Hmm, well here we are in Chapter Two of my second "Rei/Shinji" fic…which surprises me, since I never was a real Rei/Shinji fan, and I still am not a Rei/Shinji fan, at least when it comes to actually reading Rei/Shinji fanfics…Because there aren't that many good ones, heck I don't even think mine are that great…

Lately I like Hikari/Shinji, although I'll always be an Asuka/Shinji fan at heart…I've also been meaning to write some Ritsuko/Gendo, or something along the lines of a Gendo romance…eheheh.

Well, thanks for the feedback, keep it coming, let's begin Chapter Two.

Disclaimer: I don't own Evangelion or its characters. Gainax does, and they rock. Who else could create both Evangelion and FLCL!

Tokyo 3, Japan

Ritsuko stared at the boy riding alongside her, studying him closely out of the corner of her eye. He was an ordinary-looking boy, if such a thing could be said; although it was true he resembled his father in many ways, albeit apparently not in behavior.

Suddenly, a great crashing boom shook both of them, Ritsuko struggling to keep her eyes on the road and stop her car from careening into a pole.

Shinji gasped at the explosion, staring out the window at a large monstrous creature facing the Angel.

"What the hell is-"

"That's on our side…let's go…now."

Ritsuko stepped on the gas, driving faster than she ever had, as rubble seemed to fall from the sky like rain.

Ikari managed to take one last look back at the creatures, as they sped away. He could see the purple robot being beaten down to the ground, and sighed.

Guess our team isn't doing that great…eh.

Shinji peered at the NERV manual and sighed, looking out the window as Ritsuko spoke.

"I work there too, you know. If you ever have any medical problems, do come to me…"

Shinji seemed to smile wryly, although he averted his eyes from her.

"So you mean you're in 'the admirable job of defending humanity'?"

Ritsuko chuckled, smiling.

"Yes, I suppose you could say that…"

She suddenly stopped the car as they rode up on a large circular platform. Shinji could hear odd electronic noises, and then, all of a sudden, they began to rush forward, although the car remained parked there.

"Um, Miss Akagi?"

"Dr. Akagi"

Ritsuko corrected him with a genial smile.

Shinji seemed to gaze dreamily off into the distance as he spoke.

"Why did my father summon me here? I thought he'd completely forgotten about me after abandoning me…"

Ritsuko Akagi stared at him carefully, making sure to analyze his psychological background a little more deeply when she had the free time, nodding to herself as she locked eyes with him and spoke.

"Perhaps it would be…better to ask your father directly, eh?"

Shinji averted his eyes, staring at his lap as Ritsuko looked away.

"We're on our way to see him, aren't we"

Ritsuko stared at Shinji's image in the rearview mirror, the perfect manifestation of a sulking teenager and smirked.

"You're not comfortable with your father, are you?"

Not like many people are…

Shinji shut his eyes as he spoke, the platform hurtling the car at an amazing speed down across the different platforms, neither of them taking real notice of the surroundings, Ritsuko because of familiarity, Shinji because of apathy..

"It's not that…it's just that this is inconvenient. Besides…even if I do see him…I know we'll just end up butting heads anyway."

Suddenly a burst of light and Shinji's eyes opened wide in a genuine gesture of surprise and awe as he viewed all the great columns of buildings, coming down from above.

"What is this? Wow! Is that? It's a real geofront."

Ritsuko nodded slowly.

"Yes it is…Our secret base of operations, NERV Headquarters…the keystone for the resurrection of the world, and the stronghold of humanity."

Tokyo 3, Japan

NERV Headquarters, Control Room

Kouzou stared at the video screen, baring the image of a pale girl being pushed down the hall in a stretcher, she seemed to be gasping, her eyes shut and twisted in pain.

"Evangelion Unit 01 recovery operation complete!"

"Pilot has suffered severe injuries!"

"There's a possibility of splenic ruptures."

The Sub-Commander shook his head, turning away.

"The U.N. is beating a full retreat as well…"

Misato strode beside him, peering at the old, stoic man.

"What are your intentions?"

Gendo Ikari smirked as he strode back into the control room, peering around.

"The reserve pilot as arrived as we speak."

The screens all around began to come up with the streaming video of a young boy walking alongside a tall blonde woman, down a distant NERV catwalk.

Tokyo 3, Japan

NERV Headquarters, Unknown Location

Ritsuko strode down the catwalk quite quickly as Shinji followed as dutifully as he could. She was quite used to the layout of the base, after having spent a good amount of time in it, from working there to visiting her mother.

She stopped suddenly, and boarded the long moving walkway down as Shinji stepped onto it behind her.

She sighed, peering back at Shinji.

God, I shouldn't have worn a skirt on this thing…damn kid can probably see everything from there.

Shinji meanwhile hadn't noticed anything, and was instead peering off into a random point above, frowning.

I should have thought a little more about why my father would summon me to him…

It took a while for them to finally arrive on what seemed like ground level, and then they took a few more minutes walking through random sliding doors, but overall it seemed like Ritsuko knew what she was doing.

Then all of a sudden she paused and peered at Shinji with an almost confidential smile that almost made him blush.

"Come along Shinji, there's something I want to show you before you see your father.

"You have something…to show me? I see…"

Tokyo 3, Japan

NERV Headquarters, Control Room

Commander Gendo Ikari stood there, glaring at the huge screen emblazoned with an enormous monstrosity of black, trudging its way through leveled buildings, smoke, and fire.

"Commander!"

"The angel is advancing! It's broken through the Power Mine Final Defense Perimeter!"

"So…PMFDP has failed…"

"It's adjusted its progression vector by five degrees and is still approaching!"

"The predicted target destination is exactly directly above us!"

Gendo turned around, swinging his arm over the area.

"All right, first wave personnel to battle stations!"

"Yes sir!"

A recorded female voice almost instantly echoed Gendo, as if he was in some odd cave, and everyone began to rush about, making preparations.

"First wave personnel to battle stations! Repeat, first wave personnel to battle stations! Red alert! All hands to battle stations."

Kouzou sighed, peering at the Commander.

Their first reunion after so many years and he won't even take the time to meet his son…

Tokyo 3, Japan

NERV Headquarters, Unknown Location

The recorded voice echoed into Shinji's ears as the small boat carried them across the dark, murky, almost sort of pinkish water.

"Prepare to initialize anti-ground attack Unit 01."

Shinji peered around the area, confused.

"Wait, what do they mean?"

Ritsuko simply peered at Shinji silently, not answering.

Unit-01 is currently cooling down while in defensive formation B…I t can be reinitialized at any time…Then the N2 bombs didn't work against the angel…it only suffered minor damage and its still advancing…in addition, from what I saw, the angel has artificial intelligence capacity…According to the MAGI system's analysis I observed before I left, it's not powered or manipulated by remote control. The angel seems to be a form of giant intelligent life. All of its actions are determined by its programs. That's not what I'm worried about though… the new pilot…his own son…how will he convince him?

Suddenly she stopped the water craft as they sidled next to a platform, both of them slowly rising and stepping onto it, into the relative darkness.

Ritsuko glanced at the boy, trying to keep on her smile.

"Well, we're here. This is it. It's dark though, so watch your step."

Shinji stumbled backwards as he entered, standing before a monstrous, almost demonic gigantic metal face, staring at him, with a great protruding horn. It scared him and at the same time made him feel oddly safe.

"Th-This thing…Is that the robot that saved us earlier!"

Shinji began rapidly leafing through the NERV book he had been given, but Ritsuko just laughed.

"You won't find this in that manual."

"Huh?"

"And strictly speaking she's not a robot…She's a man-made, all-purpose battle weapon! Artificial Human Evangelion! And this is the last chance for humanity…The first unit of the Evangelion."

Shinji gazed at it in awe, and then frowned.

"So this is all part of…my father's work?"

Ritsuko nodded.

"That's right."

They suddenly felt another rumble hit the base and struggled to regain their balance as Ritsuko peered at her watch.

Dammit, isn't he supposed to be making his appearance yet! He's the one who's supposed to tell him…

Shinji turned to her, sighing.

"So…where is father?"

Ritsuko turned away, looking down the catwalk and around the chambers, then back at Shinji.

"I…I don't know."

Shinji turned away, folding his arms across his chest and frowning.

"Why did he call me here anyway?"

Ritsuko frowned, peering at Shinji's back as the building shook around them yet again, and sighed.

Suddenly her cell phone rang and she backed away, answering it in whispers.

"Yes…hello Commander…Yes…I…But…Why are you…the angel is…it's too late for you to…But I can't…fine, fine…yes sir."

Ritsuko grumbled to herself, almost throwing the phone onto the ground.

Goddamit! That pig! He wants me to convince his son to pilot the Evangelion! How the hell am I going to-

Another explosion up above shook the structure to its core, and Shinji frowned as he stumbled around.

Ritsuko stumbled forward, tripping as a small piece of rubble fell behind her, and nearly tripped into he water, until she found something had stopped her.

Shinji blushed slightly as he helped her back up, and then frowned as he noticed the serious look on her face. She spoke softly in almost caring and slow whispers.

"Shinji…I need you to listen carefully to what I'm about to tell you…You…You're going to ride in her."

Shinji's eyes widened and he pushed Ritsuko away, staring at her.

"Wha!"

She continued to move towards him, speaking in a low tone.

"You're going to battle the angel…You have to, Shinji…You're our only hope."

Shinji continued to move backwards, shaking his heads and clenching his fists.

"No…No! My father called me all the way over here to die! You're saying I'm…I…I'm going to ride in this thing…to fight that monster we saw? Y-You're kidding, right? There's no way I can do something like that!"

Ritsuko tried to move closer to him as the rubble poured down towards them, as Shinji cowered away.

"Shinji, please, you're the best candidate…no, the only candidate we have left. The fate of the world rests in your hands…"

"But why me! It doesn't make sense! No! There's no way…I can't ride in that thing! Is that why my father called me here? To order me to my death?"

"Shinji…no…Your father couldn't make it…he's…in the NERV hospital…he's hurt…He called you here because he may be dying and he wanted to see you one last time."

Ritsuko winced as she spoke those words, because she could see the hope and sadness in Shinji's deep eyes.

If a lie can save the world…It's my duty…but why do I feel so…horrible…

She finally reached the trembling boy, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Shinji, if you don't get in and pilot it, humanity will perish, all of it. The very existence of the human race rests on your shoulders. And your father will be there, watching, proud of you, waiting for you to come so he can congratulate you. He's changed Shinji, he's changed."

Shinji turned away, tears flowing down his face as he stared at a distant point in the ceiling.

"No! Where's mamma! Don't leave me! Please! Stop it! No!"

"Shinji…you know she's dead…You saw it yourself."

"No! No! You're lying! Momma? Momma!"

Shinji remained silent and Ritsuko stared at him, unsure of what to say, when all of a sudden there was a great metal clanging above them, the structure shaking violently.

"W-What's that noise!"

Ritsuko spun around, releasing her hold on Shinji.

Tokyo 3, Japan

NERV Headquarters, Control Room

"The angel! It's discovered our location!"

Gendo Ikari stared with determination at the great black monstrosity as it stalked forward and then stopped, a great flashing light erupting from its chest.

The light seemed to bounce forward, and then almost skip from explosion to explosion until it hit its target, causing an enormous cylindrical explosion, almost like a mushroom cloud.

Tokyo 3, Japan

NERV Headquarters, Unknown Location

Ritsuko peered around frantically as the ground around them began to shake, clouds of dust flying down upon them, and then she noticed something worse.

"Shinji! Get down! The city blocks on the ceiling of the dome are starting to fa-"

"Look out!"

She let out a choking noise as a chunk of rock hit her on the back and stumbled forward, Shinji running towards her and stopping her from falling completely.

She groaned in her arms, disorientated, muttering to herself.

"Ikari…Ikari…"

Shinji shook her, his face concerned.

"Hang in there!"

I can't believe it…I can't let this place crumble down around us…it's just…I…Father.

Ritsuko stared up at the shadowy face above her, the trimmed outline of Gendo Ikari, although something seemed different about him.

She reached out and caressed his face, confused about the fact that he had no beard, and then darkness enveloped her.

Shinji stumbled away with a gasp and then a blush as Ritsuko's smooth hand ran across his face and then fell to her side as she passed out. The son of Ikari then turned away, muttering to himself, dried tears beneath his eyes.

He clenched his fists as he stared at the Evangelion.

"All right, I just have to get in it…that's all…I'll…I'll do it."

Well, that's all for the second chapter…

And yes! This is a Shinji/Rei fic, dammit! Just be patient! I know this seems more like Shinji/Ritsuko right now (Which would be interesting and tantalizing), but it's officially Shinji/Rei! So wait for it!

Hope you liked this chapter though…A bit weird, a bit odd, indeed…But hopefully you liked it. Well, see you next chapter, and remember, read and review!