving. Power is confirmed to be cut. There's now way it can move."

Gendo cleared his throat. All noise in the command center stopped immediately. He sat down; his arms folded in front of his face and hid his mouth from view.

"Send rescue teams to the entry plug immediately. Have the third child brought to the medical center for a complete physical and mental examination - find out if he can still pilot. Have recovery teams get unit 01 into a level seven holding area immediately and begin testing on its feasibility for use."

"Yes sir"

"Roger."

~0~

**Flash** Crawling into Evangelion Unit 01.

**Flash** See a young boy in the observation room outside the Eva.

**Flash** Meeting Fuyusuki for the first time.

**Flash** Wedding Bells.

**Flask** College.

**Flash** **Flash** **Flash**

'Who . . . What? . . .' Shinji's mind was in chaos. He knew he was in Eva 01, but then something happened. His brain was overrun with thoughts, feelings, images, memories, too many for him to process or even really see as they were coming in so fast.

'Ahh . . . Who is . . . Who. . . Eva? . . .'

Then, he was ripped away from all of this. Shinji's mind felt like a radio whose antenna was just snapped. He was suddenly aware of his body again as the entry plug impacted on something hard and unforgiving.

Shinji lay in darkness and silence. It was fifteen minutes before he heard a knocking outside the plug.

"Hey kid, you OK in there?"

Shinji didn't respond.

"Hey kid!"

Light surrounded Shinji as the entry plug was opened. He could make out a hand reaching out for him, and he recoiled.

"He's alive! Let's get him to the infirmary!"

~0~

"This wasn't part of either scenario, Fuyusuki." Gendo sat in his cavernous office, as his right hand stood in front of him.

Fuyusuki nodded. "Seele is going to have our heads on a platter."

"No, the Eva was beyond our control. This was an accident. Eva 01 is to be placed into cryostasis immediately, only to be released if deemed necessary by the committee. We cannot be taking risks this early into the game."

"Of course, sir. But that leaves us in a dangerous position."

"Indeed."

"With only one pilot, and that if he chooses not to go AWOL, and no Evangelions combat ready, we are vulnerable. What is Yui up to?"

"We will have to call in unit 02 from Germany. The second child will be brought in immediately to pilot it, with the Third Child as the backup for Unit 02."

"What of Adam?"

"Leave that to me. Make the necessary preparations. You are dismissed."

"Yes sir."