New Friends.and New Enemies
The door into NERV headquarters slid open, admitting the two girls. They were silent as they walked down the halls, but it was a comfortable silence; a silence of budding friendship. Every so often, one would glance at the others and they would smile a little before turning their eyes forward once more.
Their comfortable silence was shattered as they entered the center of NERV. People were rushing around, all talking loudly, excitedly. Something was up.
"What the heck is going on here? A fire?" Asuka asked, looking around.
"If there was a fire, we wouldn't have been admitted and alarms would be sounding," Rei said, her soft voice almost inaudible over all the noise. The red-head rolled her eyes, but kept her mouth shut. She grabbed one of the technicians by the arm as he dashed past.
"Hey, what's going on? Why is everyone so excited?"
"It's the new pilot! He's in perfect sync with Unit 01!" he cried before running off. Asuka and Rei exchanged wide-eyed glances. New pilot?!
"Let's go!" The two girls followed after the crowd at a run.
***
"Come on! Let us through! Hey! That was my toe!" Pushing and shoving, the girls managed to get to the front of the viewing room. A sheet of thick plate glass separated them from the testing room below.
The room where Unit 01 was activated.
"Oh my." Rei trailed off, her palm flat to the glass as she leaned closer. Asuka blinked in shock.
"Wow.whoever the pilot is." She suddenly straightened, her eyes snapping. "Come on. We're going to check this out." She seized Rei's arm in an iron grip, dragging her away.
***
"This is unbelievable," Misato whispered, reading the screen for what had to be the hundredth time. "There is NO POSSIBLE WAY." She looked up at Ritsuko, her eyes bigger than normal. The woman also looked stunned.
"I just don't understand it," she murmured, typing something into the computer. A graph of the sync ratios printed out a second later and she scanned over it. "There isn't a flaw anywhere. Not even the slightest of a percent!" The blonde shook her head. "I just can't believe this could happen. How can a sixteen-year-old be a pilot?!"
The door to the control room burst open at that moment and Asuka, Rei still in her grasp, stormed in, eyes flashing. She pointed to the huge television screen in the front of the room.
"What is the meaning of this?! Who is that pilot and why is he or she in Shinji's EVA?!" she growled. How dare someone touch Shinji's EVA! Dead or no, it was still his!
"Calm down, Asuka." The Commander stood up, coming out from around his desk.
"Calm?! Why is that other person in Shinji's EVA? I don't care if he's dead! No one should be able to even touch that thing!"
"Asuka, please!" Misato said, holding up a hand. The girl fell into an angry silence. "I can tell you're upset-"
"What was your first guess?!"
"Excuse me." Rei's quiet voice washed over them. All eyes turned to her. "I was just wondering.who IS the pilot in there?"
"His name is Eiro Narikage," Ritsuko said, not looking up from her now numerous graphs. "And he's sixteen years old."
"Sixteen? Wait, how is that possible?" Auska gasped. "I thought only fourteen-year-olds could pilot!"
"So did we. But it seems all of us were wrong," the Commander said, clasping his hands behind his back. "Captain, call him back now. He's more than proved he's able to pilot." He gave a little nod to everyone before turning and leaving the control room. Misato sighed and flipped on the intercom.
"Narikage, return now."
"Already? No target practice?" Asuka and Rei exchanged glances. This boy certainly sounded arrogant.
"No, not right now. Just shut down Unit 01. I'll meet you in the loading bay." She flipped off the intercom. "Girls, you come with me. And.well, brace yourselves."
***
Narikage un-strapped himself, jumping nimbly from the seat. He turned and touched the deep purple armor of the EVA, that same little smile he wore earlier on his face. "Thank you for allowing me to pilot you." he whispered softly.
He was so enthralled, he didn't feel or hear the footsteps on the platform. Misato's voice snapped him from his thoughts, however.
"Narikage, I want you to meet our other two pilots. This is Asuka Shoryu Langley and Ayanami Rei." The boy turned to face the girls who let out little shrieks, leaping backwards.
"It's Shinji's ghost!" Asuka cried, her face as pale as Rei's. Rei was so white, she was nearly transparent. She was trembling horribly and was suddenly having quite a bit of trouble breathing.
The sixteen-year-old seemed to notice none of this; his expression certainly didn't change.
"Is there some reason everyone keeps calling me that?" he asked quite coolly. Asuka dashed forward, her face stopping inches from his. Narikage's eyes widened a little and he blinked in astonishment.
"I can't believe it.you two are almost identical!" She circled him slowly, eyeing him as a cat might eye a canary. "Even your build is the same! You're a little taller of course, but you're older-"
"Excuse me?" She faced him again, her hands on her hips.
"Okay, buddy, who are you REALLY? Why do you look so much like Ikari-ko? Hmm?"
"Who? I have no idea what you're talking about."
"What she means, Narikage, is that your physical appearance is almost exactly like that of Ikari Shinji. The former pilot of Unit 01," Misato said, taking a little step forward. Rei still hung back, her thoughts confused and jumbled.
"The one who was killed." The older woman nodded sadly.
"Hai." Narikage brushed some of his hair out of his pale eyes.
"I see. Well, be that as it may, I am not this Ikari Shinji, so I would appreciate it if everyone would stop gawking at me and calling me by his name." He turned on his heel, facing the EVA once more. Asuka's mouth fell open; she was taken aback by his rudeness.
The loud bang of a closing door caused everyone to turn. Rei was gone. Misato touched her lips with the tips of her fingers.
"Poor Rei." she whispered.
"I'll get her." Asuka shot a glare at Narikage before dashing after the other girl.
"They don't like me." Misato turned back.
"It's not that, Narikage. Shinji's death has us all a little rattled. Then you show up."
"Then I show up and take over his EVA," he finished for her. "Oh yes, I know it was his," he said in response to her startled look. "She told me." He looked over his shoulder at the huge machine behind him, the corners of his mouth just lifting. "She said he was good, but I'm better." His eyes met hers in such an intense gaze, Misato had to look away. She cleared her throat, uncomfortable.
"W-well, come on. We need to find you housing."
"Housing?"
"You honestly don't think you're going home after this, do you?"
"No, I suppose not. Very well." He pressed his palm to the armor once more before following her from the bay.
The door into NERV headquarters slid open, admitting the two girls. They were silent as they walked down the halls, but it was a comfortable silence; a silence of budding friendship. Every so often, one would glance at the others and they would smile a little before turning their eyes forward once more.
Their comfortable silence was shattered as they entered the center of NERV. People were rushing around, all talking loudly, excitedly. Something was up.
"What the heck is going on here? A fire?" Asuka asked, looking around.
"If there was a fire, we wouldn't have been admitted and alarms would be sounding," Rei said, her soft voice almost inaudible over all the noise. The red-head rolled her eyes, but kept her mouth shut. She grabbed one of the technicians by the arm as he dashed past.
"Hey, what's going on? Why is everyone so excited?"
"It's the new pilot! He's in perfect sync with Unit 01!" he cried before running off. Asuka and Rei exchanged wide-eyed glances. New pilot?!
"Let's go!" The two girls followed after the crowd at a run.
***
"Come on! Let us through! Hey! That was my toe!" Pushing and shoving, the girls managed to get to the front of the viewing room. A sheet of thick plate glass separated them from the testing room below.
The room where Unit 01 was activated.
"Oh my." Rei trailed off, her palm flat to the glass as she leaned closer. Asuka blinked in shock.
"Wow.whoever the pilot is." She suddenly straightened, her eyes snapping. "Come on. We're going to check this out." She seized Rei's arm in an iron grip, dragging her away.
***
"This is unbelievable," Misato whispered, reading the screen for what had to be the hundredth time. "There is NO POSSIBLE WAY." She looked up at Ritsuko, her eyes bigger than normal. The woman also looked stunned.
"I just don't understand it," she murmured, typing something into the computer. A graph of the sync ratios printed out a second later and she scanned over it. "There isn't a flaw anywhere. Not even the slightest of a percent!" The blonde shook her head. "I just can't believe this could happen. How can a sixteen-year-old be a pilot?!"
The door to the control room burst open at that moment and Asuka, Rei still in her grasp, stormed in, eyes flashing. She pointed to the huge television screen in the front of the room.
"What is the meaning of this?! Who is that pilot and why is he or she in Shinji's EVA?!" she growled. How dare someone touch Shinji's EVA! Dead or no, it was still his!
"Calm down, Asuka." The Commander stood up, coming out from around his desk.
"Calm?! Why is that other person in Shinji's EVA? I don't care if he's dead! No one should be able to even touch that thing!"
"Asuka, please!" Misato said, holding up a hand. The girl fell into an angry silence. "I can tell you're upset-"
"What was your first guess?!"
"Excuse me." Rei's quiet voice washed over them. All eyes turned to her. "I was just wondering.who IS the pilot in there?"
"His name is Eiro Narikage," Ritsuko said, not looking up from her now numerous graphs. "And he's sixteen years old."
"Sixteen? Wait, how is that possible?" Auska gasped. "I thought only fourteen-year-olds could pilot!"
"So did we. But it seems all of us were wrong," the Commander said, clasping his hands behind his back. "Captain, call him back now. He's more than proved he's able to pilot." He gave a little nod to everyone before turning and leaving the control room. Misato sighed and flipped on the intercom.
"Narikage, return now."
"Already? No target practice?" Asuka and Rei exchanged glances. This boy certainly sounded arrogant.
"No, not right now. Just shut down Unit 01. I'll meet you in the loading bay." She flipped off the intercom. "Girls, you come with me. And.well, brace yourselves."
***
Narikage un-strapped himself, jumping nimbly from the seat. He turned and touched the deep purple armor of the EVA, that same little smile he wore earlier on his face. "Thank you for allowing me to pilot you." he whispered softly.
He was so enthralled, he didn't feel or hear the footsteps on the platform. Misato's voice snapped him from his thoughts, however.
"Narikage, I want you to meet our other two pilots. This is Asuka Shoryu Langley and Ayanami Rei." The boy turned to face the girls who let out little shrieks, leaping backwards.
"It's Shinji's ghost!" Asuka cried, her face as pale as Rei's. Rei was so white, she was nearly transparent. She was trembling horribly and was suddenly having quite a bit of trouble breathing.
The sixteen-year-old seemed to notice none of this; his expression certainly didn't change.
"Is there some reason everyone keeps calling me that?" he asked quite coolly. Asuka dashed forward, her face stopping inches from his. Narikage's eyes widened a little and he blinked in astonishment.
"I can't believe it.you two are almost identical!" She circled him slowly, eyeing him as a cat might eye a canary. "Even your build is the same! You're a little taller of course, but you're older-"
"Excuse me?" She faced him again, her hands on her hips.
"Okay, buddy, who are you REALLY? Why do you look so much like Ikari-ko? Hmm?"
"Who? I have no idea what you're talking about."
"What she means, Narikage, is that your physical appearance is almost exactly like that of Ikari Shinji. The former pilot of Unit 01," Misato said, taking a little step forward. Rei still hung back, her thoughts confused and jumbled.
"The one who was killed." The older woman nodded sadly.
"Hai." Narikage brushed some of his hair out of his pale eyes.
"I see. Well, be that as it may, I am not this Ikari Shinji, so I would appreciate it if everyone would stop gawking at me and calling me by his name." He turned on his heel, facing the EVA once more. Asuka's mouth fell open; she was taken aback by his rudeness.
The loud bang of a closing door caused everyone to turn. Rei was gone. Misato touched her lips with the tips of her fingers.
"Poor Rei." she whispered.
"I'll get her." Asuka shot a glare at Narikage before dashing after the other girl.
"They don't like me." Misato turned back.
"It's not that, Narikage. Shinji's death has us all a little rattled. Then you show up."
"Then I show up and take over his EVA," he finished for her. "Oh yes, I know it was his," he said in response to her startled look. "She told me." He looked over his shoulder at the huge machine behind him, the corners of his mouth just lifting. "She said he was good, but I'm better." His eyes met hers in such an intense gaze, Misato had to look away. She cleared her throat, uncomfortable.
"W-well, come on. We need to find you housing."
"Housing?"
"You honestly don't think you're going home after this, do you?"
"No, I suppose not. Very well." He pressed his palm to the armor once more before following her from the bay.