Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to Evangelion. Gainax owns the rights. We are in no way using this fictional writing for financial gain.
Author's note: We wanted to get an early start on this chapter for two reasons. One, it took us a while to finish chapter three. Two, we didn't plan on the third chapter being in more than one part, so we feel rushed to finish. Anyway, we hope you enjoyed the last chapter. Here is part two.
We actually had this chapter finished for about two weeks, but my Internet went down, so I had to wait till today to post it.
Chapter 4 "A place to stay Part II"
**
Shinji found himself slowly waking from the sunlight that began to creep its way up to his eyes. As he drowsily opened his eyes, he suddenly remembers where he was, and starts to look around for anything that would resemble a clock. Unfortunately there was none, so he grabbed his watch from the nightstand. It read nine sixteen. Fighting the urge to doze off again, he tiredly got off the bed and scurried out of his room. Realizing that his temporary Guardian was nowhere to be found, he decided to look outside into the warehouse itself. Sure enough, there was Steven, working on some device that he couldn't make out from the distance he was.
Adams noticed the latecomer. "Good morning! Did you have something to eat?"
Shinji shook his head. "No, I just got up. I just wanted to know where you were." The boy began to slowly descend the stairs, watching the older man's actions. He noticed that the object he was working on was a car, the same one that was in pieces the night before. Some of the pieces appeared to have been placed into the car itself.
Adams once again looked up at his new roommate. "Can I help you with something?"
Shinji walked slowly up to the car and looked inside the hood. "I just wanted to know what you were doing?"
Adams had an idea. "Want to help?"
The young pilot shook his head. "I don't really know much about cars."
"It's alright. It very simple, although your hands are going to get a little dirty." Said the man while getting up and walking towards a nearby table that had ten bolts that had threads on each side. "These are studs. I was about to put these into the car, but now that you're here, you can help me save time." He then grabs a small tube fill with some blue stuff. "This is Lock-tite. It's a substance that hardens when heated up. It helps keep the studs in place. I want you to coat each of the studs with a small amount of it and hand them to me one at a time. Ok?"
"Sounds simple enough…." Said Ikari. He then states to coat each of the ten studs, handing each completed one to the mechanic so that he could screw them in. Shinji just completed the final stud and was handing it to Adams when his hand slipped, and the stud fell straight into the front end of the exhaust system.
"Shit!" Said the weapons developer as it went down the hole. He then looks towards the ashamed boy. "You do realize that was a one in a million shot? I have never seen that happen before."
"I'm really sorry." Shinji was about to go away.
"Wait, hold on." Said Adams. "It's ok. I'll worry about it later. It'll take too much effort in order to get it out now anyway, so I'll give it a rest." Adams them closed the hood of the car. "By the way, I want to ask you a favor." He then walks up to his foster child. "I'm sure you realize that some of the stuff that is here is either illegal, or does not have the authorization to be here. My weapons collection, and the car and bike that I'm rebuilding are examples of this. If anybody asks about what's here, do not tell him or her about those items. Especially Misato! Understood?"
The pilot of Unit 01 nodded, almost choking in the process.
Adams remembered some other details. "I already cleaned off the bike that you peed on and "Buster." So you don't have to worry about that?"
Shinji became curious about the gun again. "How did you come across a gun like that anyway? Especially since you said it was so rare."
The man smiled. "It once belonged to a corrupted government organization that we infiltrated a long time ago. It was a real pain in the ass trying to steal that thing. That's one of the reasons why I treasure it so. If that government ever found out that it was here, I'd probably be killed, or at least they'd try. Which reminds me…"
The tactical advisor then walked towards the front door, motioning Shinji to follow him. "I never got the chance to show you the security system I put on this place. I designed it myself." The man then looks towards the ceiling.
*Activate Security System. Password: Wellington.*
An electronic voice was then heard. "Activating All Security Systems."
Adams then turns to Shinji. "Since a great deal of my weapons designs and prototypes are being held in this warehouse, security is of the utmost importance. It also helps keep certain people from NERV, for example…oh say…little miss Katsuragi, from entering in here without permission, which by the way, I have never given her."
He then grabbed a long wooden pole and hands it to the Third Child. "Wave this in front of the door."
"Um…Ok…" Said the boy nervously.
Grabbing the pole, Shinji slowly lifts it near the door.
BANG!!!
"AAAAHHHH!!!!" Screamed the young man as he dropped the pole. Adams picks up the pole and looks at the end of it. It was chewed up, as if shot by a shotgun.
"Looks like it works. I feel sorry for the bastard who decides to break in though the front door, then again, there really isn't any way in without setting off some sort of security device, most of which are deadly."
Shinji seemed frightened. "I…I think you can turn it off now."
"I agree." With that, Adams spoke in English. *Deactivate Security System. Password: Buster Browning.*
There was still silence. Neither of them heard anything. Curious, Steven held the pole in front of the door again.
BANG!!!
Another shotgun blast went off, scaring the hell out of the Third Child. Steven looked over the pole again with a puzzled look. "I guess there's something wrong with the system. I'm going to have to shut it off manually." He then looked towards the boy. "Whatever you do, DON'T MOVE!!!"
Adams then walks off, leaving an extremely frightened Ikari standing stiffer than a board. 'Don't move. Don't wanna die. Don't move. Don't wanna die….'
It was several minutes later, while Adams worked on his computer, that the problem had been solved. "Oops, I see what I did. I accidentally put the password in as 'Buster Brownie.' I must have been hungry when I did that. It's been fixed though, and I'm about to shut the system off." With a few more keys pressed, the electronic voice was heard again.
"Security System Deactivated. Welcome home Captain."
"There we go. Speaking of brownies, I'm starved. Let's go in and have some breakfast."
Just as the man neared the door, he noticed that the young Ikari hadn't moved. "Um…it's safe to move now, I promise that you won't get killed by any shotgun blasts."
Shinji reluctantly moved from the position he was standing in. He slowly and cautiously followed his Guardian up to the kitchen for breakfast.
**
The day went by without any other occurrences, with the exception of the Captain receiving a phone call stating that he could take Monday off since he worked on Saturday. "Awesome. Now I can actually relax and stay up tonight. And it's given me an idea."
"What was that?" Asked Shinji.
"Well, I was thinking about heading to this one place that I know. It's a bar/grill/arcade. They normally don't allow teenagers in there past 8:00 P.M., but I'm sure I can talk them into letting you in as long as you don't drink."
The boy once again seemed reluctant. "Don't you think that perhaps we could go earlier?"
"No way! It's too crowded at that time. Past 8:00 P.M., most of the kids go home, so we'll have more of the place to ourselves. Relax! Everything will be fine."
It was at this point that Shinji began to question the reasons on why his guardian seemed to so easily disregard the law. "Uh…forgive me for asking, but are you always trying to break the law?"
The weapon developer narrowed his eyes, but smiled anyway. "Honestly, it's only when I'm not at work am I like this. I take my job very seriously, mostly because I love what I do at my job. I'd hate to do something to get fired. Outside of work, I could care less." Adams then pauses to think. "Now that I think about it, Misato's the same way. It's all business for us when it really counts. We usually set aside our squabbles when it came down to something important. Otherwise, I don't think I could deal with her."
Shinji began thinking some more. "I had some other questions I wanted to ask you, if it's alright."
Having his interest captured, the older male leaned forward. "Go ahead ask away."
"I just wanted to know how come this part of Tokyo 3 is so different for the rest of the city."
The captain tilted his head back and began to think. "Believe it or not, I know the answer to the question. I did a little research into this country's history when I first came here. I was kinda trying to understand the people here so that I could fit in back then. Now, I don't really care. Anyway, I discovered that Tokyo 3 wasn't always a city, but an industrial outlet of Tokyo 2. Because of its higher elevation, it seemed suitable to have factories and other industrial complexes up here so that the pollution would stay above the city below. A few people lived around here, hence some of the small apartment buildings across the street. But most people lived in Tokyo 2 for the time being. After Second Impact, the water level rose significantly, swallowing all of Tokyo 2. Having no place to go, people began to move here, and before long, the industrial outlet became a full-fledged city, and was renamed Tokyo 3 since it was the third city to named Tokyo. Some people call the industrial district 'Old Tokyo 3.' In a sense, they're right. Most of the buildings around here are run down and decaying. There were talks about removing the old apartment buildings across the street to replace them with new and larger ones, but there wasn't a large demand for apartments that stood next to noisy, smelly, and dirty industrial complexes, so the plan never went through.
Adams then sat up. "I hope that I didn't bore you with that history lesson."
Shinji shook his head. "Actually no, I was quite interested. I was wondering, do you know as much about American history?"
The tactical advisor lowered his head. "Unfortunately…no."
The pilot of Unit 01 raised an eyebrow. "How can you know so much about our history and still not know anything about the history of your own country?"
Adams rubbed the back of his head. "Well, we Americans a notorious for being ignorant. I really didn't care back in my high school days. Honestly, I'm starting to feel more like I'm Japanese with every passing day."
Just then, a certain iguana was walking by as his master said this. If he could laugh, he would have been dying at this point. Instead, the lizard gave an exasperated look and just kept walking.
Ignoring the non-verbal comment from his pet, the captain decided to change the subject. "Hey do you know who lives across the street from us?"
After Shinji shook his head, the temporary Guardian answered. "Rei Ayanami does. You know, the first child…"
Shinji blinked a few times. "You mean the one that Dr. Akagi said was in the emergency ward?"
Adams nodded. "Yeah, she's lived in that place for about three years now. I always felt it was strange that a girl of her age would be living on her own, but she seems to do well by herself. She's kind of a shut in, though. Doesn't talk much, either."
"Does she have anybody that she really knows?" Shinji inquired.
"Well." Said the captain. "If you mean anybody her age, I don't think so. She does seem to be pretty close to Commander Ikari."
The boy went wide-eyed. "M…my father?"
Adams nodded as he got up to go to the kitchen for something to drink, but was stopped as Shinji asked another question. "What does she look like?"
Adams thought about it. "Well, she's kind of unusual looking. Believe it of now, she's almost completely albino except for her hair, which is blue."
Shinji did his best picture what the girl would look like, but couldn't do with ease. "She sounds pretty weird looking."
Adams turned around towards the kitchen, but once again paused. "I just had a thought." He turns to the younger male. "Would you like me to set you up with a date with her? She is quite attractive for her age, even if she albino."
Shinji looked like a dear in front of headlights. "N…n…well I…I've never even met her."
"Well duh…" Responded Steven. "That why you go out with them. So you can get to know them. It's called a blind date." Seeing that Shinji truly seemed uninterested…okay, more like frightened of the idea of dating this mysterious girl that she'd never met before, Adams dropped the subject. "Eh, you're probably right. You don't seem like the type of guy who's ready for dating anyway…" Adams then walked into the kitchen for his drink.
The rest off the day continued without much of a change. The day mostly consisted of the two of them watching TV or small talk. They both got to know each other better, and Shinji was beginning to grow comfortable around the older man. Before long, the clock moved onto 7:30 P.M., which meant that they both had to got ready to go.
"What is this place you're taking me?" Asked Shinji as he unpacked some of his cloths in order to find something to where.
Adams was just finishing getting dressed. "They call it Shi-to's Game World. It's one of those places where kids like to go yet they serve alcohol. Makes no sense to me, I just know that kids aren't allowed in there passed 8:00 P.M."
"Then why am I going?" Questioned Shinji as he found what to wear…a school uniform.
"Don't worry, I'll get you in." Answered the weapon developer, as he got ready to leave. "Are you ready yet?"
"Give me a few more minutes!"
Steven became impatient. "God, you're as slow as a woman. Hurry up!"
"Sorry…" Said Shinji as he did his best to change into his clothes. After three minutes, the boy walked out in a hurried manner.
Noticing what he was wearing, Adams raised an eyebrow. "Is that the most casual thing you got?"
The young Ikari looked to the floor. "Sorry, I don't have much to wear."
Adams sighed. "Forget it, we're behind anyway."
They both left the upstairs room heading towards the car. The car was red with two silver pin-strips over the top of the car. They both entered it and left the building, with the security system activated as they drove out. The location wasn't all that far away from the industrial district. It was maybe two blocks inward into the Commercial District, often called New Tokyo 3. They pulled into the parking out of the place, with Shinji feeling a bit nervous.
"I don't think this is going to work…"
"I told you not to worry. I'm a regular here. We're just going to get a something to eat, play a few games, and go home. It's no big deal."
The two of them continued to walk up to the door, and entering. Inside was a young man, hardly much older than eighteen, who met then at the door. Shinji almost felt like running away, but he did his best to stand firm. 'I mustn't run away. I mustn't run away.'
"Good evening, sir." Said the man. "I'm sorry but no kids after 8:00 P.M."
"We're just here to get something to eat. Don't worry, I won't let the kid drink." Said Adams.
"I'm sorry, but rules are rules. You'll have to leave."
Adams then pulled a couple of 1000 yen bills out of his pocket and handed them to the small bouncer. "I think we can reach an understanding. Besides…." He moves closer to the other man and whispers something in his ear. "You know my reputation here. I'm sure your boss would be mad if his best customer and good friend was to not be able to enjoy a good evening out."
Shinji overheard what was said, but kept quite. The bouncer seemed reluctant, but agreed to let them in. "Fine, but no alcohol for him."
"No problem." Said Adams as the two of them went through and took a seat at a table.
Shinji then asked a question. "Are you really friends with the owner here?"
The tactical advisor shook his head. "No, but he doesn't know that. I'm sure that he wasn't going to risk his job over me."
Shortly after they got situated at their table, the waitress went up to them, handing them both menus. It wasn't long before they decided what they wanted to eat. Shinji simply ordered some rice and miso soup, while Adams ordered just about anything that had meat, from sweet and sour pork to sesame chicken. He also had a small portion of rice as well. The waitress left, leaving the two to converse.
"I see that you didn't order much, why not?" Asked the Guardian.
"I'm really not that hungry." Said the boy. "I think my stomach needs to recover from last night."
Adams scowled. "Are you saying that what I cooked last night wasn't good?"
Without moving his eyes off the table, Shinji responded. "It wasn't that, it was actually pretty good, but I ate so much that I think there still some of it in my stomach. I don't digest food very quickly."
The older male raised and eyebrow. "This coming from a fourteen year-old. I figured that your appetite would be tremendous, considering the fact that you've hit puberty. I had a huge appetite when I was your age."
"You have a huge appetite now." Responded the pilot.
Steven laughed. "I guess so…"
The conversation drifted off after that, both of them waiting for their meals to arrive. Both of them looked around the place, especially Shinji since the place was unfamiliar to him. He noted the bar to his left, which he knew was off limits to him. To his right was a fairly large arcade, which seemed to have most of the most recent games available, many of which were near perfect simulations of whatever the game was about. In the end, it interested the boy very little. He just wanted to eat and leave.
There weren't a lot of people there that night, so it didn't take long for their food to arrive. As they both began to eat it became obvious as to how much Adams was becoming Japanese. He practically shoveled the rice down with the chopsticks, then, when attempting to pick up the pork, clumsily drops some of it on the ground. Shinji noted this. "I can see how Japanese you really are."
Adams narrowed his eyes. "I haven't used these in a while." After seeing that Shinji didn't buy his excuse, he sighs. "Fine, so I'm not really much of a Japanese person. It's not like it really matters."
"I guess not…" Said the young Ikari as he trailed off.
After about fifteen minutes, the two of them finished their meals off. In the mean time, a group of four men came in, all of which were dressed in standard NERV attire, probably security guards from Headquarters. They seemed really cocky, and they all went straight for one particular game, called "Men of War." It was an expansive arcade system with five consoles set up in a pentagon that seemed to simulate a first-person shooter. The screen stretched around the player, taking up his field of vision. There were multiple controls that were used for movement, aiming, and, of course, shooting. It was one of the biggest hits at the arcade.
Adams decided to take some time to have a few drinks, so he handed Shinji some money. "Why don't you play some games?"
The boy didn't seem interested. "I'm not really into video games."
The older man seemed surprised. "Why not? I'm into video games. What kinda boy doesn't like video games?"
Shinji shrugged. "I don't know. I just know that don't have the patience for them."
"That's nonsense. Just play a few games, I'm sure you'll find one that you'll like." Said the weapon developer as he went up to the bar for some drinks.
Shinji sighed. 'What does it matter? I'm probably not going anywhere for a while anyway.' After that, Shinji went up to the coin machine and collect a few tokens to play some games. He then heard someone call out to him.
"Hey Kid!!! Come over here!!" Yelled one of the men that came in earlier. "We need another player for this game."
The boy approached the other gentlemen. "I really don't know how to play that game."
The man put on a cocky grin. "It's alright. We'll go easy on ya."
A few of the men chuckled, trying their best not to laugh. Shinji seemed reluctant. "I don't think I'm in a competitive mood…"
"Nonsense Kid!!" Said the leader of the group. "Just play the game. It's not like it really matters, right? It's only a game."
The Unit 01 pilot gave in. "Alright, I'll do it." He then said something under his breath. "It's not like I have a choice in anything that I do."
"What's that kid?" Asked one of the guys.
"Nothing." Answered Shinji. "Let's just do this."
"Fine." Said the leader. "And just to make it fair, we'll make it 3 on 2, and you can choose the board."
With that, Shinji enter the cockpit and put in four tokens. The games gave him a brief introduction to the games controls, making the other impatient. "Hurry up will ya." Said one of them.
After that, Shinji picked his board and started playing. As was expected, Shinji was less than ready to go up against the experienced players, and it wasn't long before he was killed, repeatedly. It began to become frustrating to the boy, who was expecting it to be a little easier, but then he noticed something.
"Hey! I thought you guys were going to play 3 on 2?" Complained the young Ikari.
"We lied. Gotcha!!" Said the leader as he fragged Shinji once again. "Damn, you really do suck. I don't think I've taken one hit."
Shinji became pissed. "Stop it. That's not fair!!"
"Shut up. You make great target practice."
"Practice? You call this practice? He's nothing more than cannon fodder out there."
"Got him again!"
It wasn't long before Shinji's eyes began to water. Not only were they ganging up on him in the game, but they were insulting him as well. After the game was finished, he became the target of even more insults.
"Aw, is that the best you got? Go home Kid, you don't belong here."
"Yeah, go back to your mommy. Kids aren't supposed to be here at this time anyway."
"Are you kidding? Let him stay. It was fun making him my bitch at this game."
The other laughed at the poor boy. He tensed up, but felt powerless to do anything against them. He started to walk away, feeling defeated and on the verge of crying. It was then that another voice was heard.
"WHAT THE FUCK IS YOUR PROBLEM, ASSHOLES!!!" Yelled an irate tactical advisor. Apparently, he'd been watching the entire incident, and was about to step in.
The leader became pissed off. "Stay out of this pal, unless you want a piece of this." Whether he meant to fight the captain in the game, or in reality was unknown, but either way made little difference to Adams.
Adams smirked. "You alone? You wouldn't stand a chance."
The leader became cocky again. "Oh, so you think you can take us all on, huh? Who do you think are, shithead?"
The middle-aged man pointed to a sign above the arcade game that appeared to be a list of names. His name was at the top of it. "I'm Steven Adams. The #1 ranked player at that game. If you think you're so tough, why don't you challenge me?"
The other looked at the sign with surprise. "Bullshit! You're not him!"
Adams turned to the barkeeper. "Hey Rikoto, am I not Steven Adams?"
The barkeeper, who was watching the incident to make sure it didn't get out of hand, nodded in agreement. The leader caught on to Steven's accent, and realized that he was probably telling the truth. "So I finally meet the #1 ranked player. You must be pretty damn good. Your name has been on there for a while."
The weapon developer nodded. "Better than all of you combined."
The other laughed. "Is that so. Do you realize that you're talking to the #5 through #2 ranked players in this game?"
When hearing this, Adams gets a little worried, but he calms himself when he has a thought. "With you picking on weaker competitors like Shinji here, it no wonder that you rank has gotten so high?"
The group became angered when he said that. "We're a lot better than that. In fact, each of us alone is probably better than you."
It was now Steven's turn to be cocky. "If you're so sure, then why don't you all challenge me to a match. 4 vs. 1. With a five life limit. Who ever runs out of lives first, loses."
The group looks to each other and smile. "20 lives to 5, this is going to be easy."
"And to make this interesting…" Added Adams. "Let's make a wager. The loser has to buy drink for the night!"
"DEAL!!!" Said the guys all at once. They seemed ecstatic, high-fiving each other. Not only were they about to cream the #1 ranked player, but also they were going to get free drinks for the night for doing it.
"Then it's settled…" Said the older man as he walked down towards the remaining cockpit. Shinji got in his way to stop him.
"You don't have to do this! Let's just leave." Pleaded the brown-haired boy.
"How many times do I have to tell you? Just relax, I can handle this." said the temporary Guardian. He then got into the cockpit and placed four tokens into the game, allowing it to start. The others around the machine did the same. "Allow me to pick the level." Said the underdog. After the others agreed, Adams ended up choosing a dark cavernous board chalk-full of dark hiding places.
The game began, all five of them getting situated with their surroundings. All of them seemed familiar with the terrain, and it wasn't long before everybody found the weapons that they preferred and set out to find their target. One player went for the most powerful weapon in the game, a super-pulse type weapon. Ironically, he was the first to die as a bullet went straight through his head out of nowhere.
"Where'd the hell did that come from?" He cried. Adams simply smiled, knowing full well that it was only the beginning of what he had in store for his unsuspecting prey.
Thinking that he was smart, the leader decided to play a sniper position. He chose a secluded sniping position that he deemed perfect. He sat there and waited while the other played the role of bait, trying to lure their enemy out of his position. It was apparent that they had practiced this strategy time and time again, and to an inexperienced player, it was perfect. But the player they were up against was not so easily fooled. He'd already figured out their plan long before the game started, and knew the ins and outs of every part of the level. He also understood the strengths and weaknesses of every weapon, and had already planned on using specific weapons to take out the others at certain points of the game.
'My first prediction is that one will be the sniper while the others gang up and hunt me down. Their thought is that it will draw me out of hiding, causing me to retreat into the sniper trap they've set up.' Thought the lone soldier.
Sure enough, only three of the player showed up in his field of view, meaning that the fourth was probably hiding. 'Too predictable.'
It was then that Adams switched to a grenade-launching weapon, knowing full well that the group formation they just formed was their downfall. 'If it use a single shot weapon, the other two will spot me and pick me off, but with the grenade launcher, I'll take them all out.'
With precise timing and accuracy, the older man launched the grenades in rapid succession, wiping out the three in no time.
"Damn! This guy is good!!"
"Well now we know where he is. Let's take him out!!"
'Think again' Thought Steven. He'd had already moved to another spot, picking up another weapon, the Gatling gun. He then picks a position in front of a small passage way that he new the other would be going through to get him. As soon as they got there, they were mowed down.
"Damn man. I've already been killed three times!"
"Well then you do the sniping and I'll go after him."
It was then that Adams received his first death. Apparently, one of the guys he killed reappeared close by, and snuck up on him to take him out. 'Shit! Forgot about that.'
"Yeah! I got him!"
"Awesome!!"
Unfortunately for them, it the mist of all the celebrating, one of the guys forgot to hide, and was standing in plain sight, allowing him to receive the gift of death from a position high above.
"He got me again! How'd he do that?"
Realizing that he was the only one left that hadn't gotten killed, the leader became over-confident. "I'll hunt him down, you guys take sniper positions."
'Big mistake.' Thought the underdog as he went for the best weapon around, the super pulse weapon. 'One shot should do it.'
Taking advantage of his superior aiming ability, Adams made full use of the otherwise inaccurate weapon, scoring another kill, making it the leaders first loss of life. It wasn't long before another one was scored against the leader, bring his tally to two.
"Shit! This isn't working. We should all take sniper positions." Commanded the leader.
"Gotcha!" Said the others.
They all took the best sniper positions they could find and waited for their enemy to come to them. Adams had already planned for this. He countered their tactic with the best weapon for the job, homing missiles. With that, the hunted became the hunter, picking off each of the players. He did die another time against a well-aimed shot to his head, but he was obviously winning.
Shinji watched the whole battle with amazement. He knew that being the #1 ranked player, he had to be good, but not this good. It almost seemed like he knew what the enemy was doing before they did it.
The battle continued on, with Adams eliminating one of the players altogether, just before losing his third life.
"If we don't do something, we're going to lose."
The battle moved into desperation, as the two less skilled player ran out with guns blazing. The #1 ranked player swiftly moved behind one of them and made a quick head shot, eliminating that player from the game. The other turned around and fired, causing some damage to Adams's soldier, but the other player was also killed. At this point, there were three players left. Adams with two lives left, the leader with two lives left, and the last guy was on his last life.
'If that last guy is eliminated, it'll be one on one. Then it'll be a cake walk.'
The remaining players decided to come out of their hiding spots, each ready to kill. The leader, unfortunately, was a little too ready to kill, because he ended up killing the first thing he saw, which was his own teammate, effectively eliminating him from the game. Steven could do all he could in order to not laugh.
"You fucking killed me you dumbass!!"
"Shit! Sorry man…"
"We're done for."
The leader was now on his own and it wasn't long before lost his forth life.
"Fuck I could sure use a miracle right now."
That miracle came in the form of the leader reappearing in a convenient location, allowing him to score the fourth kill for his team.
'Oh boy, time for sudden death.'
It was indeed sudden death. Both players had one life left, at full health each. They each managed to pick their favorite weapons. The leader picking the super-pulse weapon, Adams choosing the Gatling gun. This was it, the #2 ranked player versus the #1 ranked player. The loser buys drinks. The winner gets drunk.
They both set out each looking at every corner, strafing at every opportunity. Both of their hearts were racing. The whole bar was watching the event, each picking sides, some of them making bets. Shinji right now was Adams greatest fan, hoping, even praying, that his Guardian would pull through for him.
It was then that the two of them met, face to face. The leader already had his shot charged up, and he wasted no time in firing. It was his final mistake. He didn't take the time to line up his shot, allowing Steven to jump out of the way. The tactical advisor then responded with rapid fire, whittling down his enemy's life before he could charge up another shot, defeating him once and for all.
Most of the people in the bar cheered, happy that the champion was victorious over the overwhelming odds. A few guys groaned, mostly the ones who bet against Adams, thinking that it was impossible for someone to win a 4 on 1. With the battle over, the group of men became extremely nervous. They all looked towards the leader.
The leader noticed this and became irritated. "What? I'm not paying for all those drinks."
"You're the only one with any money, man." Said one of the now humble players.
The leader groaned. "Shit, what the hell am I gonna do for rent?"
"We don't know. That's your problem."
The group began to argue, none of them knowing what to do. During this, Shinji went up to his Guardian.
"I want to thank you for doing this. No one's ever stood up to me like this before."
Adams smiled. "No problem, it's what I'm supposed to be doing anyway. I taught those guys a lesson, didn't I?"
The boy nodded in agreement. "You sure did."
Adams walked up to the losers, giving them a look of complete seriousness. "When you have six years of combat experience, try your luck again."
It was then that Adams had an idea. Seeing that the guys obviously didn't have the money to buy the whole bar drinks, he gave them a break. "I have an idea. Since you guys are so strapped for cash, I'll make this offer." He then points to Shinji. "Apologize to him, and you'll only have to pay for my drinks."
The four men looked to each other and sighed in defeat. They go up to the boy, each making an apology. With them mostly off the hook, they relaxed and decided to have a few drinks of their own. Adams promptly joined them at the bar, leaving Shinji alone. Having nothing else to do, Shinji sat at the table he was sitting in before and did nothing.
The night continued to pass on, with Steven slowly becoming more intoxicated. With his brain down to ten percent capacity, he forgot all about Shinji and started partying, even playing his favorite game again against the others, but not doing so well since he was long gone.
"I'll kill you all!!" Said the inebriated Adams. "You can't run from me!"
Although the game was just for fun, the weapons developer got his ass handed to him, but it really didn't matter. Everybody knew of the serious handicap that was placed on the man. After another game, the group went back to the bar. They seemed to have buried the hatchet with Adams, and were now getting along. They talked about recent events, with Adams neglecting to mention Shinji in the conversation. But a thought of the boy brought his attention back to him. He realized that he neglected the boy, and felt guilty. Unfortunately, the now smashed tactical advisor came up with a half-ass solution. Seeing one of the ladies having a drink at the bar, he goes up to one of them, and pays her to keep the boy company.
'That should be all right. If he plays his cards right, he might get some action.' Thought the intoxicated Adams.
Shinji had nearly fallen asleep with boredom. 'Why am I here? I don't belong here at all. I can't imagine at all what will happen to me if I stay here. I really miss my home already.' As his thoughts continued to drift, a fairly young and well-rounded female who sat next to him suddenly interrupted him.
Her sudden appearance shocked the young man. "AHHH!" Said Shinji as he nearly fell from his seat.
"Hey there." Said the woman. "Did I scare you?"
The boy did his best to recover. "N.n.n.ooo…" Shinji got a good look at her, noting the blond curly hair, blue eyes, and fairly exposed breasts. His face went beet red.
The young woman smiled. "What's wrong? You seem nervous."
Shinji was at a loss for words. "I…a…um…uh…ya…"
The lady laughed. "Your dad sent me here to keep you some company. Do you mind?"
Managing to recover enough to respond, Shinji answered. "Um thank you, but I really am fine. I don't mind being alone. And he's not really my dad. He's taking care of me for now."
The stranger rubbed his hair. "You're a real sweetie. I figured you to be the perverted type, but you're a true gentleman."
His face still crimson, the young Ikari couldn't even look at her face…or her breasts. "I'm really sorry, but I'm just not used to…talking to…"
"It's alright." Said the woman. "I'll leave you alone. I just want to let you know that if you were older, I'd go out with you in a second." She then winks and blow a kiss in his direction. "See ya later, cutie."
Shinji was now stiff as a board in more ways than one. He couldn't believe what he just heard. Despite the fact that it was a complement, he found it hard to take it seriously. He never really thought of himself as an attractive person. But the feelings didn't last long as the loneliness once again set upon him.
**
It was sometime around midnight when the two of them returned to the warehouse using a taxi. After paying, the plastered captain walked straight for the front door. Just as he did this, Shinji remembered the security system.
"NO WAIT!!!" Said the boy as he pushed the older man away from the door.
Adams became angered. "What the fuck was that for?"
"The security system…." Answered Shinji.
After staring back for a minute, it suddenly hit the weapons developer that he almost killed himself. "That's good thinking buddy." He then stood up and spoke the pass code.
*Deactivate Security System: Password Buster Browning*
"Security System Deactivated. Welcome home Captain."
Stepping through the front door, the Captain responded to the voice. "Thanks a lot pal. I'll never forget this."
After stumbling up the stairs and opening the door of the living quarters, the older man stopped.
"I'm gonna have a headache…." With that said, the Weapon developer fell forward onto his face, passing out in the process.
Shinji looked down at his temporary guardian. He appreciated all that the man had done for him the past few nights. With a smile, he dragged the man's body towards the couch, doing his best to get him on it. He then decides to take some of his own blankets from his room, and places them over the man. After watching him sleep for a little while, Shinji walked away. "Thank you very much, Steve. I owe you a debt of gratitude." With that, the young Ikari went to his own bed, and did his best to fall asleep.
**
The next morning came abruptly as the two men were awakened by the sound of a telephone ringing. Adams, who now had a major hangover, was slower to get up, but because he was closer to the phone, he reached it before Shinji did.
"Hello…"
The familiar voice of a woman could be heard. "Good Morning Captain. You sound perfectly awake this morning."
His brain still not functioning, Steven was unable to recognize the voice. "Who…who is this?"
The voice on the other line became irritated. "It's me, Ritsuko, you idiot. You'd think after all these years that you'd recognize my voice by now."
Waking up a little bit more, the older man's brain started to process what was going on. "Sorry, I had a long night."
"Well that's too bad." Said Ritsuko sarcastically. "Because I'm going to make your day long, too."
Fear started setting with in the man's chest. "What do you mean?"
"What I mean, Captain, is that you need to come into work today." Answered the Head-supervisor.
Adams took the information in and slowly absorbed it. It about a minute, he responded in a fit of rage. "WHAT?!!! ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!!! I WAS TOLD I HAD THE DAY OFF!!!"
Never losing her composure, Ritsuko continued. "You are to come here immediately. I don't want to hear anything about your hangover."
Calming down a little, the weapons developer went into denial. "I don't have a hangover."
"Sure you don't." Said the doctor. "I'll see you later." After that, she hung up.
Adams, who was still in the cloths he was wearing from last night, got up to change. In the process, he mumbled curses and complaints about him feeling like shit and not being able to take a shower.
By now, Shinji had gotten up from the commotion. "What's wrong?"
Hearing the boy, Adams answered grumpily. "I have to go to work. Apparently, I don't have the day off after all."
"You look pretty sick. Are you going to take the bike to work?" Asked the young Ikari.
After hearing the question, Steve slapped himself in the forehead. "Shit! I left the car at the bar." Adams then reaches for the phone and dials a number.
"Hello Taxi service. I need a ride…."
While the older man talked on the phone, Shinji went into the kitchen for some breakfast. The only choice he had was eggs or cereal. He chose cereal because it was easier to make. Grabbing a bowl and utensils, Shinji sat down to eat breakfast. By then, Adams hung up the phone and looked to the younger man.
"I'm about to head out. I suggest that you stay here for today. If anyone suspicious comes in, don't be afraid to shoot them. You know where the guns are. Anyway, see ya later." With that, Adams walked out the door. The comment he made almost caused Shinji to spit out his cereal, but he fortunately didn't. He was once again left alone to fend for himself. He really had no idea as to how he was make it through the day. He figure that there was probably plenty on TV, so after breakfast, he sat down and watched television for the majority of the day.
**
After finally retrieving his car, Adams was forced to drive slowly to work since he could barely keep his stomach from emptying its contents. 'Why did I have to drink so much?' After thinking about it more, he responded to himself. 'Oh yeah, because it was free…'
About half way to Headquarters, a car behind him began honking his horn at him repeatedly. Not sure as to who it was, he began to yell obscenities at the other driver. It wasn't until the car pulled up next to him that he realized who it was. Misato…
Adams rolled down the window so he could communicate with the driver in a meaningful way. "What the fuck's your problem this morning?"
"You're driving like my grandma." Said Misato. "Do everyone else a favor and get off the road!" She then drove off ahead of him. Had he felt better, the American would have followed suit, but the last thing he wanted to do right now what puke inside his car.
Arriving half an hour later, the weapons developer went straight to the weapon department, where he assumed that he had to be. His day consisted mostly of either lazily going over new designs or doing absolutely nothing. Eventually, his hangover became too much for him to bear, so he went to the medic bay. The nurse greeted him when he entered. "Good morning, sir. How can I help you?"
The half-dead weapons developer slowly opened his mouth. "I have a really bad headache. Can I take something for it?"
The nurse smiled. "Certainly, do you have any known allergies?"
Steve shook his head gently.
"Well then I can give you these." Said the nurse as she handed him some painkillers. "Remember not to take more than one every four hours."
Adams nodded slowly. "Thank you….."
After leaving, the American took it upon himself to take three pills. About an hour later, the weapons developer not only felt better, but had a strange euphoric feeling surrounding him. He returned to the weapons department, feeling more in the mood to work. He once again looked over some plans, some of which he wanted to revamp since discovering the capabilities of the angels themselves.
Around noon, Ritsuko entered his office. "Sorry I didn't come here sooner. I was busy overseeing the repairs one unit 01. They're almost complete, and should be finished by tomorrow."
Adams looked up to her with his big goofy smile. "That's great. That's really great!"
Ritsuko gave a questioning look. "You certainly seem to be in a better mood than you were this morning."
"I feel…..Gooood." Replied Steven.
Ritsuko was no idiot. She took all of the probable factors into her head, and came to a simple conclusion. "Let me guess. You went drinking last night. You had a serious hangover this morning, so you went to the medic bay to get some drugs, only to take two to three times more of the recommended dosage then you should have."
"Wow, you're smart." Said Adams in a slight daze.
"I just have a question. You made sure than Shinji was taken care of, right?" Said the scientist with emphases on the word 'right.'
The man laughed. "Of course I did. You're so silly."
After shaking her head at the man's behavior, she came to the reason why she wanted to see Adams in the first place. "Well, I have some good news for you. First of all, I know that you've really wanted to develop that progressive sword of yours."
The weapons developer nodded in excitement.
"Well…" Continued Ritsuko. "After we successfully defeated the angel, we apparently had a major increase in our budget, especially since we are the only ones that can save humanity. In other words, you proposal for your sword has been approved."
At least half a mile away, the sounds excited cheering could be heard echoing through the halls.
After Ritsuko uncovered her ears, she did her best clam the man down. "Calm down there's more. Please…SIT DOWN!!!!"
After seeing the blond-haired woman's fury again, Adam took his seat. "Sorry…"
After clearing her throat, she continued. "I would also like to say that you have the rest of the day off. I need a favor from you, though. Could you bring Shinji in tomorrow? I want to get him accustomed to the Evangelion. After all, it may or may not be long before another angel appears."
After Adams nodded his head, Ritsuko turned to leave. "That will be all, see you tomorrow."
Before she could walk out the door, a human blur ran out, heading in the direction of home. Along the way, he ran into Misato. He grabbed her by her hands and swung her around in a dozy doe. After that he ran off, leaving Misato to give him the strangest look ever.
'What the hell is wrong with that guy?' She thought.
In less than half an hour, the front door of the Adams's living quarter flew open, revealing a ecstatic Guardian who could barely contain his joy. This was indeed in part to the drugs.
Shinji immediately noted this. "Well, this a dramatic difference from this morning. What happened to you?"
"The greatest thing. Our budget has been increased, so the upstairs approved my proposal for a progressive sword!!"
The boy seemed less excited. "That's great…I guess."
Adams seemed to be running around the house like a mad man. "I got so much to do. First I need to find my original plans for the design of the weapon, then I need to determine what materials are going to be needed in order to create the weapon, I'm going to be up all night working on…" The weapons developer continued to ramble on, as if he had no control over what he was saying.
Adams then left the living quarters and went down stairs to begin the long and arduous process of weapons developing. He then came back upstairs. "Shinji, Ritsuko wants you to come to NERV tomorrow so you can begin becoming acquainted with the Eva." With that said, Adams walked back down stairs.
Shinji seemed less than excited about 'getting acquainted' with the Eva. 'Already? I almost died three days ago, and here I am being forced to pilot it again. It's not fair.'
Losing interest in the TV, he turns it off and takes his SDAT from his room and plays the music to himself. The soothing music once again gets him lost in his own thoughts, transporting him to another world, where there is no Eva, or Angels, or neglectful fathers. He closed his eyes and fell asleep, long before nighttime even arrived.
**
Waking the next morning, he finds that the batteries had died for his SDAT. He then looks to his clock. "Oh my God, It's six o' clock in the morning. Did I sleep that long?"
Shinji rushes out of bed, doing his best to get ready to go to NERV that day. He saw no sigh of Adams, and he began to wonder if he'd already left. Checking to make sure, he looked into the warehouse to find him. There, he finds his temporary guardian, staring at some blueprints. The glasses he was wearing couldn't hide the fact that he looked half-dead. On a table nearby was several pop cans, packages for snack cakes, and a ton of crumbs.
Shinji looked quite concerned. "Have you been up all night?"
The older man slowly raised his head. "It couldn't be helped. If I didn't finish this tonight, I'd fall behind. I think I've finished it, though."
The young man looked into the blue prints. The design resembled a sword, but was built in with other features that he couldn't identify because the writing is in English. "How come you wrote the blue prints in English?"
"I did so for two reasons. One, so my ideas would stay known only to me since most of my staff cannot read English. Second, I dislike writing in Kanji. It makes me think too hard."
The boy smirked. "You look like you've done enough thinking."
Nodding in agreement, Steve stands up. "It's about time to go. I know it's early, but I need to get this blue print in now. Ritsuko should be there anyway. I'm sure that she'll give you a tour of the place since the last time you were there, you were kind of rushed around.
"Will Misato be there?" Asked Shinji.
Adams rolled up the blue print. "I doubt it. She usually works the late shift on Tuesdays. Which is fine by me since I'm in no mood to deal with her."
After loading the Blue print carefully into the car, the two of them went off to headquarters.
After arriving, Adams escorted Shinji to Ritsuko's office. "This is where she usually works." Said the exhausted Captain. With that, they both entered. Inside, Ritsuko, Maya, Makoto, and Shigeru were inside enjoying some coffee.
"Well, you're here early." Mentioned the Doctor. Ritsuko then noted the Weapons developer's look of exhaustion. "Looks like you're the one who pulled an all nighter for a change."
"I finished the blue prints. Now I'm actually ahead of schedule." Replied Adams in a daze. He then turned to leave. "If you need me, I'll be in the weapon department…" He then left, leaving Shinji with the Doctor and three strangers.
Ritsuko looked to Maya. "He'll probably be sleeping for most the of the day."
"He'll fall right back where he belongs…behind schedule." Joked Maya.
The others laughed, leaving a questioning look on Shinji's face. "Um…forgive me for saying this, but I don't believe I've been introduce to you three."
Recovering from her laughter, Ritsuko smiled to the young Ikari. "Let me introduce you. First…" She motions her hand towards the woman with short brown hair. "This is my lab assistant, Maya." She then points to the man with long hair. "This is Shigeru." Then to the remaining person. "And this is Makoto. All of them are at the head of the controls on the command bay during battle stations."
"Pleased to meet you." Said Shinji. The other nodded in agreement.
"Sorry about this, but I didn't expect you so soon." Said the blond haired scientist. "I'm not quite ready, so I'll have Maya give you a brief tour of headquarters while I get started. You feeling ok?"
"Yes." Answered the boy. "I slept over sixteen hours straight before I got here. It's a record for me."
"I wish I could sleep that much." Said Ritsuko. "If I fell asleep now, I'd probably wake up next week."
The others had another quick laugh as Maya got up to give Shinji his tour. "This place is pretty big." Said Maya. "I don't think the tour will be as brief as Ritsuko said it would be."
"It's alright, I've got nothing else better to do right now." Said Shinji.
Shinji was showed around to various locations within the complex. He was showed the changing rooms, the command bay, the cage, and other departments. Their last stop was at the boys changing room.
"Weren't we already here?" Said Shinji.
"I need you to go inside and change." Said Maya.
The boy seemed confused. "Change into what?"
A voice was heard in the background. "Into your plug suit."
The others faced the direction of the voice. It was none other than Misato. "Hey there Shinji. Sorry I wasn't here earlier, I wasn't told to come in until about now."
"It's alright. What's a plug suit?" Questioned the pilot.
It was then that Misato handed him a bluish colored suit that was wrapped in plastic. "The directions are printed on the plastic. Just go into the changing room and get dressed."
"Um…ok…" Shinji entered the changing room, and followed the direction for placing on the suit. After pressing the button on his left wrist, the suit contracted, forming a second skin. 'Feels…weird. I kind feel naked in this thing.'
Shortly afterwards, he exited the room to see that Maya had left. "Where did Maya go?"
"She had to assist Ritsuko in preparing Unit 01."
Shinji sank his head. "Do I really have to enter it again?"
Misato placed a hand on his shoulder. "I know it's scary. And I know that your last experience with it was traumatizing, but I assure you that it'll get easier as you get used to it."
"I guess so, but I don't know if I'm ready to do it again."
"You could leave, you know?" Said Misato.
The boy seemed surprised. "I…I could?"
The director of operation nodded. "We're not forcing you to stay here. You're here by your own choice."
"I know that." Said Shinji. "But if I leave now, you'll have nobody to pilot it. I should stay at least until Rei is better."
The older woman smiled. "That's honorable enough, although I wish you would have a more positive attitude about this."
Shinji said nothing. He was contemplating returning to his old home. As tempting as it was, he didn't want to disappoint his former teacher.
"We have to move on. Are you feeling ok?" Asked Misato.
Shinji nodded. "I slept a lot yesterday. I kind of surprised myself."
"Must have been from all of the stress. I'm sure you'll get used to it."
"It was the exact opposite for Steve. He was up all night."
Misato groaned. "Does that idiot ever sleep?"
The young Ikari thought for a moment. "I think he does only when he's drunk."
Misato laughed. "He says I should quit. What a hypocrite."
Shinji laughed too. "Yeah, I'm starting to realize that maybe he isn't the best role-model."
"Just you wait till you live with me. You'll love it there." Bragged Misato. "Anyway, we have to move onward."
The two of them walked towards the same area that contained the entry plug. "Today, we're going to get you accustomed to the Eva, the way we should have done it the first time, had we had the time. The plug suit you are wearing will help reduce the interference that normal clothing would cause, while keeping you from being naked. I'm sure you probably don't want to go through this naked."
Shinji blushed. "I guess not."
Misato continued. "We will be performing a Synchronization Harmonics Test. It will give us an idea as to where you are when it come to piloting the Eva."
"Well, I just started, so I shouldn't be all that great."
"Don't sell yourself short. You proved to be quite the natural when you piloted last time."
Shinji seemed less confident. "Beginner's Luck I guess…"
The two finally reached the entry plug, with Shinji reluctantly entering.
"You're not into this are you?" Asked Misato.
The boy shook his head. "It's not that. It's that everything is going so fast. I really just got here."
The captain was sympathetic. "To be honest, had the angel not shown up, things probably would have gone slower. We were in such a hurry to prepare, that we forgot to take into account of how you would feel. Don't worry though, things will get easier from here. By the way, I talked to the school, and you should start classes there in about a week, right when you're living with me. Isn't that cool?"
Shinji smiled. "That's nice…I guess."
Misato then smiled. "Don't worry. You'll do fine, and you'll have friends in no time."
The boy said nothing. 'I hope so…'
The entry plug was loaded into the Eva, allowing him to start synchronizing with it. Misato met up with the other at the command bay. "Are we ready?"
Ritsuko seemed annoyed. "I was hoping Captain Adams would be here during testing, but he won't answer the phone. We've paged him several times on the intercom as well, but nothing. I ended up sending Shigeru to get him. Speaking of which, what is taking him."
Suddenly, Shigeru entered the room, holding up a semi-conscious Adams. "He was asleep when I got there. I almost couldn't wake him up."
The weapons developer looked around the room. "Did we win, yet?"
Misato got angered as well. "Snap out of it. This is embarrassing. I heard that you stayed up all night. What would possess you to do that?"
Realizing whose voice it was, the older male snapped out of his half-sleep. "Hey, I'll have you know that I was up all night working on the blue prints for that Prog. Sword."
Deciding to step in before that argument would escalate, Ritsuko yanked on the ears of both of them. "Listen, I'm sick and tired of the two of you fighting. I want good behavior from the both of you. If you can't do that, I'll see to it that both of you go home without pay." Ritsuko then gets an evil look on her face. "Or worse…"
Both Steve and Misato piped down immediately. The look Ritsuko gave frightened them both.
'Man, she's got that look perfected.' Thought Adams.
'I never realized that she could give that kind of look. She could give the commander a run for his money.' Thought Misato.
**
At the Adams residence, Felix the iguana had just awoken from his nap. He realized that no one was home, so he took it upon himself to pick the lock on his cage with his tail. After the lock opened, he exited he metal home and began to walk about the house. He basked in the sun by the window for a while, then took a drink in the toilet bowl, and walked to and from one end of the apartment and the other, looking for something to do. He then sees that the door to the weapon's collection locker was open. Curious, he walks in and looks about at the collection. He then saw the gun labeled 'Buster,' and crawls on it to rest. As soon as he laid down in it, it began to tip over, and it fell off the stand. Landing without injury, Felix scurried away, knowing that it was only a matter of time before his master returned.
**
"Everyone in positions?" Asked Ritsuko.
After everyone answered with a yes, the Harmonics test began.
"Shinji." Said the blond. "I need you to concentrate. Think about how you are one with the Eva. Be one with the Eva."
Shinji seemed confused. "Um, I'll try."
Maya and Ritsuko watched the percentages level off. "Seems a little lower that last time." Pointed out the brunette.
Ritsuko thought for a moment. "It maybe because he's in a safer environment. The danger posed to him during the attack might have increase its synchronization."
Maya continued to study the graphs. "It's leveled off at about 36.7%."
Misato talked to Shinji. "Shinji, I need you to concentrate a little harder. You're doing fine."
The boy clenched his eyes. The synch graph only jumped a percent or two.
"It's just not the same." Said Ritsuko in a disappointed tone. "It's not like before…when he went berserk…"
"We're you expecting it to?" Asked the Director of Operations.
The scientist sighed. "I guess not. I was hoping that we would at least be the same as before."
Adams, who was listening, decides to speak to the pilot. "Shinji, Are you listening?"
"Uh…yeah?" Answered the boy.
"What are you doing?" Asked Misato.
Holding up a hand in front of Misato, the tactical advisor continued. "We need you to think about something… something that scares you."
Shinji thought for a moment. "Why?"
"Just do it." Replied Adams.
Shinji began to wonder about what scared him. He remembered the night about four days ago. Looking into that monster gave him the willies. "Ok, now what?"
The older man thought. "Um… Now think about how you and the Eva are going to stand up to it. Face your fears."
Shinji nodded. "Ok." The brown-haired boy concentrate on that very thought.
The synch graphs began to rise slowly. "37.1% 37.8% 38.5% and climbing." Said Maya.
Ritsuko smiled. "It's working."
The percentage increase until it leveled off at around 41.2%
"That's acceptable." Said the blond woman. "It's only a slight improvement, but I'm sure that in time, it will get easier."
Misato went to the speaker. "Good job, Shinji. We're done now."
"Ok…" Said Shinji as he began to relax.
Adams began to walk away. "I'm going back the Weapons Dept. I gave my staff a lot of work to do, and I need to make sure they aren't slacking off."
Misato added her two cents. "You need to make sure you don't slack off. Or do you think that your desk is a comfortable place to sleep."
Trying his best to avoid a fight, the weapons developer said nothing as he walked off. 'God I can't stand her. Does she ever shut up?'
**
Several hours later, the Adams and Shinji returned home. After entering the living quarters, the older male went straight towards his room. "I'm going to bed. Don't bother to wake me."
Shinji said nothing. He began to walk towards his room to find his SDAT. Along the way, he walked passed the weapons room and noticed that the room was open. Looking in, Shinji gasped.
Adams was removing his clothes down to his underwear. His pet was lying in his cage, trying to act as innocent as possible. They both heard the boy.
"Um, Ad…Steve? I think you need to see this."
Becoming irritated, Steve put his pants back on and exited his room. Felix had a look of terror on his face. He feigned sleep, but he was too tense to make it look real.
"What is it now?" Asked the guardian in an annoyed tone.
The boy responded by slowly raising his hand and pointing into the weapons room.
Fearing the worst, Adams ran towards the room, looking into it with great fear. There, he saw his most valued possession, Buster, fallen over on the ground.
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!"
**End Chapter 4**
Author's note: This chapter was entirely too long to finish. So we ended up having to extend it into a fourth chapter. We will admit that this story has been a major undergoing, and that in many places; the story has taken up more space than we had planned. The worst part about it is that the more ideas we come up with for the chapter, the longer the story gets. We are starting to realize that this story is going to be at least a two-year undertaking, but to us, it's worth it, especially if we keep getting positive reviews from readers.
As far as Rei's home, we decided to change the location of where she lives for reason that will become apparent in later chapters. It's not like it really matters whether she lives in a large or small apartment complex. The inside of the apartment will be the same. We also changed the history of the city itself slightly, just so that it may freshen up the story. If there is anything else that concerns you about the fanfic, please let us know. We hope you enjoyed the chapter. See ya.
Author's note: We wanted to get an early start on this chapter for two reasons. One, it took us a while to finish chapter three. Two, we didn't plan on the third chapter being in more than one part, so we feel rushed to finish. Anyway, we hope you enjoyed the last chapter. Here is part two.
We actually had this chapter finished for about two weeks, but my Internet went down, so I had to wait till today to post it.
Chapter 4 "A place to stay Part II"
**
Shinji found himself slowly waking from the sunlight that began to creep its way up to his eyes. As he drowsily opened his eyes, he suddenly remembers where he was, and starts to look around for anything that would resemble a clock. Unfortunately there was none, so he grabbed his watch from the nightstand. It read nine sixteen. Fighting the urge to doze off again, he tiredly got off the bed and scurried out of his room. Realizing that his temporary Guardian was nowhere to be found, he decided to look outside into the warehouse itself. Sure enough, there was Steven, working on some device that he couldn't make out from the distance he was.
Adams noticed the latecomer. "Good morning! Did you have something to eat?"
Shinji shook his head. "No, I just got up. I just wanted to know where you were." The boy began to slowly descend the stairs, watching the older man's actions. He noticed that the object he was working on was a car, the same one that was in pieces the night before. Some of the pieces appeared to have been placed into the car itself.
Adams once again looked up at his new roommate. "Can I help you with something?"
Shinji walked slowly up to the car and looked inside the hood. "I just wanted to know what you were doing?"
Adams had an idea. "Want to help?"
The young pilot shook his head. "I don't really know much about cars."
"It's alright. It very simple, although your hands are going to get a little dirty." Said the man while getting up and walking towards a nearby table that had ten bolts that had threads on each side. "These are studs. I was about to put these into the car, but now that you're here, you can help me save time." He then grabs a small tube fill with some blue stuff. "This is Lock-tite. It's a substance that hardens when heated up. It helps keep the studs in place. I want you to coat each of the studs with a small amount of it and hand them to me one at a time. Ok?"
"Sounds simple enough…." Said Ikari. He then states to coat each of the ten studs, handing each completed one to the mechanic so that he could screw them in. Shinji just completed the final stud and was handing it to Adams when his hand slipped, and the stud fell straight into the front end of the exhaust system.
"Shit!" Said the weapons developer as it went down the hole. He then looks towards the ashamed boy. "You do realize that was a one in a million shot? I have never seen that happen before."
"I'm really sorry." Shinji was about to go away.
"Wait, hold on." Said Adams. "It's ok. I'll worry about it later. It'll take too much effort in order to get it out now anyway, so I'll give it a rest." Adams them closed the hood of the car. "By the way, I want to ask you a favor." He then walks up to his foster child. "I'm sure you realize that some of the stuff that is here is either illegal, or does not have the authorization to be here. My weapons collection, and the car and bike that I'm rebuilding are examples of this. If anybody asks about what's here, do not tell him or her about those items. Especially Misato! Understood?"
The pilot of Unit 01 nodded, almost choking in the process.
Adams remembered some other details. "I already cleaned off the bike that you peed on and "Buster." So you don't have to worry about that?"
Shinji became curious about the gun again. "How did you come across a gun like that anyway? Especially since you said it was so rare."
The man smiled. "It once belonged to a corrupted government organization that we infiltrated a long time ago. It was a real pain in the ass trying to steal that thing. That's one of the reasons why I treasure it so. If that government ever found out that it was here, I'd probably be killed, or at least they'd try. Which reminds me…"
The tactical advisor then walked towards the front door, motioning Shinji to follow him. "I never got the chance to show you the security system I put on this place. I designed it myself." The man then looks towards the ceiling.
*Activate Security System. Password: Wellington.*
An electronic voice was then heard. "Activating All Security Systems."
Adams then turns to Shinji. "Since a great deal of my weapons designs and prototypes are being held in this warehouse, security is of the utmost importance. It also helps keep certain people from NERV, for example…oh say…little miss Katsuragi, from entering in here without permission, which by the way, I have never given her."
He then grabbed a long wooden pole and hands it to the Third Child. "Wave this in front of the door."
"Um…Ok…" Said the boy nervously.
Grabbing the pole, Shinji slowly lifts it near the door.
BANG!!!
"AAAAHHHH!!!!" Screamed the young man as he dropped the pole. Adams picks up the pole and looks at the end of it. It was chewed up, as if shot by a shotgun.
"Looks like it works. I feel sorry for the bastard who decides to break in though the front door, then again, there really isn't any way in without setting off some sort of security device, most of which are deadly."
Shinji seemed frightened. "I…I think you can turn it off now."
"I agree." With that, Adams spoke in English. *Deactivate Security System. Password: Buster Browning.*
There was still silence. Neither of them heard anything. Curious, Steven held the pole in front of the door again.
BANG!!!
Another shotgun blast went off, scaring the hell out of the Third Child. Steven looked over the pole again with a puzzled look. "I guess there's something wrong with the system. I'm going to have to shut it off manually." He then looked towards the boy. "Whatever you do, DON'T MOVE!!!"
Adams then walks off, leaving an extremely frightened Ikari standing stiffer than a board. 'Don't move. Don't wanna die. Don't move. Don't wanna die….'
It was several minutes later, while Adams worked on his computer, that the problem had been solved. "Oops, I see what I did. I accidentally put the password in as 'Buster Brownie.' I must have been hungry when I did that. It's been fixed though, and I'm about to shut the system off." With a few more keys pressed, the electronic voice was heard again.
"Security System Deactivated. Welcome home Captain."
"There we go. Speaking of brownies, I'm starved. Let's go in and have some breakfast."
Just as the man neared the door, he noticed that the young Ikari hadn't moved. "Um…it's safe to move now, I promise that you won't get killed by any shotgun blasts."
Shinji reluctantly moved from the position he was standing in. He slowly and cautiously followed his Guardian up to the kitchen for breakfast.
**
The day went by without any other occurrences, with the exception of the Captain receiving a phone call stating that he could take Monday off since he worked on Saturday. "Awesome. Now I can actually relax and stay up tonight. And it's given me an idea."
"What was that?" Asked Shinji.
"Well, I was thinking about heading to this one place that I know. It's a bar/grill/arcade. They normally don't allow teenagers in there past 8:00 P.M., but I'm sure I can talk them into letting you in as long as you don't drink."
The boy once again seemed reluctant. "Don't you think that perhaps we could go earlier?"
"No way! It's too crowded at that time. Past 8:00 P.M., most of the kids go home, so we'll have more of the place to ourselves. Relax! Everything will be fine."
It was at this point that Shinji began to question the reasons on why his guardian seemed to so easily disregard the law. "Uh…forgive me for asking, but are you always trying to break the law?"
The weapon developer narrowed his eyes, but smiled anyway. "Honestly, it's only when I'm not at work am I like this. I take my job very seriously, mostly because I love what I do at my job. I'd hate to do something to get fired. Outside of work, I could care less." Adams then pauses to think. "Now that I think about it, Misato's the same way. It's all business for us when it really counts. We usually set aside our squabbles when it came down to something important. Otherwise, I don't think I could deal with her."
Shinji began thinking some more. "I had some other questions I wanted to ask you, if it's alright."
Having his interest captured, the older male leaned forward. "Go ahead ask away."
"I just wanted to know how come this part of Tokyo 3 is so different for the rest of the city."
The captain tilted his head back and began to think. "Believe it or not, I know the answer to the question. I did a little research into this country's history when I first came here. I was kinda trying to understand the people here so that I could fit in back then. Now, I don't really care. Anyway, I discovered that Tokyo 3 wasn't always a city, but an industrial outlet of Tokyo 2. Because of its higher elevation, it seemed suitable to have factories and other industrial complexes up here so that the pollution would stay above the city below. A few people lived around here, hence some of the small apartment buildings across the street. But most people lived in Tokyo 2 for the time being. After Second Impact, the water level rose significantly, swallowing all of Tokyo 2. Having no place to go, people began to move here, and before long, the industrial outlet became a full-fledged city, and was renamed Tokyo 3 since it was the third city to named Tokyo. Some people call the industrial district 'Old Tokyo 3.' In a sense, they're right. Most of the buildings around here are run down and decaying. There were talks about removing the old apartment buildings across the street to replace them with new and larger ones, but there wasn't a large demand for apartments that stood next to noisy, smelly, and dirty industrial complexes, so the plan never went through.
Adams then sat up. "I hope that I didn't bore you with that history lesson."
Shinji shook his head. "Actually no, I was quite interested. I was wondering, do you know as much about American history?"
The tactical advisor lowered his head. "Unfortunately…no."
The pilot of Unit 01 raised an eyebrow. "How can you know so much about our history and still not know anything about the history of your own country?"
Adams rubbed the back of his head. "Well, we Americans a notorious for being ignorant. I really didn't care back in my high school days. Honestly, I'm starting to feel more like I'm Japanese with every passing day."
Just then, a certain iguana was walking by as his master said this. If he could laugh, he would have been dying at this point. Instead, the lizard gave an exasperated look and just kept walking.
Ignoring the non-verbal comment from his pet, the captain decided to change the subject. "Hey do you know who lives across the street from us?"
After Shinji shook his head, the temporary Guardian answered. "Rei Ayanami does. You know, the first child…"
Shinji blinked a few times. "You mean the one that Dr. Akagi said was in the emergency ward?"
Adams nodded. "Yeah, she's lived in that place for about three years now. I always felt it was strange that a girl of her age would be living on her own, but she seems to do well by herself. She's kind of a shut in, though. Doesn't talk much, either."
"Does she have anybody that she really knows?" Shinji inquired.
"Well." Said the captain. "If you mean anybody her age, I don't think so. She does seem to be pretty close to Commander Ikari."
The boy went wide-eyed. "M…my father?"
Adams nodded as he got up to go to the kitchen for something to drink, but was stopped as Shinji asked another question. "What does she look like?"
Adams thought about it. "Well, she's kind of unusual looking. Believe it of now, she's almost completely albino except for her hair, which is blue."
Shinji did his best picture what the girl would look like, but couldn't do with ease. "She sounds pretty weird looking."
Adams turned around towards the kitchen, but once again paused. "I just had a thought." He turns to the younger male. "Would you like me to set you up with a date with her? She is quite attractive for her age, even if she albino."
Shinji looked like a dear in front of headlights. "N…n…well I…I've never even met her."
"Well duh…" Responded Steven. "That why you go out with them. So you can get to know them. It's called a blind date." Seeing that Shinji truly seemed uninterested…okay, more like frightened of the idea of dating this mysterious girl that she'd never met before, Adams dropped the subject. "Eh, you're probably right. You don't seem like the type of guy who's ready for dating anyway…" Adams then walked into the kitchen for his drink.
The rest off the day continued without much of a change. The day mostly consisted of the two of them watching TV or small talk. They both got to know each other better, and Shinji was beginning to grow comfortable around the older man. Before long, the clock moved onto 7:30 P.M., which meant that they both had to got ready to go.
"What is this place you're taking me?" Asked Shinji as he unpacked some of his cloths in order to find something to where.
Adams was just finishing getting dressed. "They call it Shi-to's Game World. It's one of those places where kids like to go yet they serve alcohol. Makes no sense to me, I just know that kids aren't allowed in there passed 8:00 P.M."
"Then why am I going?" Questioned Shinji as he found what to wear…a school uniform.
"Don't worry, I'll get you in." Answered the weapon developer, as he got ready to leave. "Are you ready yet?"
"Give me a few more minutes!"
Steven became impatient. "God, you're as slow as a woman. Hurry up!"
"Sorry…" Said Shinji as he did his best to change into his clothes. After three minutes, the boy walked out in a hurried manner.
Noticing what he was wearing, Adams raised an eyebrow. "Is that the most casual thing you got?"
The young Ikari looked to the floor. "Sorry, I don't have much to wear."
Adams sighed. "Forget it, we're behind anyway."
They both left the upstairs room heading towards the car. The car was red with two silver pin-strips over the top of the car. They both entered it and left the building, with the security system activated as they drove out. The location wasn't all that far away from the industrial district. It was maybe two blocks inward into the Commercial District, often called New Tokyo 3. They pulled into the parking out of the place, with Shinji feeling a bit nervous.
"I don't think this is going to work…"
"I told you not to worry. I'm a regular here. We're just going to get a something to eat, play a few games, and go home. It's no big deal."
The two of them continued to walk up to the door, and entering. Inside was a young man, hardly much older than eighteen, who met then at the door. Shinji almost felt like running away, but he did his best to stand firm. 'I mustn't run away. I mustn't run away.'
"Good evening, sir." Said the man. "I'm sorry but no kids after 8:00 P.M."
"We're just here to get something to eat. Don't worry, I won't let the kid drink." Said Adams.
"I'm sorry, but rules are rules. You'll have to leave."
Adams then pulled a couple of 1000 yen bills out of his pocket and handed them to the small bouncer. "I think we can reach an understanding. Besides…." He moves closer to the other man and whispers something in his ear. "You know my reputation here. I'm sure your boss would be mad if his best customer and good friend was to not be able to enjoy a good evening out."
Shinji overheard what was said, but kept quite. The bouncer seemed reluctant, but agreed to let them in. "Fine, but no alcohol for him."
"No problem." Said Adams as the two of them went through and took a seat at a table.
Shinji then asked a question. "Are you really friends with the owner here?"
The tactical advisor shook his head. "No, but he doesn't know that. I'm sure that he wasn't going to risk his job over me."
Shortly after they got situated at their table, the waitress went up to them, handing them both menus. It wasn't long before they decided what they wanted to eat. Shinji simply ordered some rice and miso soup, while Adams ordered just about anything that had meat, from sweet and sour pork to sesame chicken. He also had a small portion of rice as well. The waitress left, leaving the two to converse.
"I see that you didn't order much, why not?" Asked the Guardian.
"I'm really not that hungry." Said the boy. "I think my stomach needs to recover from last night."
Adams scowled. "Are you saying that what I cooked last night wasn't good?"
Without moving his eyes off the table, Shinji responded. "It wasn't that, it was actually pretty good, but I ate so much that I think there still some of it in my stomach. I don't digest food very quickly."
The older male raised and eyebrow. "This coming from a fourteen year-old. I figured that your appetite would be tremendous, considering the fact that you've hit puberty. I had a huge appetite when I was your age."
"You have a huge appetite now." Responded the pilot.
Steven laughed. "I guess so…"
The conversation drifted off after that, both of them waiting for their meals to arrive. Both of them looked around the place, especially Shinji since the place was unfamiliar to him. He noted the bar to his left, which he knew was off limits to him. To his right was a fairly large arcade, which seemed to have most of the most recent games available, many of which were near perfect simulations of whatever the game was about. In the end, it interested the boy very little. He just wanted to eat and leave.
There weren't a lot of people there that night, so it didn't take long for their food to arrive. As they both began to eat it became obvious as to how much Adams was becoming Japanese. He practically shoveled the rice down with the chopsticks, then, when attempting to pick up the pork, clumsily drops some of it on the ground. Shinji noted this. "I can see how Japanese you really are."
Adams narrowed his eyes. "I haven't used these in a while." After seeing that Shinji didn't buy his excuse, he sighs. "Fine, so I'm not really much of a Japanese person. It's not like it really matters."
"I guess not…" Said the young Ikari as he trailed off.
After about fifteen minutes, the two of them finished their meals off. In the mean time, a group of four men came in, all of which were dressed in standard NERV attire, probably security guards from Headquarters. They seemed really cocky, and they all went straight for one particular game, called "Men of War." It was an expansive arcade system with five consoles set up in a pentagon that seemed to simulate a first-person shooter. The screen stretched around the player, taking up his field of vision. There were multiple controls that were used for movement, aiming, and, of course, shooting. It was one of the biggest hits at the arcade.
Adams decided to take some time to have a few drinks, so he handed Shinji some money. "Why don't you play some games?"
The boy didn't seem interested. "I'm not really into video games."
The older man seemed surprised. "Why not? I'm into video games. What kinda boy doesn't like video games?"
Shinji shrugged. "I don't know. I just know that don't have the patience for them."
"That's nonsense. Just play a few games, I'm sure you'll find one that you'll like." Said the weapon developer as he went up to the bar for some drinks.
Shinji sighed. 'What does it matter? I'm probably not going anywhere for a while anyway.' After that, Shinji went up to the coin machine and collect a few tokens to play some games. He then heard someone call out to him.
"Hey Kid!!! Come over here!!" Yelled one of the men that came in earlier. "We need another player for this game."
The boy approached the other gentlemen. "I really don't know how to play that game."
The man put on a cocky grin. "It's alright. We'll go easy on ya."
A few of the men chuckled, trying their best not to laugh. Shinji seemed reluctant. "I don't think I'm in a competitive mood…"
"Nonsense Kid!!" Said the leader of the group. "Just play the game. It's not like it really matters, right? It's only a game."
The Unit 01 pilot gave in. "Alright, I'll do it." He then said something under his breath. "It's not like I have a choice in anything that I do."
"What's that kid?" Asked one of the guys.
"Nothing." Answered Shinji. "Let's just do this."
"Fine." Said the leader. "And just to make it fair, we'll make it 3 on 2, and you can choose the board."
With that, Shinji enter the cockpit and put in four tokens. The games gave him a brief introduction to the games controls, making the other impatient. "Hurry up will ya." Said one of them.
After that, Shinji picked his board and started playing. As was expected, Shinji was less than ready to go up against the experienced players, and it wasn't long before he was killed, repeatedly. It began to become frustrating to the boy, who was expecting it to be a little easier, but then he noticed something.
"Hey! I thought you guys were going to play 3 on 2?" Complained the young Ikari.
"We lied. Gotcha!!" Said the leader as he fragged Shinji once again. "Damn, you really do suck. I don't think I've taken one hit."
Shinji became pissed. "Stop it. That's not fair!!"
"Shut up. You make great target practice."
"Practice? You call this practice? He's nothing more than cannon fodder out there."
"Got him again!"
It wasn't long before Shinji's eyes began to water. Not only were they ganging up on him in the game, but they were insulting him as well. After the game was finished, he became the target of even more insults.
"Aw, is that the best you got? Go home Kid, you don't belong here."
"Yeah, go back to your mommy. Kids aren't supposed to be here at this time anyway."
"Are you kidding? Let him stay. It was fun making him my bitch at this game."
The other laughed at the poor boy. He tensed up, but felt powerless to do anything against them. He started to walk away, feeling defeated and on the verge of crying. It was then that another voice was heard.
"WHAT THE FUCK IS YOUR PROBLEM, ASSHOLES!!!" Yelled an irate tactical advisor. Apparently, he'd been watching the entire incident, and was about to step in.
The leader became pissed off. "Stay out of this pal, unless you want a piece of this." Whether he meant to fight the captain in the game, or in reality was unknown, but either way made little difference to Adams.
Adams smirked. "You alone? You wouldn't stand a chance."
The leader became cocky again. "Oh, so you think you can take us all on, huh? Who do you think are, shithead?"
The middle-aged man pointed to a sign above the arcade game that appeared to be a list of names. His name was at the top of it. "I'm Steven Adams. The #1 ranked player at that game. If you think you're so tough, why don't you challenge me?"
The other looked at the sign with surprise. "Bullshit! You're not him!"
Adams turned to the barkeeper. "Hey Rikoto, am I not Steven Adams?"
The barkeeper, who was watching the incident to make sure it didn't get out of hand, nodded in agreement. The leader caught on to Steven's accent, and realized that he was probably telling the truth. "So I finally meet the #1 ranked player. You must be pretty damn good. Your name has been on there for a while."
The weapon developer nodded. "Better than all of you combined."
The other laughed. "Is that so. Do you realize that you're talking to the #5 through #2 ranked players in this game?"
When hearing this, Adams gets a little worried, but he calms himself when he has a thought. "With you picking on weaker competitors like Shinji here, it no wonder that you rank has gotten so high?"
The group became angered when he said that. "We're a lot better than that. In fact, each of us alone is probably better than you."
It was now Steven's turn to be cocky. "If you're so sure, then why don't you all challenge me to a match. 4 vs. 1. With a five life limit. Who ever runs out of lives first, loses."
The group looks to each other and smile. "20 lives to 5, this is going to be easy."
"And to make this interesting…" Added Adams. "Let's make a wager. The loser has to buy drink for the night!"
"DEAL!!!" Said the guys all at once. They seemed ecstatic, high-fiving each other. Not only were they about to cream the #1 ranked player, but also they were going to get free drinks for the night for doing it.
"Then it's settled…" Said the older man as he walked down towards the remaining cockpit. Shinji got in his way to stop him.
"You don't have to do this! Let's just leave." Pleaded the brown-haired boy.
"How many times do I have to tell you? Just relax, I can handle this." said the temporary Guardian. He then got into the cockpit and placed four tokens into the game, allowing it to start. The others around the machine did the same. "Allow me to pick the level." Said the underdog. After the others agreed, Adams ended up choosing a dark cavernous board chalk-full of dark hiding places.
The game began, all five of them getting situated with their surroundings. All of them seemed familiar with the terrain, and it wasn't long before everybody found the weapons that they preferred and set out to find their target. One player went for the most powerful weapon in the game, a super-pulse type weapon. Ironically, he was the first to die as a bullet went straight through his head out of nowhere.
"Where'd the hell did that come from?" He cried. Adams simply smiled, knowing full well that it was only the beginning of what he had in store for his unsuspecting prey.
Thinking that he was smart, the leader decided to play a sniper position. He chose a secluded sniping position that he deemed perfect. He sat there and waited while the other played the role of bait, trying to lure their enemy out of his position. It was apparent that they had practiced this strategy time and time again, and to an inexperienced player, it was perfect. But the player they were up against was not so easily fooled. He'd already figured out their plan long before the game started, and knew the ins and outs of every part of the level. He also understood the strengths and weaknesses of every weapon, and had already planned on using specific weapons to take out the others at certain points of the game.
'My first prediction is that one will be the sniper while the others gang up and hunt me down. Their thought is that it will draw me out of hiding, causing me to retreat into the sniper trap they've set up.' Thought the lone soldier.
Sure enough, only three of the player showed up in his field of view, meaning that the fourth was probably hiding. 'Too predictable.'
It was then that Adams switched to a grenade-launching weapon, knowing full well that the group formation they just formed was their downfall. 'If it use a single shot weapon, the other two will spot me and pick me off, but with the grenade launcher, I'll take them all out.'
With precise timing and accuracy, the older man launched the grenades in rapid succession, wiping out the three in no time.
"Damn! This guy is good!!"
"Well now we know where he is. Let's take him out!!"
'Think again' Thought Steven. He'd had already moved to another spot, picking up another weapon, the Gatling gun. He then picks a position in front of a small passage way that he new the other would be going through to get him. As soon as they got there, they were mowed down.
"Damn man. I've already been killed three times!"
"Well then you do the sniping and I'll go after him."
It was then that Adams received his first death. Apparently, one of the guys he killed reappeared close by, and snuck up on him to take him out. 'Shit! Forgot about that.'
"Yeah! I got him!"
"Awesome!!"
Unfortunately for them, it the mist of all the celebrating, one of the guys forgot to hide, and was standing in plain sight, allowing him to receive the gift of death from a position high above.
"He got me again! How'd he do that?"
Realizing that he was the only one left that hadn't gotten killed, the leader became over-confident. "I'll hunt him down, you guys take sniper positions."
'Big mistake.' Thought the underdog as he went for the best weapon around, the super pulse weapon. 'One shot should do it.'
Taking advantage of his superior aiming ability, Adams made full use of the otherwise inaccurate weapon, scoring another kill, making it the leaders first loss of life. It wasn't long before another one was scored against the leader, bring his tally to two.
"Shit! This isn't working. We should all take sniper positions." Commanded the leader.
"Gotcha!" Said the others.
They all took the best sniper positions they could find and waited for their enemy to come to them. Adams had already planned for this. He countered their tactic with the best weapon for the job, homing missiles. With that, the hunted became the hunter, picking off each of the players. He did die another time against a well-aimed shot to his head, but he was obviously winning.
Shinji watched the whole battle with amazement. He knew that being the #1 ranked player, he had to be good, but not this good. It almost seemed like he knew what the enemy was doing before they did it.
The battle continued on, with Adams eliminating one of the players altogether, just before losing his third life.
"If we don't do something, we're going to lose."
The battle moved into desperation, as the two less skilled player ran out with guns blazing. The #1 ranked player swiftly moved behind one of them and made a quick head shot, eliminating that player from the game. The other turned around and fired, causing some damage to Adams's soldier, but the other player was also killed. At this point, there were three players left. Adams with two lives left, the leader with two lives left, and the last guy was on his last life.
'If that last guy is eliminated, it'll be one on one. Then it'll be a cake walk.'
The remaining players decided to come out of their hiding spots, each ready to kill. The leader, unfortunately, was a little too ready to kill, because he ended up killing the first thing he saw, which was his own teammate, effectively eliminating him from the game. Steven could do all he could in order to not laugh.
"You fucking killed me you dumbass!!"
"Shit! Sorry man…"
"We're done for."
The leader was now on his own and it wasn't long before lost his forth life.
"Fuck I could sure use a miracle right now."
That miracle came in the form of the leader reappearing in a convenient location, allowing him to score the fourth kill for his team.
'Oh boy, time for sudden death.'
It was indeed sudden death. Both players had one life left, at full health each. They each managed to pick their favorite weapons. The leader picking the super-pulse weapon, Adams choosing the Gatling gun. This was it, the #2 ranked player versus the #1 ranked player. The loser buys drinks. The winner gets drunk.
They both set out each looking at every corner, strafing at every opportunity. Both of their hearts were racing. The whole bar was watching the event, each picking sides, some of them making bets. Shinji right now was Adams greatest fan, hoping, even praying, that his Guardian would pull through for him.
It was then that the two of them met, face to face. The leader already had his shot charged up, and he wasted no time in firing. It was his final mistake. He didn't take the time to line up his shot, allowing Steven to jump out of the way. The tactical advisor then responded with rapid fire, whittling down his enemy's life before he could charge up another shot, defeating him once and for all.
Most of the people in the bar cheered, happy that the champion was victorious over the overwhelming odds. A few guys groaned, mostly the ones who bet against Adams, thinking that it was impossible for someone to win a 4 on 1. With the battle over, the group of men became extremely nervous. They all looked towards the leader.
The leader noticed this and became irritated. "What? I'm not paying for all those drinks."
"You're the only one with any money, man." Said one of the now humble players.
The leader groaned. "Shit, what the hell am I gonna do for rent?"
"We don't know. That's your problem."
The group began to argue, none of them knowing what to do. During this, Shinji went up to his Guardian.
"I want to thank you for doing this. No one's ever stood up to me like this before."
Adams smiled. "No problem, it's what I'm supposed to be doing anyway. I taught those guys a lesson, didn't I?"
The boy nodded in agreement. "You sure did."
Adams walked up to the losers, giving them a look of complete seriousness. "When you have six years of combat experience, try your luck again."
It was then that Adams had an idea. Seeing that the guys obviously didn't have the money to buy the whole bar drinks, he gave them a break. "I have an idea. Since you guys are so strapped for cash, I'll make this offer." He then points to Shinji. "Apologize to him, and you'll only have to pay for my drinks."
The four men looked to each other and sighed in defeat. They go up to the boy, each making an apology. With them mostly off the hook, they relaxed and decided to have a few drinks of their own. Adams promptly joined them at the bar, leaving Shinji alone. Having nothing else to do, Shinji sat at the table he was sitting in before and did nothing.
The night continued to pass on, with Steven slowly becoming more intoxicated. With his brain down to ten percent capacity, he forgot all about Shinji and started partying, even playing his favorite game again against the others, but not doing so well since he was long gone.
"I'll kill you all!!" Said the inebriated Adams. "You can't run from me!"
Although the game was just for fun, the weapons developer got his ass handed to him, but it really didn't matter. Everybody knew of the serious handicap that was placed on the man. After another game, the group went back to the bar. They seemed to have buried the hatchet with Adams, and were now getting along. They talked about recent events, with Adams neglecting to mention Shinji in the conversation. But a thought of the boy brought his attention back to him. He realized that he neglected the boy, and felt guilty. Unfortunately, the now smashed tactical advisor came up with a half-ass solution. Seeing one of the ladies having a drink at the bar, he goes up to one of them, and pays her to keep the boy company.
'That should be all right. If he plays his cards right, he might get some action.' Thought the intoxicated Adams.
Shinji had nearly fallen asleep with boredom. 'Why am I here? I don't belong here at all. I can't imagine at all what will happen to me if I stay here. I really miss my home already.' As his thoughts continued to drift, a fairly young and well-rounded female who sat next to him suddenly interrupted him.
Her sudden appearance shocked the young man. "AHHH!" Said Shinji as he nearly fell from his seat.
"Hey there." Said the woman. "Did I scare you?"
The boy did his best to recover. "N.n.n.ooo…" Shinji got a good look at her, noting the blond curly hair, blue eyes, and fairly exposed breasts. His face went beet red.
The young woman smiled. "What's wrong? You seem nervous."
Shinji was at a loss for words. "I…a…um…uh…ya…"
The lady laughed. "Your dad sent me here to keep you some company. Do you mind?"
Managing to recover enough to respond, Shinji answered. "Um thank you, but I really am fine. I don't mind being alone. And he's not really my dad. He's taking care of me for now."
The stranger rubbed his hair. "You're a real sweetie. I figured you to be the perverted type, but you're a true gentleman."
His face still crimson, the young Ikari couldn't even look at her face…or her breasts. "I'm really sorry, but I'm just not used to…talking to…"
"It's alright." Said the woman. "I'll leave you alone. I just want to let you know that if you were older, I'd go out with you in a second." She then winks and blow a kiss in his direction. "See ya later, cutie."
Shinji was now stiff as a board in more ways than one. He couldn't believe what he just heard. Despite the fact that it was a complement, he found it hard to take it seriously. He never really thought of himself as an attractive person. But the feelings didn't last long as the loneliness once again set upon him.
**
It was sometime around midnight when the two of them returned to the warehouse using a taxi. After paying, the plastered captain walked straight for the front door. Just as he did this, Shinji remembered the security system.
"NO WAIT!!!" Said the boy as he pushed the older man away from the door.
Adams became angered. "What the fuck was that for?"
"The security system…." Answered Shinji.
After staring back for a minute, it suddenly hit the weapons developer that he almost killed himself. "That's good thinking buddy." He then stood up and spoke the pass code.
*Deactivate Security System: Password Buster Browning*
"Security System Deactivated. Welcome home Captain."
Stepping through the front door, the Captain responded to the voice. "Thanks a lot pal. I'll never forget this."
After stumbling up the stairs and opening the door of the living quarters, the older man stopped.
"I'm gonna have a headache…." With that said, the Weapon developer fell forward onto his face, passing out in the process.
Shinji looked down at his temporary guardian. He appreciated all that the man had done for him the past few nights. With a smile, he dragged the man's body towards the couch, doing his best to get him on it. He then decides to take some of his own blankets from his room, and places them over the man. After watching him sleep for a little while, Shinji walked away. "Thank you very much, Steve. I owe you a debt of gratitude." With that, the young Ikari went to his own bed, and did his best to fall asleep.
**
The next morning came abruptly as the two men were awakened by the sound of a telephone ringing. Adams, who now had a major hangover, was slower to get up, but because he was closer to the phone, he reached it before Shinji did.
"Hello…"
The familiar voice of a woman could be heard. "Good Morning Captain. You sound perfectly awake this morning."
His brain still not functioning, Steven was unable to recognize the voice. "Who…who is this?"
The voice on the other line became irritated. "It's me, Ritsuko, you idiot. You'd think after all these years that you'd recognize my voice by now."
Waking up a little bit more, the older man's brain started to process what was going on. "Sorry, I had a long night."
"Well that's too bad." Said Ritsuko sarcastically. "Because I'm going to make your day long, too."
Fear started setting with in the man's chest. "What do you mean?"
"What I mean, Captain, is that you need to come into work today." Answered the Head-supervisor.
Adams took the information in and slowly absorbed it. It about a minute, he responded in a fit of rage. "WHAT?!!! ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!!! I WAS TOLD I HAD THE DAY OFF!!!"
Never losing her composure, Ritsuko continued. "You are to come here immediately. I don't want to hear anything about your hangover."
Calming down a little, the weapons developer went into denial. "I don't have a hangover."
"Sure you don't." Said the doctor. "I'll see you later." After that, she hung up.
Adams, who was still in the cloths he was wearing from last night, got up to change. In the process, he mumbled curses and complaints about him feeling like shit and not being able to take a shower.
By now, Shinji had gotten up from the commotion. "What's wrong?"
Hearing the boy, Adams answered grumpily. "I have to go to work. Apparently, I don't have the day off after all."
"You look pretty sick. Are you going to take the bike to work?" Asked the young Ikari.
After hearing the question, Steve slapped himself in the forehead. "Shit! I left the car at the bar." Adams then reaches for the phone and dials a number.
"Hello Taxi service. I need a ride…."
While the older man talked on the phone, Shinji went into the kitchen for some breakfast. The only choice he had was eggs or cereal. He chose cereal because it was easier to make. Grabbing a bowl and utensils, Shinji sat down to eat breakfast. By then, Adams hung up the phone and looked to the younger man.
"I'm about to head out. I suggest that you stay here for today. If anyone suspicious comes in, don't be afraid to shoot them. You know where the guns are. Anyway, see ya later." With that, Adams walked out the door. The comment he made almost caused Shinji to spit out his cereal, but he fortunately didn't. He was once again left alone to fend for himself. He really had no idea as to how he was make it through the day. He figure that there was probably plenty on TV, so after breakfast, he sat down and watched television for the majority of the day.
**
After finally retrieving his car, Adams was forced to drive slowly to work since he could barely keep his stomach from emptying its contents. 'Why did I have to drink so much?' After thinking about it more, he responded to himself. 'Oh yeah, because it was free…'
About half way to Headquarters, a car behind him began honking his horn at him repeatedly. Not sure as to who it was, he began to yell obscenities at the other driver. It wasn't until the car pulled up next to him that he realized who it was. Misato…
Adams rolled down the window so he could communicate with the driver in a meaningful way. "What the fuck's your problem this morning?"
"You're driving like my grandma." Said Misato. "Do everyone else a favor and get off the road!" She then drove off ahead of him. Had he felt better, the American would have followed suit, but the last thing he wanted to do right now what puke inside his car.
Arriving half an hour later, the weapons developer went straight to the weapon department, where he assumed that he had to be. His day consisted mostly of either lazily going over new designs or doing absolutely nothing. Eventually, his hangover became too much for him to bear, so he went to the medic bay. The nurse greeted him when he entered. "Good morning, sir. How can I help you?"
The half-dead weapons developer slowly opened his mouth. "I have a really bad headache. Can I take something for it?"
The nurse smiled. "Certainly, do you have any known allergies?"
Steve shook his head gently.
"Well then I can give you these." Said the nurse as she handed him some painkillers. "Remember not to take more than one every four hours."
Adams nodded slowly. "Thank you….."
After leaving, the American took it upon himself to take three pills. About an hour later, the weapons developer not only felt better, but had a strange euphoric feeling surrounding him. He returned to the weapons department, feeling more in the mood to work. He once again looked over some plans, some of which he wanted to revamp since discovering the capabilities of the angels themselves.
Around noon, Ritsuko entered his office. "Sorry I didn't come here sooner. I was busy overseeing the repairs one unit 01. They're almost complete, and should be finished by tomorrow."
Adams looked up to her with his big goofy smile. "That's great. That's really great!"
Ritsuko gave a questioning look. "You certainly seem to be in a better mood than you were this morning."
"I feel…..Gooood." Replied Steven.
Ritsuko was no idiot. She took all of the probable factors into her head, and came to a simple conclusion. "Let me guess. You went drinking last night. You had a serious hangover this morning, so you went to the medic bay to get some drugs, only to take two to three times more of the recommended dosage then you should have."
"Wow, you're smart." Said Adams in a slight daze.
"I just have a question. You made sure than Shinji was taken care of, right?" Said the scientist with emphases on the word 'right.'
The man laughed. "Of course I did. You're so silly."
After shaking her head at the man's behavior, she came to the reason why she wanted to see Adams in the first place. "Well, I have some good news for you. First of all, I know that you've really wanted to develop that progressive sword of yours."
The weapons developer nodded in excitement.
"Well…" Continued Ritsuko. "After we successfully defeated the angel, we apparently had a major increase in our budget, especially since we are the only ones that can save humanity. In other words, you proposal for your sword has been approved."
At least half a mile away, the sounds excited cheering could be heard echoing through the halls.
After Ritsuko uncovered her ears, she did her best clam the man down. "Calm down there's more. Please…SIT DOWN!!!!"
After seeing the blond-haired woman's fury again, Adam took his seat. "Sorry…"
After clearing her throat, she continued. "I would also like to say that you have the rest of the day off. I need a favor from you, though. Could you bring Shinji in tomorrow? I want to get him accustomed to the Evangelion. After all, it may or may not be long before another angel appears."
After Adams nodded his head, Ritsuko turned to leave. "That will be all, see you tomorrow."
Before she could walk out the door, a human blur ran out, heading in the direction of home. Along the way, he ran into Misato. He grabbed her by her hands and swung her around in a dozy doe. After that he ran off, leaving Misato to give him the strangest look ever.
'What the hell is wrong with that guy?' She thought.
In less than half an hour, the front door of the Adams's living quarter flew open, revealing a ecstatic Guardian who could barely contain his joy. This was indeed in part to the drugs.
Shinji immediately noted this. "Well, this a dramatic difference from this morning. What happened to you?"
"The greatest thing. Our budget has been increased, so the upstairs approved my proposal for a progressive sword!!"
The boy seemed less excited. "That's great…I guess."
Adams seemed to be running around the house like a mad man. "I got so much to do. First I need to find my original plans for the design of the weapon, then I need to determine what materials are going to be needed in order to create the weapon, I'm going to be up all night working on…" The weapons developer continued to ramble on, as if he had no control over what he was saying.
Adams then left the living quarters and went down stairs to begin the long and arduous process of weapons developing. He then came back upstairs. "Shinji, Ritsuko wants you to come to NERV tomorrow so you can begin becoming acquainted with the Eva." With that said, Adams walked back down stairs.
Shinji seemed less than excited about 'getting acquainted' with the Eva. 'Already? I almost died three days ago, and here I am being forced to pilot it again. It's not fair.'
Losing interest in the TV, he turns it off and takes his SDAT from his room and plays the music to himself. The soothing music once again gets him lost in his own thoughts, transporting him to another world, where there is no Eva, or Angels, or neglectful fathers. He closed his eyes and fell asleep, long before nighttime even arrived.
**
Waking the next morning, he finds that the batteries had died for his SDAT. He then looks to his clock. "Oh my God, It's six o' clock in the morning. Did I sleep that long?"
Shinji rushes out of bed, doing his best to get ready to go to NERV that day. He saw no sigh of Adams, and he began to wonder if he'd already left. Checking to make sure, he looked into the warehouse to find him. There, he finds his temporary guardian, staring at some blueprints. The glasses he was wearing couldn't hide the fact that he looked half-dead. On a table nearby was several pop cans, packages for snack cakes, and a ton of crumbs.
Shinji looked quite concerned. "Have you been up all night?"
The older man slowly raised his head. "It couldn't be helped. If I didn't finish this tonight, I'd fall behind. I think I've finished it, though."
The young man looked into the blue prints. The design resembled a sword, but was built in with other features that he couldn't identify because the writing is in English. "How come you wrote the blue prints in English?"
"I did so for two reasons. One, so my ideas would stay known only to me since most of my staff cannot read English. Second, I dislike writing in Kanji. It makes me think too hard."
The boy smirked. "You look like you've done enough thinking."
Nodding in agreement, Steve stands up. "It's about time to go. I know it's early, but I need to get this blue print in now. Ritsuko should be there anyway. I'm sure that she'll give you a tour of the place since the last time you were there, you were kind of rushed around.
"Will Misato be there?" Asked Shinji.
Adams rolled up the blue print. "I doubt it. She usually works the late shift on Tuesdays. Which is fine by me since I'm in no mood to deal with her."
After loading the Blue print carefully into the car, the two of them went off to headquarters.
After arriving, Adams escorted Shinji to Ritsuko's office. "This is where she usually works." Said the exhausted Captain. With that, they both entered. Inside, Ritsuko, Maya, Makoto, and Shigeru were inside enjoying some coffee.
"Well, you're here early." Mentioned the Doctor. Ritsuko then noted the Weapons developer's look of exhaustion. "Looks like you're the one who pulled an all nighter for a change."
"I finished the blue prints. Now I'm actually ahead of schedule." Replied Adams in a daze. He then turned to leave. "If you need me, I'll be in the weapon department…" He then left, leaving Shinji with the Doctor and three strangers.
Ritsuko looked to Maya. "He'll probably be sleeping for most the of the day."
"He'll fall right back where he belongs…behind schedule." Joked Maya.
The others laughed, leaving a questioning look on Shinji's face. "Um…forgive me for saying this, but I don't believe I've been introduce to you three."
Recovering from her laughter, Ritsuko smiled to the young Ikari. "Let me introduce you. First…" She motions her hand towards the woman with short brown hair. "This is my lab assistant, Maya." She then points to the man with long hair. "This is Shigeru." Then to the remaining person. "And this is Makoto. All of them are at the head of the controls on the command bay during battle stations."
"Pleased to meet you." Said Shinji. The other nodded in agreement.
"Sorry about this, but I didn't expect you so soon." Said the blond haired scientist. "I'm not quite ready, so I'll have Maya give you a brief tour of headquarters while I get started. You feeling ok?"
"Yes." Answered the boy. "I slept over sixteen hours straight before I got here. It's a record for me."
"I wish I could sleep that much." Said Ritsuko. "If I fell asleep now, I'd probably wake up next week."
The others had another quick laugh as Maya got up to give Shinji his tour. "This place is pretty big." Said Maya. "I don't think the tour will be as brief as Ritsuko said it would be."
"It's alright, I've got nothing else better to do right now." Said Shinji.
Shinji was showed around to various locations within the complex. He was showed the changing rooms, the command bay, the cage, and other departments. Their last stop was at the boys changing room.
"Weren't we already here?" Said Shinji.
"I need you to go inside and change." Said Maya.
The boy seemed confused. "Change into what?"
A voice was heard in the background. "Into your plug suit."
The others faced the direction of the voice. It was none other than Misato. "Hey there Shinji. Sorry I wasn't here earlier, I wasn't told to come in until about now."
"It's alright. What's a plug suit?" Questioned the pilot.
It was then that Misato handed him a bluish colored suit that was wrapped in plastic. "The directions are printed on the plastic. Just go into the changing room and get dressed."
"Um…ok…" Shinji entered the changing room, and followed the direction for placing on the suit. After pressing the button on his left wrist, the suit contracted, forming a second skin. 'Feels…weird. I kind feel naked in this thing.'
Shortly afterwards, he exited the room to see that Maya had left. "Where did Maya go?"
"She had to assist Ritsuko in preparing Unit 01."
Shinji sank his head. "Do I really have to enter it again?"
Misato placed a hand on his shoulder. "I know it's scary. And I know that your last experience with it was traumatizing, but I assure you that it'll get easier as you get used to it."
"I guess so, but I don't know if I'm ready to do it again."
"You could leave, you know?" Said Misato.
The boy seemed surprised. "I…I could?"
The director of operation nodded. "We're not forcing you to stay here. You're here by your own choice."
"I know that." Said Shinji. "But if I leave now, you'll have nobody to pilot it. I should stay at least until Rei is better."
The older woman smiled. "That's honorable enough, although I wish you would have a more positive attitude about this."
Shinji said nothing. He was contemplating returning to his old home. As tempting as it was, he didn't want to disappoint his former teacher.
"We have to move on. Are you feeling ok?" Asked Misato.
Shinji nodded. "I slept a lot yesterday. I kind of surprised myself."
"Must have been from all of the stress. I'm sure you'll get used to it."
"It was the exact opposite for Steve. He was up all night."
Misato groaned. "Does that idiot ever sleep?"
The young Ikari thought for a moment. "I think he does only when he's drunk."
Misato laughed. "He says I should quit. What a hypocrite."
Shinji laughed too. "Yeah, I'm starting to realize that maybe he isn't the best role-model."
"Just you wait till you live with me. You'll love it there." Bragged Misato. "Anyway, we have to move onward."
The two of them walked towards the same area that contained the entry plug. "Today, we're going to get you accustomed to the Eva, the way we should have done it the first time, had we had the time. The plug suit you are wearing will help reduce the interference that normal clothing would cause, while keeping you from being naked. I'm sure you probably don't want to go through this naked."
Shinji blushed. "I guess not."
Misato continued. "We will be performing a Synchronization Harmonics Test. It will give us an idea as to where you are when it come to piloting the Eva."
"Well, I just started, so I shouldn't be all that great."
"Don't sell yourself short. You proved to be quite the natural when you piloted last time."
Shinji seemed less confident. "Beginner's Luck I guess…"
The two finally reached the entry plug, with Shinji reluctantly entering.
"You're not into this are you?" Asked Misato.
The boy shook his head. "It's not that. It's that everything is going so fast. I really just got here."
The captain was sympathetic. "To be honest, had the angel not shown up, things probably would have gone slower. We were in such a hurry to prepare, that we forgot to take into account of how you would feel. Don't worry though, things will get easier from here. By the way, I talked to the school, and you should start classes there in about a week, right when you're living with me. Isn't that cool?"
Shinji smiled. "That's nice…I guess."
Misato then smiled. "Don't worry. You'll do fine, and you'll have friends in no time."
The boy said nothing. 'I hope so…'
The entry plug was loaded into the Eva, allowing him to start synchronizing with it. Misato met up with the other at the command bay. "Are we ready?"
Ritsuko seemed annoyed. "I was hoping Captain Adams would be here during testing, but he won't answer the phone. We've paged him several times on the intercom as well, but nothing. I ended up sending Shigeru to get him. Speaking of which, what is taking him."
Suddenly, Shigeru entered the room, holding up a semi-conscious Adams. "He was asleep when I got there. I almost couldn't wake him up."
The weapons developer looked around the room. "Did we win, yet?"
Misato got angered as well. "Snap out of it. This is embarrassing. I heard that you stayed up all night. What would possess you to do that?"
Realizing whose voice it was, the older male snapped out of his half-sleep. "Hey, I'll have you know that I was up all night working on the blue prints for that Prog. Sword."
Deciding to step in before that argument would escalate, Ritsuko yanked on the ears of both of them. "Listen, I'm sick and tired of the two of you fighting. I want good behavior from the both of you. If you can't do that, I'll see to it that both of you go home without pay." Ritsuko then gets an evil look on her face. "Or worse…"
Both Steve and Misato piped down immediately. The look Ritsuko gave frightened them both.
'Man, she's got that look perfected.' Thought Adams.
'I never realized that she could give that kind of look. She could give the commander a run for his money.' Thought Misato.
**
At the Adams residence, Felix the iguana had just awoken from his nap. He realized that no one was home, so he took it upon himself to pick the lock on his cage with his tail. After the lock opened, he exited he metal home and began to walk about the house. He basked in the sun by the window for a while, then took a drink in the toilet bowl, and walked to and from one end of the apartment and the other, looking for something to do. He then sees that the door to the weapon's collection locker was open. Curious, he walks in and looks about at the collection. He then saw the gun labeled 'Buster,' and crawls on it to rest. As soon as he laid down in it, it began to tip over, and it fell off the stand. Landing without injury, Felix scurried away, knowing that it was only a matter of time before his master returned.
**
"Everyone in positions?" Asked Ritsuko.
After everyone answered with a yes, the Harmonics test began.
"Shinji." Said the blond. "I need you to concentrate. Think about how you are one with the Eva. Be one with the Eva."
Shinji seemed confused. "Um, I'll try."
Maya and Ritsuko watched the percentages level off. "Seems a little lower that last time." Pointed out the brunette.
Ritsuko thought for a moment. "It maybe because he's in a safer environment. The danger posed to him during the attack might have increase its synchronization."
Maya continued to study the graphs. "It's leveled off at about 36.7%."
Misato talked to Shinji. "Shinji, I need you to concentrate a little harder. You're doing fine."
The boy clenched his eyes. The synch graph only jumped a percent or two.
"It's just not the same." Said Ritsuko in a disappointed tone. "It's not like before…when he went berserk…"
"We're you expecting it to?" Asked the Director of Operations.
The scientist sighed. "I guess not. I was hoping that we would at least be the same as before."
Adams, who was listening, decides to speak to the pilot. "Shinji, Are you listening?"
"Uh…yeah?" Answered the boy.
"What are you doing?" Asked Misato.
Holding up a hand in front of Misato, the tactical advisor continued. "We need you to think about something… something that scares you."
Shinji thought for a moment. "Why?"
"Just do it." Replied Adams.
Shinji began to wonder about what scared him. He remembered the night about four days ago. Looking into that monster gave him the willies. "Ok, now what?"
The older man thought. "Um… Now think about how you and the Eva are going to stand up to it. Face your fears."
Shinji nodded. "Ok." The brown-haired boy concentrate on that very thought.
The synch graphs began to rise slowly. "37.1% 37.8% 38.5% and climbing." Said Maya.
Ritsuko smiled. "It's working."
The percentage increase until it leveled off at around 41.2%
"That's acceptable." Said the blond woman. "It's only a slight improvement, but I'm sure that in time, it will get easier."
Misato went to the speaker. "Good job, Shinji. We're done now."
"Ok…" Said Shinji as he began to relax.
Adams began to walk away. "I'm going back the Weapons Dept. I gave my staff a lot of work to do, and I need to make sure they aren't slacking off."
Misato added her two cents. "You need to make sure you don't slack off. Or do you think that your desk is a comfortable place to sleep."
Trying his best to avoid a fight, the weapons developer said nothing as he walked off. 'God I can't stand her. Does she ever shut up?'
**
Several hours later, the Adams and Shinji returned home. After entering the living quarters, the older male went straight towards his room. "I'm going to bed. Don't bother to wake me."
Shinji said nothing. He began to walk towards his room to find his SDAT. Along the way, he walked passed the weapons room and noticed that the room was open. Looking in, Shinji gasped.
Adams was removing his clothes down to his underwear. His pet was lying in his cage, trying to act as innocent as possible. They both heard the boy.
"Um, Ad…Steve? I think you need to see this."
Becoming irritated, Steve put his pants back on and exited his room. Felix had a look of terror on his face. He feigned sleep, but he was too tense to make it look real.
"What is it now?" Asked the guardian in an annoyed tone.
The boy responded by slowly raising his hand and pointing into the weapons room.
Fearing the worst, Adams ran towards the room, looking into it with great fear. There, he saw his most valued possession, Buster, fallen over on the ground.
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!"
**End Chapter 4**
Author's note: This chapter was entirely too long to finish. So we ended up having to extend it into a fourth chapter. We will admit that this story has been a major undergoing, and that in many places; the story has taken up more space than we had planned. The worst part about it is that the more ideas we come up with for the chapter, the longer the story gets. We are starting to realize that this story is going to be at least a two-year undertaking, but to us, it's worth it, especially if we keep getting positive reviews from readers.
As far as Rei's home, we decided to change the location of where she lives for reason that will become apparent in later chapters. It's not like it really matters whether she lives in a large or small apartment complex. The inside of the apartment will be the same. We also changed the history of the city itself slightly, just so that it may freshen up the story. If there is anything else that concerns you about the fanfic, please let us know. We hope you enjoyed the chapter. See ya.