PART I

ACT I

SCENE I

(An empty stage where an unknown gentleman of twenty-three stands, clad mostly in black, blazer, dress pants, shoes, fedora, save for his red dress shirt. His right-hand upon a horse-headed walking stick, he stares out as two individuals, SHINJI and ASUKA, ENTER from opposite ends of the stage.)

CONN: (Gesturing at SHINJI, who waves.) He is Shinji Ikari. He might not look like much and be somewhat sullen and sarcastic, but as the lame tiger Shere Khan was a villain of one story, so too is this unremarkable looking boy a hero of this story. (Gesturing at ASUKA, who curtsies.) And she is Asuka Langley Soryu, another of our heroes, and honestly looks more like hero material… Both of them have some problems, but don't we all? My father… Died when I was very young and so my mother and I went to live with her brother, half-brother I wish I could say as my grandmother had been married to someone before my grandfather, but unfortunately, my uncle had been just as much fathered by my grandfather as my mother had… My uncle was… (Shaking his head.) Forgive me. I am Conn. Conn Temujin O'Sullivan, formerly of… Well, it doesn't matter. I work for NERV now. (Gesturing at SHINJI and ASUKA.) I never thought I'd see the day where teenagers, adolescents, were piloting giant robots to fight monsters that H. P. Lovecraft could have dreamed up, though with how strange the universe is, you'd think I'd have been prepared. Shinji Ikari, Asuka Langley Soryu, Kaworu Nagisa (ENTER KAWORU, who bows.), Rei Ayanami (ENTER REI, who nods.) and… (ENTER TOJI.) Uh… Titania, I think his name is. (TOJI prepares to dab, but stops when he realizes CONN got his name wrong. Everyone except CONN, stare at TOJI with raised eyebrows.) All so young, they should have been living normal lives, but as we all know, what is and what should be are as different as a kind word is from the lash of a whip… I entered their story one rainy morning, arriving at the apartment of Major Misato Katsuragi. (EXIT EVERYONE, but CONN, SHINJI AND ASUKA.) I'd been instructed to get some paperwork from her, she failed to hand it over while we were both "at the office", so to speak, and so I came to her apartment to pick it up. As I reach the door, the first thing I hear is…

ASUKA: Idiot Shinji, stop changing the channel!

SHINJI: Oh, no! What a nightmare! It's the end of the world because you don't get to watch some American romance you've seen a hundred times!

ASUKA: Then go do something else!

CONN: (To the audience.) It was at this point that I wondered if being present for an argument between two teenaged maniacs was really worth it. Ultimately, I just knocked on the door. (Raises a hand and mimes knocking on a door, while the accompanying sound effect plays.)

SHINJI: (Walks over and mimes opening a door.) Hello, how can I help you?

CONN: (To the audience.) Now, I had never met Shinji prior to this, but I had met his paterfamilias Commander Gendo Ikari… I really hate that man… Anyway, I could tell Shinji was Gendo's scion, there was certainly a resemblance. (To Shinji.) Uh, yes, I am here for Major Katsuragi's paperwork in regards to the latest Angel battle.

SHINJI: That was nearly two months ago!

CONN: Yes, and it really has been nice and peaceful, hasn't it? Now, would the Major be home. I'd like to collect that paperwork.

SHINJI: She is asleep, but I can get them for you.

CONN: Thank you. (SHINJI mimes closing a door and briefly EXITS, RE-ENTERING with a folder in his hand, mimes opening a door and hands the folder to CONN.) Thank you, Shinji Ikari.

SHINJI: How do you know my name?

CONN: I know your appellation, because I can see and hear. (Coldly.) You really are an idiot.

SHINJI: (Rolling his in annoyance as ASUKA comes up from behind him.) And who are you?

CONN: (Inspecting the contents of the folder.) Conn O'Sullivan. I work in NERV's archives. (Sighs.) These are for the Angel battle before the last one. I will take these, but I will still need the paperwork for the last battle. (SHINJI walks away, grumbling under his breath while ASUKA takes her place at the doorway. CONN turns his attention to ASUKA.) You'd be better off finding a more intelligent boyfriend, Miss.

ASUKA: HE'S NOT MY BOYFRIEND AND DON'T YOU DARE CALL HIM AN IDIOT! (Approaching with the correct folder, SHINJI pauses before continuing over.)

CONN: (Tapping his walking stick against the doorframe while laughing.) Yes, indeed. (SHINJI hands CONN the folder, who proceeds to inspect the folder.) Yes, yes, this is it. Thank you and if I were you, Shinji, I'd find a girlfriend with a better temperament. Here now, what's this? (Pulls a note out of the folder.) "Conn, if you tell anyone about me and", Ah, yes… Well… (Looks at his walking stick.) Message received… Goodbye, Shinji Ikari, (Teasingly.) Mrs. Ikari. (EXITS.)

(ENTER MISATO.)

MISATO: That big-nosed, rubber-faced bastard! I thought I heard his voice. Don't let him get under your skin, Asuka. Conn likes to tease, but he can be an ass sometimes.

SHINJI: Ms. Misato, has he met my father before?

MISATO: He has Shinji. When he learned children were piloting the Evas, he swore that if anything happened to any of you, then he would fight your father and he would kill him.

SHINJI: (Half-shocked.) Kill my father?

NOTES

When I was dreaming up this story the extent of my knowledge had to do with the ending, which is a long way off, with the then-nameless Conn holding a theatre curtain, basically saying goodbye to the reader. What else was going on, I withhold. It was because of the curtain, that I decided to write this fan fiction as a play. An odd choice, but there you go. Ironically, while writing this, I picture it as being done in the round, which has no curtains.

I made a decision early on to take inspiration from various parts of the franchise. Thus, Shinji and Asuka will be based on their more heroic and nicer counterparts from the manga and possibly others.

As basically the chorus, yet still a character in his own right, Conn will not be present for every scene. In fact, he will actually be absent for a good portion at some point. In relation, due to him being a character in his own right, I felt it necessary that he be an actual person. With him coldly referring to Shinji as an idiot, I established him as a jerk, but as Misato relates of his swearing an oath to kill Gendo should anything happen to any of the kids, he isn't a complete jerk, though probably a little bit dramatic. He was originally going to be more of a jerk, outright striking Asuka in the arm with his walking stick for raising her voice towards him. Shinji would have come to Asuka's defense, but I ultimately decided against it for making Conn too much of a jerk.

I apologize for Toji dabbing. After Shinji waving, Asuka curtsying, Kaworu's bowing and what not, I was at a loss and basically said: "Let Toji dab!"

Before I fully devoted to myself to the play idea, I had a completely different idea for a plot involving Shinji and Asuka having had a one-night stand and they were soon after "separated by fate", so to speak, they meet again years later with Asuka the mother of a child, Shinji's of course. I hadn't the entire plot figured out yet, but I had a thought of the Proto-Conn, then a librarian, telling Asuka to tell Shinji she loved him and that the child was his.

If you are curious about the title "Project Germanicus", I was struggling with a title for two days, so I just used the first one that came to mind. Prior to that, the title was simply "Neon Genesis Evangelion Play". The title may change in the future if "Project Germanicus" never fits.