ARRIVAL
Shinji, now fourteen, waits at the Tokyo-3 train station. He looks at the message he had received from his contact. He looks around for the person matching the picture attached, but doesn't see any purple-haired people.
"…I know I'm not late… Nor am I too early."
He sighs and sits down in a nearby bench.
"This 'Misato' is extremely late, and I really am starting to have a bad feeling about this."
A loud booming noise comes from nearby. Shinji stands up and looks over to see a huge creature that he had never seen before. As it passes out of sight, he stares blankly at the scenery.
"That does not bode well either."
A car drives in and stops near him. A rather nice sportscar to be a bit more specific. The driver's window rolls down, and Misato looks at a piece of paper, then at Shinji.
"Um… This will sound really stupid… but…"
"(This should be entertaining.)"
"Are you Shinji Ikari?"
Shinji looks disappointed, he was hoping for her to say something stupid. He looks at her questioningly.
"What makes you think that I am Shinji Ikari?"
"You see, that's why this is kinda stupid… you see, all I have to go on is a description. 'Black Haired Japanese Male, age fourteen'. This is not exactly a stand-out description in Japan…"
"I suppose it isn't. Yes, I am Shinji Ikari. Major Katsuragi then I assume?"
"Call me Misato."
"…Very well."
"Get in the car."
Shinji nods and sits in the passenger seat of the car. He looks around the car curiously. He hadn't been in many cars before, and, as another motive, he wanted to know more about this odd woman. Misato drives away from the station. As she gets onto the road, she speaks.
"So… why a robe?"
"I assume you are talking about the robe I am wearing, right?"
"…Yes."
"It is part of my order."
"Your… order…?"
"That is not something I am willing to go into further detail about."
Misato remains silent for a while. UN airships appear in the sky. Misato and Shinji stare at the ships as Misato stops. She looks confused.
"The UN? What are they going to do?"
Shinji grabs her shoulder.
"Get down."
"What?"
"They are going to drop a very powerful explosive. I suggest you take cover."
"Powerful explosive…? Shit! An N2 mine!"
The two get out of the car and jump into a nearby ditch. The shockwave of a large explosion sweeps past them. After some dust clears, they stand up again and get out of the ditch to see the car tipped over. Misato sighs.
"I just had it repaired too…"
Shinji walks over to the car and flips it back onto its wheels. He turns back to Misato, who is staring in surprise.
"We have no time to waste, I suggest you get in and drive."
"…How did you…"
"Nevermind that, get in."
They get into the car and take off again. Shinji looks over to Misato.
"Just got it repaired? I take it this happens often then?"
Misato laughs nervously.
"Well the thing about that is…"
She trails off, seemingly on purpose. She speaks up.
"What do you know, we're here."
"Isn't that convenient."
"Did you get your NERV ID from your father?"
As she turns to him she sees a NERV ID immediately in front of her. Shinji speaks.
"I received an ID from a mister Ikari. I have no father."
Misato smiles and takes the ID.
"Aren't we harsh."
She gives him a book titled 'Welcome to NERV'. He flips through the book quickly, then looks over to her.
"This is a load of garbage."
"Did you even read it?"
"Page three, paragraph four, sentence number one, 'NERV's purpose is to prevent the Third Impact'."
Misato's eyes widen. Shinji continues.
"It does not say how a Third Impact would occur, nor how one could prevent said event."
"Are you done?"
"Page three, paragraph four, sentence number three, 'NERV's secondary purpose is to eliminate the Angels'. Now, I assume that friendly creature we saw not too long ago was an Angel. The UN was launching a near-nuclear powered weapon on this Angel to no avail. One must assume then, that an organization made to destroy such creatures has some type of superweapon, no?"
Misato remains silent as he continues further.
"The manual does not state anywhere that such a weapon exists. This would be what could be called a coverup. That or we are all screwed."
Misato, still stunned, decides to test him.
"Are you sure it doesn't say anywhere in there?"
"In all two-hundred and thirty-four pages, none of the seven million, five-hundred and twenty one thousand, four hundred and two words mentions such a weapon."
"…How…?"
"I was raised in a library. Speed reading is very helpful."
"Raised in a library?"
"Yes. A military organization that doesn't have a record on me?"
"We have very limited records on you. You basically disappeared. All we know is that you live with Kae Kaylin. The only thing we know about her is that she has a mailbox in the inner city's post office."
The Geo-Front comes into view. Misato continues.
"They'll want to evaluate you. Probably a psych test, physical, and education level. Judging from what I've seen, physical and education should be rather simple."
"Are you insinuating that I am mentally unstable?"
"…Um… no… I just don't think that a psych test would be simple…"
Shinji looks at her doubtfully.
"We should be getting out of the car now, shouldn't we?"
"Huh?"
"You can't multitask well can you? We've been in a parking ramp for three minutes now."
"Oh! Right! Just wait here for a minute."
She gets out of the car and picks up a phone. Shinji sighs.
"And she's my superior…"
She gets back into the car. Shinji stares blankly.
"I assume that was supposed to do something. Or are you just in the car again because you feel like it?"
"Be patient."
The two are silent for a while. Nothing happens. Misato sighs.
"Oh for the love of God… Why is it taking so long?"
Shinji begins thinking as the parking ramp begins sinking.
"Clever elevator… Wait… now I feel stupid."
"What?"
"Bio weapon."
"…Come again?"
"The super weapon. It's a bio weapon, right?"
"…What makes you say that?"
"The book mentions biological scientists and engineers. Also, there seems to be more than enough qualified labor for such a project. It would be common sense to assume that a biological weapon be created from an organization made of mainly biological scientists."
The elevator stops, and the two get out. They start walking. Shinji looks over to Misato.
"Where exactly are you taking me?"
"Downstairs."
"The elevator is in the other direction."
"How would you know that?"
"Your book is rather handy. There is a map of the first two floors on page fourty-seven."
"…Okay."
"How many floors are there? With an organization like this, one can assume that there are more than just two floors. Correct?"
Misato is silent. Shinji continues.
"So they are classified then. Very well."
They get onto the elevator. As the door opens on their floor, a blond woman quickly becomes visible. She looks a bit surprised.
"You found your way without getting lost this time Misato?"
"Oh be quiet Ritsuko."
Ritsuko smiles, then looks over to Shinji.
"The commander's son, right?"
Shinji looks up at her.
"The Commander has no children."
"You are his child."
Shinji stares at her.
"He stopped being my father when he abandoned me at a train station."
The three are silent for a while. Ritsuko speaks up.
"Time is limited, we need to get you two to the hangar."
The three begin walking down the winding corridors. Shinji speaks.
"The hangar eh? So I'm supposed to pilot something then."
Ritsuko looks over to him.
"What makes you think that you will be a pilot?"
"…That fool, mister Ikari, would never bring me here unless he wanted a favor. I lack the credentials to be a scientist, which leaves me with errand boy, janitor, or pilot. Seeing as you are taking me to a hangar, I can safely assume I am to be a pilot."
Ritsuko stares at Misato. Misato just shakes her head, expecting him to say something similar to that at this point. Ritsuko speaks to Misato.
"Has he been like this from the beginning?"
"Worse. Let me give you an example. He memorized the entire intro booklet within a minute, and then went on about how it is 'obvious' that due to the number of biological scientists and engineers in NERV that we must be producing some type of bio weapon."
"…Anything else?"
"I bet you five hundred yen that if you ask him what he thinks he's piloting that he'd say some sort of biological weapon."
"Ha! I doubt some teenage boy can come up with that assumption based only off of the booklet."
"I'll give you four times the wager if he doesn't mention it."
"You didn't tell him anything did you?"
"No, I know very little of them to start with. Do we have a bet?"
"Hmm…"
"It's only one thousand yen per detail that is accurate."
"Okay, if you truly didn't tell him anything."
"I didn't."
Ritsuko walks up behind Shinji, who had begun walking ahead of the women, as the corridor was simple. She speaks to him.
"What exactly do you think you are piloting?"
Shinji turns to her.
"Judging by your facilities, I would assume a biological weapon of some sort. Considering the size of these Angels that it will likely fight, I would assume that it is around one hundred feet tall, if not taller. For ease of movement, it is likely bipedal, most likely humanoid. Knowing the Japanese, it is probably painted in some manner, possibly as a scare tactic. The cockpit is likely a temporary installation that can be removed, as any non-organic object left inside of an organic being will corrode eventually. The cockpit will likely be full of a liquid to cushion blows, as the kinetic force from being hit by a large creature such as an Angel would be fatal. The liquid is likely breathable, as I highly doubt a drowning pilot would be effective, and oxygen tanks are too inconvenient. Considering that this is a biological weapon, the cockpit is likely in the nervous system somewhere, likely the spine or skull. It is most likely the spine because the skull is too easily severed from the body. Considering the difficulty of controlling an organic being that is many times larger than oneself, I can assume the neural connections would be almost necessary in order to match the expertise of the Angel's movement, which is obvious considering that they live at that size naturally. There must also be some sort of weapon which this thing will use to destroy that energy field that surrounds the Angel, probably a gun, or wavelength of some sort."
As Shinji finishes, he smiles, amused with Ritsuko's shocked expression. Misato walks up to Ritsuko.
"I want my money. Let's see… that's…ten thousand, five hundred yen, Ritsuko."
"…There is no way he did that on his own."
"Believe it or not, he did."
Shinji continues walking, calling to Misato.
"Exploiting a child to make money?"
They continue down the corridor. Ritsuko directs the walking when they reach a branch.
"It's to the right."
Shinji, who was in the front, suddenly slows down.
"Does Rei Ayanami work here…?"
The two women stop immediately. Ritsuko responds.
"…Yes… why?"
"I feel her presence. She is that way."
He points down the other corridor and continues.
"She's in pain."
Ritsuko and Misato look at him, bewildered. The building suddenly shakes. Ritsuko rushes past him, down the corridor she had pointed out.
"We don't have time for this, the hangar is this way."
They pick up the pace now, and finally arrive in the hangar. The first thing Shinji notices is Eva 01.
"…Why purple?"
Ritsuko speaks up.
"Don't mind that."
The lights turn on in a room above the hangar. Gendo Ikari stands in a window up there. His voice is heard through the hangar.
"It's been a while."
Shinji looks up at him.
"Not long enough, Old Man."
Gendo ignores the comment. Ritsuko looks at Shinji, a bit surprised. Shinji continues.
"I assume you want something, right?"
"I want you to ride her."
Shinji raises an eyebrow.
"That sounds like a sexual innuendo to me. I think you have the wrong guy."
Misato uses all of her restraint to not break out in laughter. Ritsuko turns to Shinji.
"Grow up. You know he wants you to pilot the Eva."
Shinji looks over to her.
"So it's called an Eva? Interesting name."
He then looks up at Gendo.
"So you're having children fight your battles for you now, is that it?"
"I'm not here for your barbed comments. Board the Eva."
Shinji stares Gendo in the eye.
"And if I refuse?"
Without hesitation, Gendo makes a call. The door to the hangar opens and a bed is wheeled out with Rei on it. Shinji looks over at Rei, who is bandaged up and writhing in pain. He looks up at Gendo.
"You're a bastard. You know that right?"
Gendo looks at Rei.
"Rei, I need you to pilot the Eva. Our spare is useless."
Rei nods and begins to struggle to get up. Shinji quickly looks up as a steel girder shifts. The girder falls down to the exact spot where Shinji is standing, kicking up dust, and shaking the platform, knocking Rei off of the bed. When the dust clears, Shinji can be seen next to the girder, unharmed. He quickly rushes over to Rei and carefully picks her up. He walks up to the doctor and glares at him.
"What kind of doctor are you? Do the words 'Do no intentional harm' mean anything to you? Perhaps a doctor's oath?"
He hands Rei to the doctor.
"See that she gets medical attention. I will hold you responsible for anything that happens to her."
The doctor nods and places Rei on the bed carefully, and wheels her back out. Shinji glares at Gendo.
"Very well Old Man, I'll pilot your damned machine."
Shinji takes off his robe to reveal that he is wearing a dark gray outfit that appears to be a sleeveless yukata that cuts off at the thigh, with pants and a katana. He takes the katana off and places it on the ground. He then takes off his thick, hard boots. He looks at Misato.
"Let's get this over with."
Shinji is placed in the Eva and looks around. He sighs.
"I still question the coloration. I doubt the ability for a giant purple robot to scare something."
Ritsuko stares dryly at the monitor.
"Shut up and pilot the Eva."
Shinji stares back at her with an expression that clearly mocks hers.
"You have yet to tell me how to pilot this thing, actually. What do I do, pray to God?"
Ritsuko mumbles to herself.
"It couldn't hurt."
She looks over to Maya.
"Flood the entry plug, maybe he'll shut up for a while then."
Maya nods and presses a button. LCL begins filling the entry plug. Shinji ignores the liquid, continuing to breathe. The entry plug is now full. Shinji stares at Ritsuko.
"Charming taste this liquid has. Who was the one that designed this thing anyway? They should be committed."
"Your father made it."
"I don't have a father."
Ritsuko sighs.
"Commander Ikari made it."
"I rest my case."
Misato shakes her head.
"I can't decide if I like this kid, or if he annoys me."
Ritsuko looks at Misato, then at Maya.
"Activate the Eva."
"Right."
Ritsuko looks at Shinji.
"You need to focus now. Close your thoughts and synch with the Eva."
Shinji stares at her.
"You are very lucky that I know what you mean, that is a horrible description."
Ritsuko ignores him. He closes his eyes and whispers to himself as he focuses.
"Past the surface, there is the Force…"
A few seconds pass. Ritsuko is secretly hoping Shinji's synch is low so that she has a means to insult him.
"Maya, what is his synch ratio?"
She looks over to Maya, who stares at the monitor, shocked.
"Senpai… this can't be right…"
"What does it say?"
"It… It says that his synch… his synch is… 115…"
Ritsuko freezes.
"…What?"
"I'm not lying Senpai, it says it right here."
Ritsuko walks over to Maya and looks over her shoulder at the monitor.
"…That… that must be a fluke… a malfunction…"
Gendo looks up at them.
"We do not have time for this. Launch the Eva."
The Eva is sent up the rails on the wall, up to Tokyo-3. The leg restraints release, and the Eva begins falling to its knees. Ritsuko smiles smugly.
"I knew it had to be a malfunction."
She then watches in horror as the Eva uses this new position in order to make itself move at an uncanny speed. He calls to Ritsuko.
"Are there any civilians nearby?"
"No, they have all been evacuated."
"Good."
The Eva does a handstand and pushes itself into the air feet first, flipping around so that it faces head first toward the Angel. It then punches the Angel, knocking the Angel back so that it skids across the ground on its back. The Eva lands and rolls to its feet, rather than falling flat on its face like expected. The Angel quickly fires a beam at Unit 01, which is easily avoided. The Eva's fist begins to glow as if it's on fire. Maya turns to Ritsuko.
"The AT field is focusing on the Eva's hand!"
Ritsuko flashes a look at her.
"What!"
The Eva jumps on top of the Angel, using its right hand to restrain the Angel so that it can't use its beam. It then thrusts its left hand toward the core of the Angel. The Angel spreads its AT field to protect the core, but the field is torn through easily, and the core is pierced. A large explosion flashes in the monitors at the control center. Everyone stares in awe and disbelief at the screen. Misato is the first to speak.
"That… was amazing…"
Ritsuko speaks up.
"I want to know how the hell he did that."
Misato shakes her head.
"I don't know if we'll even be able to figure it out…"
The first thing Shinji does after returning to NERV is visit Rei. She lies in a bed in the infirmary, nearly comatose. Regardless of the fact that she is most likely unable to hear him, he speaks.
"It's been a while, Rei-chan."
While Shinji speaks to Rei, Gendo is talking to Misato.
"Major Katsuragi."
"Yes Sir?"
"You asked to see me?"
"Huh? Oh, right!"
Gendo almost audibly sighs. Misato continues.
"I am requesting guardianship over Shinji."
"Why is that?"
"I don't agree with his request to live alone. Nobody should live alone."
"…Fine. Granted. You are dismissed."
Misato walks out of his office and goes to retrieve Shinji. They arrive at Misato's apartment. Shinji looks at her.
"Is this really necessary?"
"Yes it is."
She reaches for the door.
"Sorry, it's a bit messy…"
As the door, Shinji's expression visibly changes from calm to terrified. It looked as if he was about to have a seizure. She looks at him.
"What's wrong?"
"You… you call this… this… a little dirty…?"
"Well, yeah. I'll make dinner, you can get settled in your room."
She points to a door, labeled 'Shinji's lovely suite'. Shinji sighs and enters. He immediately cleans his room, as well as the rest of the apartment. Misato turns around, dinner ready, and freezes in surprise to see the apartment empty of clutter.
"…You move very fast…"
He looks at her.
"Instant Ramen?"
"Yes, it's good for you."
"……I'm cooking from now on."
"No! I'm the guardian, it's my responsibility."
Shinji begins chuckling. He suddenly stops.
"No, seriously, I'm cooking."
"It's my responsibility!"
"Oh for the love of – I'm cooking dammit!"
"I'm cooking!"
Shinji puts a hand up to stop her.
"Okay. I have a compromise."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"…What is it?"
"I'm cooking."
He walks away and steps into his room before Misato can answer. She sighs. Ritsuko calls a few minutes afterward. Misato answers the phone.
"Hello?"
"Hi."
"Ritsuko? What is it?"
"How's it going?"
"Well… he's… he's an odd one."
"The Marduk candidates odd? Who would've guessed?"
"Well… It's not that. He cleaned my apartment as soon as he walked in the door."
"Your apartment is a sty, do you blame him?"
"He was twitching and shit though! I was about to check his medical record for epilepsy… then I remembered that we have no medical records on him."
"So he's a neat guy, that isn't too bad. If anything, it's a blessing for you to have him around."
"And he insisted on cooking."
"Now that is just a survival thing there."
"Hey! Shut up! My cooking isn't that bad!"
"You've turned instant ramen into a level three biohazard!"
"That was only once!"
"…Anyway…"
"There's… also something else…"
"Oh come on Misato! Are you going hypochondriac on me?"
"I'm serious! There's just something odd I can't put my finger on…"
"…I hope you mean that metaphorically."
"Can you stop poking fun at my life dammit!"
"Okay, what is it? You're not coming on to him are you? He's a kid."
"……No… Ritsuko… It isn't that…"
"Okay, I can take a hint, no more shit for the rest of this conversation."
"Thank you… Now listen…"
"Yeah, yeah, what is it?"
"I don't know… you'd probably have to be around him yourself to know what I'm talking about."
"…You're lucky I promised not to say anything."
"Is there any particular reason you called Ritsuko…?"
"Oh, that. I just needed to make sure that you knew that you need to inform Shinji of his transfer to the junior high."
"That? That's simple. I really don't know why you're putting him in there though, he's obviously ahead of the class."
"Yes, well, so is someone else we could mention, but we are doing the same in that case."
"That's different… that person isn't as good at Japanese…"
"Enough. Phones are an unreliable way to keep secrets."
"…Right."
"We also need to perform the physical and psychological exams soon."
"Of course, I doubt his cooperation will be an issue."
"That's good, because doing it the hard way is never fun."
"Don't lie, you know you enjoy the hard way."
"What are you insinuating, Misato?"
"Nothing!"
"Yes… well… anyway, that is all that I can recall that I had to say."
"Right then. Bye."
"Bye."
Misato hangs the phone up and opens Shinji's door. She looks in to see Shinji meditating.
"Shinji."
Shinji answers, no visible interruption to his meditation.
"What is it?"
"You have been transferred to the Junior High School. You start tomorrow."
Shinji sighs. Misato continues.
"I understand any objections you may have, but orders are orders."
"Right."
"Your physical and psychological exams will likely be held tomorrow as well."
"So in other words, I should pack some aspirin for tomorrow?"
"Uh… well… I suppose it wouldn't hurt."
She begins laughing nervously.
"Also, you did a great job today with that Angel."
Shinji is quiet for a brief moment.
"It was not a perfect fight. Reverberations will soon come as a result of my small follies."
"What?"
"You don't mind that. It does not concern you."
"I'm your guardian now Shinji, it is my concern."
He is quiet for another moment.
"I do not believe that the city was as evacuated as Ritsuko was informed."
"…I still don't get it…"
Shinji chuckles.
"It doesn't matter, nothing serious will happen… I think."
"'I think' are not words I like to hear."
"Those are familiar words, though the context is completely different."
"Huh?"
"Another thing I have said that you may as well ignore."
Misato sighs.
"You're being cryptic on purpose!"
Shinji, still in his meditation position, eyes still closed, responds.
"Am I? Or do you just believe that I am?"
Misato grabs her head. Shinji tosses her a bottle of aspirin, not watching his throw, or Misato's location, yet still finding its way flawlessly to Misato. She catches the bottle and looks at it curiously. Shinji explains.
"I thought you might be wanting that."
Misato sighs again.
"Sleep well, we don't want any accidents during your physical."
"Touché."
As she closes his door he calls to her.
"Misato."
She turns to look at him.
"What?"
"Please don't disturb my meditation unless it is important."
She nods and closes the door.