Hello, and welcome back to the story. I'd like to thank everybody who's reviewed this story so far, I appreciate it. This is the second part of Chapter 4, now made into the fifth chapter. Here, we finish off with introducing the last of the major players on the Evangelion side of things.
Transformers Evangelion
Chapter 5: Kids and Tests
Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers or Neon Genesis Evangelion
Tokyo-2 was bustling with life as the population entered the early evening hours. While Tokyo-3 had its own share of life, it was ultimately an artificial city meant to house the best defense force the Earth had against the approaching threats to come. Tokyo-2 on the other hand was built to be the new capital of Japan after the wars caused by Second Impact destroyed the old Tokyo, which was now nothing more than ruined buildings and various wreckage, often used as testing grounds for new military weapons. Tokyo-2 was the equivalent of a living organism, having grown naturally over the last fifteen years.
Driving down the busy streets was Optimus Prime, with his trailer attached to his rear. Behind him were Ironhide and Chromia, and Star Saber flew above, straining with the heavy Grimlock on top of him.
"Look at this city, it's quite impressive," Chromia stated as she saw the gaggle of various people walking about to do whatever business they had to do. "It reminds me much of what Cybertron was like
before the war."
"I agree," said Ironhide. "The lights and buildings are like the busy parts of Iacon. It's impressive how they were able to build two cities in the span of fifteen years. It took the ancient Cybertronians decades to make Iacon the way it was."
"Even more impressive is how the humans are able to go about with ease," Star Saber added. "Even after suffering tragedy after tragedy more than a decade ago, they still refuse to let what happened to them greatly affect their lives."
"I doubt that," Grimlock voiced his thoughts. "Something as bad as this Second Impact isn't something anyone can recover from easily." His thoughts went dark as he recalled what Shockwave put him and his team through back on Cybertron. After they managed to escape, Snarl was heavily traumatized over the torture he had been put through, and Sludge was nearly killed, which affected him deeply. While both of them eventually recovered, neither of them forgot the horrors they were subjected to, and it left them, along with Grimlock, Slug, and Swoop a desire to kill Shockwave.
"Perhaps Grimlock," Optimus' voice pulled the Dinobot out of his vengeance-filled thoughts. "But these humans are capable of not letting the trauma they suffered affect their everyday lives. The memories will never leave them, but they have the strength to rise above it, and continue on to a brighter tomorrow."
"Let's hope they live to see a brighter tomorrow when this is all done," Ironhide said. "Megatron won't be merciful at all, and the same can be said for the Angels."
"I agree, old friend," Optimus said as he continued heading for his intended destination. The humans suffered enough, and he would not allow Megatron or the Angels to cause any more for them.
As the Autobots came to a stop at a red light, several humans crossed the street in front of them, while others remained on the sidewalk. Among them was a young boy with short black hair, wearing a white shirt and black pants, and a pair of headphones over his ears as he listened to music from an STAD player. His attention was on nothing in particular; he simply stared straight ahead, ignoring the world around him as he sat on a bench, the music being the only sound that filled his ears. His gaze fell upon Ironhide's vehicle mode, which was in front of him, waiting for the light to turn green. As he looked closer at the red van, the boy's eyes widened slightly as he saw…there was nobody inside it.
'What the heck? Did somebody leave their van parked? In the middle of a busy street? That's going to cause a traffic jam!' Suddenly, the light turned green, and when the truck in front of the van drove off, the van itself followed, even though the boy could clearly tell nobody was driving it. Pulling off his headphones, the boy quickly rubbed his eyes and looked up to see the van driving further away. The boy was completely confused at what he just saw.
'Was that a hallucination? No, that couldn't have been possible…could it?' As he walked home, Shinji Ikari was left wondering if what he witnessed was real, or if it was just the poor lighting in the area playing tricks with him.
Twenty minutes later the Autobots had reached their destination, which was a parking lot in front of a military base. Standing in front of the gate were three men who each bore the rank of general. The three generals began approaching the vehicles that appeared, only to stop short when they saw Star Saber dropping down before them with Grimlock sitting on him.
"Good God!" the general on the left gasped at the sight of the giant Autobot, who dismounted from Star Saber, allowing him to transform. Optimus, Ironhide, and Chromia followed suit, making the generals back up in slight surprise. Though they saw footage of the Autobots beforehand, seeing them up close and personal was another thing entirely.
"Greetings Generals," Optimus spoke to the men. "My name is Optimus Prime, and I am the leader of the Autobots. This is Ironhide, Chromia, Star Saber, and Grimlock."
"Hello there," Chromia greeted.
"Generals," Star Saber gave a salute.
"Nice to meet you," Ironhide waved.
"Yeah, hi," Grimlock grunted.
"Well, I must say, it's a pleasure to meet you," greeted the general in the middle, his hair a mess of red. "I am General Kirishima of the air force. This is Admiral Yamagishi of the navy," he gestured to the general on the right, who had short black hair, "and General Ayase of the army."
"A pleasure to meet you as well Autobots," Admiral Yamagishi was the next to greet the Autobots himself. "We understand that you will be working with us alongside NERV?"
"Yes, that is correct," Star Saber answered. "I hope we can work well together."
"Hmp!" General Ayase grunted. "Work well together. That's comforting, but I doubt that blowhard Ikari will want us anywhere near Tokyo-3."
"You mean the commanding officer of NERV?" asked Star Saber.
"Yes," Admiral Yamagishi sighed as he and the other two generals led the Autobots into the base. "Technically, we're his superiors, but he doesn't seem to show any acknowledgment of our authority, nor does he want us to aid NERV against these Angels. He thinks these overgrown children toys of his, these Evangelions, will be efficient against them, when they look like they haven't been tested for combat."
"And what do you think of us, since we're giant robots like the Evangelions?" Chromia asked with narrowed eyes.
"Well, you are robots, but you seem to be living beings," said General Kirishima. "What's more is unlike Ikari, you seem to be more willing to cooperate with us."
"In order to defeat the Decepticons and the Angels, we are going to have to work together," said Ironhide. "We can't really be arguing right now when we have world-ending threats hanging over our heads."
"We will be willing to tell you whatever you need to know about us and our enemies the Decepticons," said Star Saber. "And in addition, we can give your soldiers and military vehicles additional weapons that will allow them to better have a chance against the Angels and Decepticons in combat."
"Well, we definitely appreciate the offer," said Admiral Yamagishi. "In fact, we have three weapons in particular we have been building for a few years now, and perhaps construction could finish faster if you provided your assistance."
"Of course," said Optimus. "May I ask which weapons you are referring to?"
"This way please," General Kirishima gestured to the far end of the base, where the Autobots saw three huge hangers stationed. At forty-five meters tall, they were the tallest buildings on the base. The Autobots followed the generals to the bases, and as they walked, they took notice of the many soldiers who looked at them in complete awe and shock. Most of the Autobots didn't pay much mind to it, since this would be the likely reaction of every human that would see them up close. Grimlock however was irritated from being stared at so much. Turning his gaze at a small group of soldiers, he glared deeply at them. Stepping back with a flash of fear, the soldiers scrambled away from the Dinobot.
Once the group reached the middle hangar, General Kirishima pressed a button on the wall that allowed the doors to slide open. What the Autobots saw before them was a massive machine that was half the size of an Evangelion, standing at forty meters tall. It was painted different shades of blue, and bore the resemblance of a mechanical lizard. Underneath what looked like its head was a cannon that several mechanics were working on, and the rest of the massive body was tended to.
"Autobots, I would like to present to you, the Trident Land Cruiser!" General Ayase gestured to the machine. "There are two others like this in the other hangars, also being worked on currently. The units are pure mechanical weapons equipped with the latest state-of-the-art technology our army has to offer. Thermonuclear reactors provide them with energy in battle, and their main weapon is a particle cannon capable of annihilating an entire squadron of tanks. The armor is also strong enough to withstand our N2 mines. The mode you currently see it in is the Walker Mode. Jet engines equipped on its back and underside allow it to fly and even traverse the oceans."
"Simply put, this is the JSSDF's ultimate multipurpose machine for the approaching war," said Admiral Yamagishi. "It is impressive, is it not?" The Autobots silently agreed. Though they had already seen the Evangelion units, the sight of the Trident was impressive itself. The only one who didn't look in awe was Grimlock, who merely grunted. He had seen other machines like this on Cybertron, so this was nothing special.
"Do you have pilots for these units?" asked Star Saber. "A unit is only as good as the pilots controlling it."
"Well, we do," General Kirishima said, suppressing a wince. Admiral Yamagishi and General Ayase looked at their comrade with sympathy. The discussion of the pilots for Trident was never an easy subject for him, nor was it for Yamagishi himself. "I should warn you though, the pilots may come as a shock to you."
"A shock?" Optimus asked, a little confused by the answer. Star Saber and Chromia were also confused, and even Grimlock as well. Ironhide however narrowed his eyes in suspicion, a bad sense of déjà vu hitting him.
"Wait a minute. Don't tell me the that the pilots for the Trident units are children!" the veteran spoke up, causing Optimus, Chromia and Star Saber to look from Ironhide to the generals in equal shock. Grimlock was also surprised as well.
"Yes, they are," Admiral Yamagishi sighed in defeat. "How did you figure that out?"
"We met one of the Evangelion pilots in Tokyo-3, and our teams in Germany and America have met two more of them," explained Star Saber. "Why exactly are you having children pilot the Trident units?"
"Not our decision unfortunately," General Kirishima replied, a frown adorning his face. "The Japanese government, knowing about the Evangelion pilots, wanted us in the JSSDF to have potential pilots for the Trident units undergo training at a young age, so they could pilot it masterfully. Admiral Yamagishi and I, as well as General Ayase, lobbied hard to overrule this decision. Sadly, we were unsuccessful in this endeavor."
"By the Allspark, what is wrong with this world?!" Chromia yelled, hitting her head on the wall of the hanger. "Putting children in the cockpits of potential dangerous weapons of mass destruction so they can fight monsters from another world?!"
"I agree," Grimlock, of all Autobots, said. "Children are weak, and the weak do not belong on the battlefield. Only those with strength and the ability to bear such a responsibility should be allowed to fight!"
"Well, I wouldn't agree with the weak part," said General Ayase. "The three that passed the exams to become pilots were able to handle the intense training they were given. But yes, regardless, if we had better say in this, then they wouldn't have been put in this position."
"I understand," Optimus said with a nod. "Is there perhaps a chance we can meet the pilots?"
"Certainly. They live here on the base. If you could follow us please." General Kirishima led the group to a series of barracks stationed near the base. Much of the barracks were abuzz with soldiers preparing to head to bed for the evening. Walking to a barracks with the number 7 painted on the door, a human could be seen sitting on a crate near the stairs. It was a young girl with long black hair and glasses, wearing a female school uniform and reading a book.
"Mayumi?" Admiral Yamagishi asked the girl, recognizing her immediately. The girl, who the Autobots now knew was called Mayumi, looked up from her book, and her expression brightened when she saw the man who spoke to her. "What are you doing out here?"
"Daddy!" Mayumi exclaimed happily, getting up from the crate and running over to the generals. "I was just visiting…Mana…" she trailed off when she suddenly saw the Autobots standing behind them, towering over all the humans. The black haired girl let out a squeak of fear as she backed away.
"Is she one of the pilots?" Grimlock asked, snorting at the sight of the quivering human before her. If she was a pilot, then it just proved his point about the weak not belonging on the battlefield.
"No…thankfully," Admiral Yamagishi answered. "This is Mayumi, my daughter. Mayumi, these are the Autobots. They will be working with us for a while."
"H-h-h-h-hi!" Mayumi stammered out a greeting as she hid behind her father.
"Is she all right?" Chromia asked in slight concern.
"It's fine, she's usually shy," Admiral Yamagishi said as he wrapped an arm around Mayumi's shoulders. "Honey, is Mana in the barracks with Musashi and Keita?"
"Yes, they're playing with a karaoke machine," Mayumi answered softly. "I'm not a very good singer, so I decided to read out here."
"Thank you, Mayumi," General Kirishima said before he turned to the Autobots. "One moment please." Opening the door to the barracks, he walked in to a room that was a long bedroom with three beds, each one having a nightstand next to them and a trunk in front. At the end of the barracks, the soldier saw who he was looking for, three children around a karaoke machine with a television in front of them, displaying the lyrics of a song on screen. Two of the children, who were boys were sitting down and cheering as the third one, a girl, was singing into a microphone. All of them wore green jumpsuits, standard wear for those in the military. One of the boys had dark skin and blue hair cut in a bowl-shape, while the other one had short brown hair, pale skin and three freckles on each cheek. The girl, who had brownish-red hair like General Kirishima, was dancing as she sang, and the general couldn't help but smile at the sight. This was something he wanted her to do in her spare time, having fun with her friends. It was a pity that the late night hours were one of the few times she could be like a child she was meant to be, just having fun and singing.
Aru hareta hi no koto
Mahou ijou no yukai ga
Kagirinaku furisosogu fukanou janai wa
Ashita mata au toki waru nagara hamingu
Ureshisa wo atsumeyou
Kantan nanda yo konna no
Oikakete ne tsukamaete mite
Ooki na yume yume suki deshou?
As the song came to its end, the girl spun around only to get her legs dangled up by the microphone cord, causing her to fall to the floor.
"Oh man, Mana!" the dark-skinned boy exclaimed as he and the pale boy ran over to untangle her legs. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Mana said, shaking her legs free. "What did you guys think?"
"Not a bad performance Mana. But try not to spin around much when you're holding something with a cord," General Kirishima said as he made his presence known to the three children. "If you were doing it live in a concert, you'd likely be laughed off the stage."
"Dad!" Mana gasped at the sight of the man before her.
"General Kirishima, sir!" The boys quickly stood up and saluted their superior, Mana following once her legs were free from the microphone cord.
"Calm down, there's no need for that," he calmed down the children. "I hate to interrupt the performance, but we have some very important visitors that you should meet."
"Important visitors?" asked the freckled boy. "Who are they?"
"Follow me and you'll find out Keita," General Kirishima led the trio of pilots outside, where they were greeted by not only the sight of Mayumi, Admiral Yamagishi, and General Ayase, but Optimus Prime, Chromia, Ironhide, Star Saber, and Grimlock. Seeing the Autobots caused Mana, Keita, and Musashi to gape in awe. They had heard about the Autobots, seen their pictures from reports and the Internet, and they even were around the Trident units on a daily basis, but seeing actual living robots from space left them speechless.
"Optimus Prime, Autobots, these are the pilots for the Trident units," General Kirishima handled introductions. "This is Musashi Lee Strasberg, pilot of the Raiden unit," he gestured to the dark-skinned boy, who was still looking at the Autobots in awe, "Keita Asari, the pilot of Shinden," the freckled boy gave a small wave to the Autobots when his name was said, "and lastly, my daughter Mana, pilot of the Ryujin unit."
"H-hello there!" Mana managed to be the only pilot to get over her shock at the sight of the Autobots to greet them. "It's a pleasure to meet you!"
"Likewise, the pleasure is ours Mana, Musashi, Keita," Optimus said, kneeling down to see the children better. "I am Optimus Prime, the leader of the Autobots."
"Leader?!" Musashi yelled, quickly saluting the red and blue Autobots. "It-it's an honor, sir!" Keita and Mana followed suit as well with saluting.
"Please, there is no need for that," Optimus insisted to the trio of youths.
"If you insist," Keita said, relaxing with his other two friends. "So are you really alien robots? And can you really transform into vehicles?"
"Yes, it is true," Star Saber answered. "We come from the planet Cybertron."
"Woah, that sounds awesome!" Musashi exclaimed. "Can you tell us more about you?"
"I'm sure they'll tell you more later," said General Kirishima. "But it's getting late, and you kids will have to get some shut-eye soon."
"Ah, man!" Keita groaned. "Damn military bedtimes."
"Don't worry, we'll be working with the Autobots for the foreseeable future," General Ayase assured the trio. "And they'll be helping with the construction of your Trident units, so I'm sure you'll be seeing them here on the base a lot."
"Well, I hope we can be good friends!" Mana said as she looked up to the Autobots. "And I also hope we can work together. Right guys?"
"Yeah, you guys look pretty sweet!" Keita said, looking at all the Autobots in excitement.
"I'll say," Musashi agreed.
Even Mayumi spoke up, still looking nervously at the massive robots before her. "Yes, I hope we can be friends as well!"
"Hmp," Grimlock let out a grunt. "Sure. Whatever."
"We hope so as well," said Chromia. "I'm sure you kids will like some of the other Autobots with us."
"I hope so," Musashi said, his gaze falling on Grimlock. "I like that guy right there."
"Hey, what do you know Grimster? You got a fan!" Ironhide teased the Dinobot leader, who didn't seem to respond much to it.
"Don't try and ask for my autograph," he said dryly.
"So you kids are the pilots of the Trident units?" Star Saber asked, choosing to get back on the subject at hand. "How exactly were you chosen to be pilots?"
"It wasn't easy," Keita said with a wince, as he remembered the grueling hours he, along with Musashi, Mana, and others went through. "Along with Mana, myself, Musashi, and other kids thirteen and over whose parents are in the military were put through training courses in order to determine who would score at the top to be the Trident pilots. Let me tell you, it wasn't easy. Between obstacle courses, exercise routines, sparring matches, and exams, it was a crazy experience. Hell, I was surprised when I made third in the rankings. Musashi made second, and Mana ended up scoring at the top."
"What about you Mayumi?" Chromia asked the bespectacled girl, who jumped slightly upon being spoke to. "Were you one of the candidates that trained with them?"
"No, I'm not exactly an athlete," Mayumi answered meekly. "The program called for anyone who was physically capable. I've always preferred to read."
"Reading as always?" Musashi said with a laugh. "I always wanted to get into some action, and being in the army can really get me some of that. I'd rather not sit on my hands and read so much, it can be boring!"
'But boring can also mean safe as well,' Admiral Yamagishi thought, placing a hand on his daughter's shoulder with a soft expression on his face. He was thankful that Mayumi was more a reader than a soldier, and he wish the same could be said for the other three kids.
"Heh," Grimlock chuckled at the boy's words. "You know, I actually like the way this kid thinks."
'Oh, dear Primus,' Star Saber thought with a groan. 'Don't tell me this kid is like a second Grimlock.'
"About your Trident units, have you been able to test them out yet?" asked Ironhide.
"Well, not fully," said Keita. "We have sat in the cockpits to get a feel of the controls and we have been testing the other functions. Some of the weapons work but the particle cannons still require further construction, and the engines need to be worked on so we can fly instead of hover a few feet off the ground."
"This is where we are hoping that you will be able to aid us," General Kirishima said to the Autobots. "Your technology seems quite advanced, more advanced in fact than anything on Earth right now, including NERV. In addition to combat operations, we want your help in completing the construction of the Trident units."
"We will aid you to the best of our ability," said Optimus. "Currently most of our scientists and engineers are in other locations on Earth with the NERV staff there. However, those we currently have here in Japan can help you. Once the rest of our forces have arrived, I can guarantee that the construction of your Trident units will be complete."
"We thank you Optimus Prime," General Ayase said, giving a bow to the Autobot leader. Before anything more could be said, Optimus' communicator on his arm began beeping and a voice came through it.
"Hey Optimus, it's Bumblebee. Are you there?"
"I am here Bumblebee," Optimus answered, moving his arm up so he could speak into the communicator. "Is there a problem?"
"Yeah, is there any chance we can talk back at the Ark?" Bumblebee asked. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"
"No, we are just about done here for now," replied Optimus. "We shall return momentarily."
"All right." Bumblebee signed off, and Optimus couldn't help but wonder what Bumblebee wanted to talk about. Was is something about Rei, and why did he need to talk about it back at the Ark?
"I apologize, but we must return to our headquarters," Optimus told the assembled humans. "Something important has come up."
"We understand," General Kirishima said with a nod. "It was a pleasure to meet you and your soldiers Optimus Prime. I'm sure we'll see each other again."
"Of course General," Optimus replied before turning to his soldiers. "Autobots, roll out!" Ironhide, Chromia, and Star Saber transformed into their vehicle modes with Optimus, Grimlock climbing on Star Saber.
"Ugh!" Star Saber grunted as he felt the heavy weight come down on him for a third time today. "There has got to be a better way to do this."
"Ergh, all right!" Grimlock groaned. "I'll use a jet pack next time, happy?!"
"Yes, very much," Star Saber answered as he ascended higher into the sky. The other Autobots drove out of the base and Optimus sent a signal to his trailer, allowing it to automatically drive itself and attach to Optimus's rear.
"Well, what do you kids think of the Autobots?" General Kirishima asked the trio and Mayumi.
"Wicked cool!" Musashi said, his eyes not leaving the sight of the Autobots departing from the base until they couldn't be seen anymore. "I think I'm going to enjoy having these guys around!"
"Yeah, I have to agree," Keita added. "And they all seem friendly. But that big one, Grimlock, I think he was called, doesn't seem that friendly with us."
"Probably to be expected," Mana commented. "Not every team is going to be filled with nice guys." She winced slightly, remembering a few less than pleasant kids she met during her training and exams. She was honestly happy that Keita and Musashi passed with her, since they were the most friendly with her during the grueling weeks. Of course that wasn't to say it wasn't the same in the army. Several soldiers looked at her and the other kids with frowns on occasion, clearly upset and thinking that the only reason she got into this position was because her father was a high-ranking soldier. But as Mana had said more than once, she didn't want her father's help to achieve success in the army. She passed through hard work, which her father, despite not agreeing with her being a part of the project, was proud of. "Still, I have to say, I like them, especially Optimus and that blue one, Chromia." She turned to the only other girl in the group she was currently with. "What about you, Mayumi?"
"Uh, well, I think they're impressive as well," Mayumi said with a stutter, "but also really…intimidating."
"Intimidating?" Keita asked with a raised eyebrow and smirk. "You don't think the Trident units are scary."
"Well, the Tridents are just machines, and the Autobots are alive and so…so…big!" Mayumi replied, standing up straighter.
"Yeah, but not as big as the Tridents," Mana reminded her.
"All right kids, I think it's time you started packing it in for the night," General Ayase spoke up. "We got some work to do tomorrow." Musashi and Keita groaned at that while Mana simply nodded.
"Mayumi, are you going to be staying the night with them in the barracks?" General Yamagishi asked her daughter.
"Yes, if it's all right with you," Mayumi said, turning to the Trident trio.
"Mayumi, we told you before," Keita said as he put a hand on her shoulder. "You're always welcome to crash here with us if you want to." Musashi and Mana both shared Keita's smile, causing Mayumi to smile herself. Ever since her mother perished during the Impact Wars, she had been travelling frequently with her father from base to base, so she was never able to make friends for very long. But Mana, Musashi, and Keita had been with her ever since last year when they entered training for the Trident project. Despite her shyness and tendency to read books constantly, she found kindred spirits in them, as all of them had the experience and life of being born into military families.
"All right guys, let's finish up the karaoke rounds before we get shut-eye," Musashi led the small group back into the barracks. "I still have one more song to go!" As the quartet prepared themselves for bed, the three generals retreated into the main building of the base, where they entered a small room big enough to fit five people.
"Well, what do you think?" General Kirishima asked his colleagues. "About these new developments?"
"I believe that this alliance could greatly benefit us," General Ayase was the first to speak. "With the Autobots' assistance, we can not only finish the Trident project ahead of schedule, but if they are willing, we could outfit our soldiers and vehicles with weapons that could work against these Angels. It could give us a chance to stick it to Ikari and his little projects."
"On top of that," Admiral Yamagishi spoke up, "the Autobots seem willing to aid us, as well as tell us everything we need to know about their enemies, these…Deceptioncons?"
"Decepticons, I think they were called," General Kirishima corrected him. "But the name does sound like 'deception'."
"A name like that, that definitely means bad news," General Ayase muttered before speaking up. "Giving that the Autobots seem very tolerant of us, then we can keep our troops based in Tokyo-3, since, as Admiral Yamagishi pointed out, they're more willing to give us what we need, which is more than I can say for Ikari."
"Yes, I have to agree." The three generals looked over to the side of the room at the sound of the new voice. A light turned on, revealing a man wearing a black suit and tie, with short black hair and sunglasses. "Commander Ikari will most definitely not take your continued presence in Tokyo-3 well as time goes on. On the surface, it could be because he wishes to prove his Evangelion units are more effective than the military's current supplies, including the N2 mines. But underneath, a man in command of an agency with so much power accumulated ever since Second Impact likely has some agendas of his own that he doesn't want the Self-Defense Forces to know about, hence his continued efforts to force you out."
"And have you and our agent in NERV had much luck in figuring out what it is, Agent Kenzaki?" Admiral Yamagishi asked the man. "Besides this thing called the 'Human Instrumentality?'"
"I cannot say for certain yet," Kyoya Kenzaki replied, pulling off his sunglasses to reveal black eyes. "However, when I spoke to Mr. Kaji earlier, he said that Doctor Ritsuko Akagi had apparently erased many files from the MAGI computers upon the Autobots' arrival to Tokyo-3."
"Meaning whatever Ikari is hiding from us, he doesn't want the Autobots to know about it either," General Kirishima mused. "Which means we may have a common goal."
"What do you want from me right now?" Kenzaki asked as he stood up from his chair.
"Return to the agency for now and keep low," General Kirishima ordered. "Once Mr. Kaji arrives in Japan, I want the two of you to meet with the Autobots."
"Yes sir," Kenzaki saluted the soldiers before he exited the room, slipping his sunglasses back on over his eyes.
"One thing is for certain," General Kirishima said as he looked out the window to see the base, "with the Autobots aiding us, it will certainly be a lot easier for Mana and the other kids."
"Agreed," Admiral Yamagishi said with a nod. "I still don't think this is a good idea to let teenage children pilot the Trident units. They should be in school worrying about grades, relationships and other activities, not in a giant robot worrying about the apocalypse."
"The orders did come from the government, so we couldn't fight it," said General Ayase. "Personally, I blame Ikari and his NERV lackeys for having kids pilot their robots. I guess those farts saw that and thought, 'Hey, whatever you can do, we can do it better!' What I wouldn't give to knock NERV down a peg or two for that."
"Oh, I'm sure we will," General Kirishima said, smirking at the thought. His smirk soon turned into a frown as he looked out to see the barracks he knew his daughter was in. 'I just hope it won't lead to Mana being seriously hurt.'
"What is this we're looking at?" Ironhide asked in slight disgust, looking at images of Rei's apartment block that Bumblebee took, all of them on the Ark's screen. The veteran stood on the bridge with Optimus, Chromia, Star Saber, Grimlock, Jazz, Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, Trailbreaker and Bumblebee, the yellow Autobot showing what he saw. All of the Autobots looked put off by the sight of the broken buildings and wrecked road.
"This is where Rei lives," Bumblebee answered with a grimace. "Lovely, isn't it?"
"I don't know, that doesn't look like my scene," Jazz said with a slight unease in his voice. "Who would want to live there?"
"Nobody," Bumblebee answered flatly. "Rei's the only one who lives there, and her apartment isn't even better. I saw it myself, and apparently, Commander Ikari, her 'guardian', was the one who set her up with this place!"
"What?!" Grimlock snarled angrily. Jazz, Trailbreaker and Sunstreaker looked aghast themselves, Sideswipe, Chromia, Ironhide and Star Saber looked upset, and Optimus was left stunned, wondering how a girl like Rei could live in a place like this, especially alone.
"Are you kidding me?!" Sideswipe yelled out. "What is that guy's malfunction?! They say he's her guardian, but he doesn't get her a good place?! No buildings in good condition, no people to be around! I ought-a clean that guy's clock once I see him!"
"Get in line," Grimlock pounded his fist in his hand. If there was one thing that could really bring his Energon to an extreme boil besides anything involving Shockwave, it was seeing those with power hurt those around them. This Commander Ikari was supposedly in charge of this young girl, but he put her in an environment where she was practically at risk of getting sick, but also had no one to be around, no one to speak to. It was no wonder that she barely said much to him and the others when he met her earlier, she probably didn't know how to interact with anyone properly. Grimlock may not have been the most sociable Autobot around, but he knew being around others could help one greatly, not only with any problems, but also in battle. That was why he had the Dinobots. They were not only his team, but they understood each other greatly and had each other's back. And yet Rei didn't have anything of the sort. And it was all because of Gendo Ikari. Suddenly, Grimlock couldn't help but wonder how human flesh tasted.
"Hold on a minute, all of you!" Star Saber called out. "Let's not do anything too hasty. I agree, this looked reprehensible, but we can't attack and kill Commander Ikari because of this."
"Well, we can't just give him a free pass either," Chromia said angrily. "Something's gotta be done about this."
"I talked to Rei about the state her apartment was in," Bumblebee said as he turned off the screen. "I pointed out the problems she could face being in an environment like this, as well as the benefits of being in a better place that actually is filled with people. She said that she would talk to the Commander about being transferred, but I don't know how that's going to work. She didn't even notice how bad her place was until I pointed it out."
"She'd been living there for Primus knows how long, and she's only just now noticed it?!" Sunstreaker asked incredulously. "Is there something off with her?"
"I don't know…maybe" Bumblebee said with a frown. "Whenever she talks, she doesn't say much. And there doesn't seem to be much emotion in her when she does talk. I don't even want to know what happened to her to be like this."
"Well…her parents were killed before NERV took her in," Star Saber voiced his thoughts. "Perhaps she witnessed them dying, and it traumatized her."
"And Ikari's idea of helping her with that was putting her in a dump, cut off from society?" Trailbreaker asked, annoyance in his voice. "I wonder if he even cares about her as her guardian?"
"Optimus, what do you think?" Jazz looked over to his leader. Optimus said nothing as he took in what he learned from Bumblebee. When he first met Commander Ikari and experience his cold and harsh attitude, he figured it was simply a result of fear and hatred that most humans would likely experience from being exposed to the different and non-understandable, or simple annoyance over working with him and the Autobots. But learning what he was doing to someone he was supposed to take care of…suddenly, the Autobot leader couldn't help but feel that Gendo Ikari was not someone to trust.
"Bumblebee, I want you to return to the district and protect Rei," he finally spoke, looking over to the smallest of the Autobots currently present. "Keep her safe and take her to wherever she needs to go."
"All right," Bumblebee replied. "So, what are we going to do about her place?"
"You say that Rei will speak with Commander Ikari tomorrow about being transferred," Optimus said with narrowed eyes, "but perhaps it is best that I speak to him first."
The next morning at NERV headquarters, Ritsuko was poring over paperwork that had come in late last night from the JSSDF in Tokyo-2. The papers were of the three generals' meeting with the Autobots, and the assistance that would be provided to them from the Autobots in regard to their Trident project. As she looked over the files, she grimaced. The Autobots' advanced technology would help the JSSDF greatly, likely allowing them to stay in Tokyo-3. Gendo would not be pleased as he wanted to keep them out of the city so they wouldn't find something they weren't meant to. But she knew that would soon be the least of Gendo's worries.
"Doctor Akagi."
'Speak of the devil,' she thought morbidly as she looked up to see Gendo enter her office.
"I understand that you have some new reports for me," Gendo got right to the point.
"Yes, and I'm afraid none of it is good," Ritsuko grimaced. "As expected, the JSSDF reached out to the Autobots for assistance. They'll be working on the Trident project with them."
"What about Jet Alone?" Gendo asked with a sharp look in his eyes. It was bad enough the JSSDF would likely not be going anywhere because of this, but the last thing he needed was two competitors getting help from the Autobots.
"Fortunately, the company making Jet Alone has said no to Autobot assistance," said Ritsuko. "The head of the project said that he wants to show what the works of man can do without the army or alien robots."
"That foolish train of thought will lead to his downfall," said Gendo. "You know what to do when the time comes for that."
"Yes, I do," Ritsuko nodded. "However, there is more you need to know, and it's all bad from here."
"What is it?" Gendo asked, his eyes narrowing. Ritsuko looked hesitant to answer. Eventually, she gave in to his glare and answered.
"Optimus Prime is already making his presence felt here. He won't allow any attempt to acquire an S2 Engine out of concern for the safety of our pilots and staff, and he's ordering Wheeljack's supervision on the Dummy Plug project."
"I see," Gendo said, his glare deepening. "The acquisition of an S2 Engine is crucial to the Scenario. See what you can do about a covert acquisition. I do not want the Autobots to find out about this."
"I will do my best," Ritsuko nodded.
"Anything else?" Gendo asked. Now Ritsuko looked even more hesitant than before.
"Yes. Yesterday, the Autobots also met Rei when we were looking over Unit-00. And out of concern that the Decepticons may likely make her a target, Optimus ordered his soldier Bumblebee to be her bodyguard outside of NERV."
"I want him removed from that position immediately," Gendo stated at once. "The protection we have for Rei is more than sufficient."
"Commander, will all due respect, I doubt our agents will do much against the Decepticons," Ritsuko pointed out to him. "But I have a feeling this will be the least of our worries concerning Rei." A second later, Gendo's phone began going off. Fishing it out of his pocket, he flipped it open and answered it.
"Yes, what is it?"
"Commander, Optimus Prime is outside the headquarters," a guard answered. "He wants to talk to you immediately, and I don't think he's going to take no for an answer."
"…I'm on my way," Gendo said after a long pause, hanging up. He walked out of the office with Ritsuko right behind him. As he walked, Gendo's face dropped into a sour expression. Three days and already the Autobots were proving to be an annoyance. It was best to lay down the law before the Angels arrived.
Walking outside, Gendo and Ritsuko were greeted with the sight of Optimus Prime, arms crossed as he looked down at the two humans with a glare. He was not the only Autobot present, as Star Saber and Grimlock were with him, neither of them looking pleased themselves.
"Optimus Prime," Gendo greeted the Autobot leader. "I understand you wanted to speak with me?"
"Yes, I did," Optimus answered. "I want to discuss with you the current living arrangements of your ward, Rei Ayanami. I shall make it simple. They are unacceptable for a human her age, and I am ordering for her to be transferred to a more populated and stable district."
Gendo's face dropped down into a glare of his own. "That cannot be possible."
"Why not?" Grimlock growled angrily. "You better give us a good reason!"
"And you better step back," Gendo looked up to Grimlock with little fear. "As the Commander of NERV, I expect you to recognize my authority and orders the same way you no doubt recognize the authority of Prime."
"And I expect you to slag off!" Grimlock snapped. "I don't listen to what Optimus tells me most of the time, so why should I listen to a little pest like you?!"
"Easy Grimlock," Star Saber held back the Dinobot.
"Commander, I don't think you want to provoke Grimlock," Ritsuko warned him. "He can transform into a T-Rex."
"Should I be impressed?" Gendo asked with a raised eyebrow before turning back to Optimus. "I am afraid that I cannot allow that. As the pilot for Evangelion Unit-00, Rei's attention outside of her school activities must be focused here. I cannot afford for her to be distracted by anything else."
"She is to be moved immediately," Optimus stated, his glare deepening. "As a child – no, as a human being – Rei must be allowed to interact with other people, especially since the other Evangelion pilots will be brought here eventually. Her current living arrangements will only serve as a handicap to not only her social life, but also her health. That is something I will not allow. If she is not moved to a new apartment, then I will have her brought to the Ark for her safety." The two commanding officers could only look at each other in anger. Ritsuko fidgeted slightly, realizing that things had reached a point where everything would be worse from here on. Star Saber and Grimlock looked on as well, the former keeping a calm stance and the latter angrily clenching his fists.
"I can see that you are a strong leader Optimus Prime, but you seem to be far too soft," Gendo replied. "Compassion cannot be a part of the job."
"If that is something you believe, then you do not know true leadership," Optimus retorted strongly. "Rei is to move to a new place of residence today. And I will have Bumblebee inform me if the request is granted or not."
"Fine then!" Gendo snapped, losing his composure for a moment before turning around and walking back into the headquarters with Ritsuko.
"Doctor Akagi." She stopped when she heard Optimus call out to her. Turning around, she took a nervous gulp seeing the Autobot leader glare down at her. "Were you aware of this?"
"Yes, I was," she said, realizing it was futile to try and lie to them at this point about Rei's apartment. "But there was hardly anything I could do about it, nor was Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki able to do anything as well. What Commander Ikari said was the final word."
"Did anyone else know? Was Captain Katsuragi aware?" asked Star Saber.
"No," Ritsuko said truthfully before walking in after Gendo. She soon caught up to him, and the first thing he noticed was the look of anger on his face.
"You know this would likely happen eventually," she said. "Given the Autobots would be working with our pilots, they would likely have made contact with Rei and learned about her conditions." There was no response from Gendo. "And you know you'll have to go through with this. Now that Rei has an Autobot watching her…"
"She'll be moved to Captain Katsuragi's apartment building," Gendo suddenly said. "That should satisfy them."
"What should satisfy them?" Gendo and Ritsuko looked to the end of the hallway to see Fuyutsuki walk toward them.
"The Autobots have become aware of Rei's current living arrangements and demanded she be transferred," Ritsuko explained. "She'll be moving to Misato's place."
"Oh?" Fuyutsuki asked with a smirk and raised eyebrow. "She'll be living with the good Captain?"
"No," Gendo irritably said. "She will live in her own apartment in the building."
"I don't see why you're being upset about this," said Fuyutsuki, who began walking with Gendo and Ritsuko. "From what we have seen so far of Rei, she has seemed committed to the scenario. I doubt anything will be changed from this."
"I would like to know that from Rei herself," Gendo said, adjusting his glasses. The Autobots were already disrupting the scenario enough, the last thing he needed was his most crucial player going rogue because of them. "Is everything ready for her synch test with Unit-00 tomorrow?"
"Yes, and we have one more test with the test plugs today," Ritsuko answered.
"Good," Gendo calmed down and regained his composure. "Perhaps now we can get back on track with the plan."
"All right, this was where the ship was rumored to land," Kensuke said as he led Toji and Sakura into the forest on the outskirts of Tokyo-3. The bespectacled boy held a camcorder in his hand as he traversed the path before him, recording what he saw. Sakura let out a yawn as she walked close to Toji, who hadn't let his sister out of his sights ever since they entered the forest.
"Toji, how long do we have to keep walking? I'm tired!"
"Hang on Sakura," Toji said as he bent down in front of Sakura. "Hop on." Accepting the invite, Sakura climbed on her older brother's back. Hooking Sakura's legs under his arms, Toji carried her piggyback style as he continued following after Kensuke. He was honestly feeling tired himself from hours of hiking and looking for a giant alien spaceship. As the afternoon sun beamed down on them, Toji was growing more irritated at Kensuke's continued search. The fact that Sakura was getting tired herself left him tempted to go back home. If the spaceship they were looking for was so big, then how were they not able to find it yet?
"Hey Kensuke, how much longer until we find this ship?" asked Toji. "Shouldn't we have found it by now? We're probably on the outskirts of Tokyo-2 by now!"
"Agh, I was hoping we'd find it by now!" Kensuke groaned as he lowered his camera, looking around the area of the forest they were currently in. "Maybe they've got some kind of cloaking device, or-or…" As he looked down at the ground, his eyes caught something nearby. "Hold on a minute!" Running to what he saw, he bent down and an excited look suddenly adorned his face. "Toji, Sakura! Check this out!" Going over to Kensuke with Sakura still on his back, Toji bent down slightly to see tire tracks on the floor.
"These tracks are definitely fresh, and from the looks of it, they're over old tracks as well," Kensuke noted. "I think we've finally got something! Follow me to the promised land!" Running straight ahead, Kensuke kept his camera focused on the tracks as he looked forward.
"Hey! Kensuke, wait up! I'm carrying someone here!" Toji yelled, running as fast as he could while holding Sakura on his back.
"Are we almost there?" Sakura asked. "It feels like we're finding nothing!"
"Well, we better find something soon," Toji grumbled. It was times like this that he wondered why Kensuke was obsessed with this kind of military stuff. Soon, after a few minutes of following the tracks, Kensuke stopped suddenly, forcing Toji to slow down before he and Sakura crashed into him. The three of them were in front of a pair of trees that were placed several feet apart from each other. And right past the trees was a giant golden object, bigger than any vehicle they had ever seen before.
"Woah…" Sakura gaped at the sight of the ship before them. "It's huge!"
"It's not just huge, it's beautiful!" Kensuke said as he aimed his camera up at the Ark and began filming it, going around to get every possible angle. "I've never seen something this amazing in my life! Don't you think this is the greatest thing you've ever seen, Toji?!" Excitement was coursing through every vein in his body as he continued filming, his body shaking greatly.
"Okay, I will admit this does look great," said Toji, adjusting Sakura on his back. "But now we should get out of here. I feel like we're trespassing on private property."
"Hold on, I'm not done yet!" Kensuke said as he went around. "I wonder where the entrance is. I want to see what it's like inside!"
"Isn't that illegal?" asked Sakura, who slid off Toji's back. "It doesn't look like anybody's home. We could be breaking and entering." Kensuke said nothing as he continued excitedly looking at the Ark. As he followed Kensuke and Sakura, Toji stopped when he heard a rustling noise to the side. Looking to his right, Toji saw the bushes in the distance moving around.
"Okay, now we really need to get out of here!" he exclaimed as he grabbed Sakura's hand. "There's something in the bushes there!"
"Is it one of them?" Sakura asked, clinging to her brother's side.
"Doubt it," Kensuke said, camera aimed at the moving bushes. "Whatever it is, it seems small, and those alien robots are huge. It's probably just a squirrel or…"
"RAAAWWR!" Kensuke was cut off by a loud snarling as a figure as big as them burst out of the bushes and landed in front of them. It looked like a robotic lion with missiles mounted on its sides, and it was approaching the children, growling at them. Toji was quick to put a terrified Sakura behind him as he stood his ground. Kensuke was shaking now at the Autobot before him, fear and excitement now running through his body.
"I don't believe it. It's actually one of them!"
"Yeah, and it looks like it wants to eat us!" Toji yelled, turning and preparing to run with his sister. A loud thud near him made the children turn to see a crimson rhinoceros with missiles of his own standing before them, snorting angrily himself. 'Damn it, we're surrounded!' Toji cursed as he continued holding Sakura close to him for protection.
"Nice kitty…nice rhino!" Kensuke said to the two, feeling afraid himself now. "We're not going to hurt you, we just want to look around here. Is there anything wrong with that?"
"I think there is," Sakura said with a terrified squeak. As the lion and rhino drew closer to the three…
"Hey, what's going on out here?!" Jazz asked as he came around the corner of the Ark with Blaster, Trailbreaker, Sideswipe, and Sunstreaker. They took in the sight of the children being cornered by Steeljaw and Ramhorn and figured out what was going on.
"Hey, guys!" Blaster called to his Mini-Cons. "Come on, let's step back. They're just kids!" Steeljaw and Ramhorn obeyed Blaster's command and leaped up to him, transforming into cassette tapes. Opening his deck, Blaster let the two back into him before closing it up. He then looked down at the children, who were looking up in awe and fear at the sight of the Autobots. "Sorry about that. Ramhorn and Steeljaw usually don't warm up to strangers that fast. You kids okay?"
"Y-yeah, we're fine," Toji answered, his grip on Sakura not slackening in the slightest.
"Noo…way!" Kensuke yelled in excitement, aiming his camera at the Autobots. "There's even more of you! This is awesome!"
"Hey, get that camera out of here!" Sideswipe pointed at Kensuke. "No trespassers, and no pictures!"
"And how's that going to work?" Sunstreaker asked rhetorically. "You know the humans are already aware of us. This was likely going to happen, so…" he struck a pose in front of Kensuke. "This is my good side here."
"Geez…" Sideswipe groaned with his hand on his face. Leave it to his brother to start posing for any cameras he saw.
"So, what are you kids doing all the way out here?" Trailbreaker asked.
"Well, we had heard about a giant alien ship that landed here in the forest after appearing over New York a few days ago," Kensuke explained. "And we really wanted to see if we could find it and meet you guys."
"You mean, you wanted," Toji corrected him. "Sakura and I only came because you invited me, and insisted I bring my sister along so she wouldn't be home alone."
"Well, okay," Kensuke said with his hands in the air. "Has anybody else managed to find your ship yet?"
"Believe it or not, no," Jazz answered. "You kids are actually the first ones to find the Ark."
"The Ark?" Sakura asked in confusion. "Are you preparing for a flood?"
"Uh…no, that's just what our ship is called," said Trailbreaker. "So how did you find us anyway?"
"Oh, that was easy!" Kensuke answered. "We found tire tracks on the ground several miles from here and we followed them in the hope that we'd find your ship. Given the size of the tracks, would I be correct in guessing that they belong to a Peterbilt with a trailer attached?"
"Actually, yes," Sideswipe said, looking impressed at Kensuke. "You seem to know your Earth vehicles."
"Well, I have a thing for military stuff and vehicles, as well as giant robots," Kensuke said, his camera focused on Jazz. "My name is Kensuke Aida by the way. The two with me are my friend Toji Suzuhara and his sister Sakura."
"Well, hi there!" Jazz greeted the children. "The name's Jazz. The black one with the gun hand is Trailbreaker, the red and yellow ones are the twins Sideswipe and Sunstreaker, and Blaster here is our communications chief."
"Jazz?" Toji asked with a chuckle. "What, do you play jazz music?"
"Well yeah, I can play jazz music. I can play all kinds of music," Jazz answered. "All of us Autobots can play music on our radios."
"But if you want a true music enthusiast," Blaster proudly said, "then look no further than yours truly!" The communications chief jumped up and transformed, landing in front of Kensuke as a boombox.
"A boombox?! No way!" Kensuke practically squealed in delight, filming Blaster's alternate mode. "These things haven't been around in years! How are you able to transform into one?"
"When we arrived on Earth, we looked over your Earth vehicles and objects so we could decide which ones we wanted to transform into," Trailbreaker explained. "This way it would allow us to blend in better with your population."
"I think he looks cool!" Sakura said as she ran over to Blaster, looking at the four buttons under his deck. "Which one plays the music?"
"Wait Sakura, don't touch it!" Toji warned his sister, running over to her. "It could be dangerous!" However, Toji's warning came too late and Sakura pressed the button on the far left. Instead of playing music like she hoped, Blaster's deck opened up and ejected four cassette tapes that transformed into Steeljaw, Ramhorn, and two identical Autobots that could be only identified differently by their paint jobs; one was black and the other was blue.
"Ah!" Sakura screamed at the sight of the lion and rhino from before, neither of them looking pleased. Toji was quick to put Sakura behind him, standing in front of Steeljaw and Ramhorn with a glare on his face.
"You two had better back away from my sister, or I'll turn you into tin cans!"
"Relax kid, they're not going to hurt you," the small black Autobot said as he walked over to Steeljaw and placed a hand on his back. "Just as long as you don't act hostile."
"Yeah," the blue Autobot said, petting Ramhorn's horn. "They're really harmless once you get to know them."
"Yeah, sure," Toji said, still keeping Sakura behind him for safety. "And you are?"
"Eject," the blue Autobot introduced himself before gesturing to the black one. "And this is my bro, Rewind."
"Rewind…and Eject?" Toji asked with a raised eyebrow. "Really? You couldn't have come up with better names?"
"And what names would you give us, kid? Cassette-Bot? Or maybe Robo-Tape?" Rewind asked sarcastically, making Toji look at him with a scowl.
"Oh, someone's trying to be funny. How about you come right here to my fist and…"
"Hey, hey! Let's step it back!" Blaster said as he transformed back into his robot mode, Kensuke recording the transformation with his camera. "There's no need to get violent, we're all friends here, aren't we?"
"Friends?" asked Sunstreaker. "We don't even know these kids!"
"Then maybe we can know each other better," Kensuke suggested. "Is there any chance you can let us in your ship so we can talk? Also, I really want to see the inside of an alien ship."
"Sorry kid, but that won't fly," Jazz said. "Our ship is a bit of a mess right now, and only authorized personnel are allowed in unless otherwise."
"Maybe this could count as otherwise?" Kensuke pleadingly asked.
"Sorry," Jazz said again, much to Kensuke's disappointment. "But, if you kids want, we can give you a ride and drop you off near the forest edge so you can walk back home yourself?"
"I'll have to take a pass on that," Toji turned down the offer. "I don't know how I'd feel riding in someone else, even if you can become a car."
"Toji, please?" Sakura begged her brother with big eyes. "I'm tired from all the walking earlier. Can't we let him drive us back to the forest exit?" Toji was tempted to say no, but one look into his sister's puppy-dog eyes, and he completely melted.
"All right, we can take a ride back."
"Yay!" Sakura cheered as Jazz transformed into his Porsche mode and opened his doors to allow the siblings to step inside.
"Hey, what about me?" Kensuke asked. "Porsches only have two seats, don't they?"
"Don't worry kid, I got you covered!" Trailbreaker transformed into his own vehicle mode, opening his door for Kensuke.
"No way! A Toyota camper truck?! Sick!" Kensuke exclaimed, clambering in the passenger seat and settling in the seat. "Ooh, comfortable leather!"
"Buckled in, kids? Then let's get going!" Jazz and Trailbreaker drove off into the forest, leaving Blaster, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker alone with Blaster's Mini-Cons.
"Well, those kids seemed real nice," Blaster said as he looked over to the twins. "What do you guys think?"
"Eh, that glasses-wearing one could turn the excitement dial down a notch," Sideswipe commented, a small smirk adorning his face. "Though I like that other boy's guts. Wanting to pick a fight with Steeljaw and Ramhorn? He's tough."
"Yeah, they're all right, I'll admit," Sunstreaker said. "But we really should set up a security system. Imagine if it was a Decepticon that managed to find us."
"Oh, please!" Rewind scoffed. "We could have cleaned the clock of whoever came by, especially with Sky Lynx."
"True. We just would have Blaster play some Earth music and force them away," Sideswipe said with a chuckle.
"Hey!" Blaster yelled, slightly offended by the meaning of Sideswipe's words. "You guys cramping on my style?"
"You need style first!" Sideswipe and Sunstreaker both said at the same time, making Blaster hang his head in defeat as Rewind and Eject snickered at the joke. They might have been Blaster's partners, but even they felt he needed a lesson on music and style.
"Man oh man, I got some good shots!" Kensuke looked at the footage he recorded today, an excited look on his face. "I can't wait to post these online when I get home!"
"That may not be a good idea," Trailbreaker warned the boy. "We've gotten enough media coverage as it is, and we need to keep ourselves low for right now without attracting unwanted attention, namely from the Decepticons."
"Decep-what?" asked a confused Toji.
"Decepticons," Jazz repeated. "Really nasty guys that came from the same planet as us. They want to come to your planet so they can take it over, and we're here to stop them from that."
"Is that why you're going to work with NERV?" asked Kensuke. "What about those creatures that are said to be from space as well?"
"How do you know about that?" Trailbreaker asked, an uneasiness in his voice that Jazz picked up himself, a feeling of worry in him as well. From the way Kensuke was talking, it sounded like he may very well be an Evangelion pilot himself.
"Well, I heard most of it from my dad," Kensuke explained. "He works in NERV's administration. He doesn't have that big of a position in NERV, just as one of the lower grunts."
"I see," Jazz said, slightly relieved that it wasn't what he thought it was. "What about you Toji?"
"I honestly don't know that much myself," said Toji. "My dad doesn't really work with NERV, per se. He's a construction worker, and the company he works for is contracted by NERV to build any new buildings in Tokyo-3. Whatever I heard of you guys came from Kensuke. We've been friends ever since we first met in school, and he's quite a military nut."
"Military, huh?" Trailbreaker asked. "Why would a kid like you be interested in that stuff?"
"Why? Because it's awesome!" Kensuke said. "The military has the coolest vehicles on the planet, like tanks, battleships, fighter jets! And the soldiers get to see a ton of action. And there's also those robots that NERV has been building. What I wouldn't give to get in one of those and pilot it!"
"No!" Trailbreaker immediately yelled, startling Kensuke out of his fanboying. "Trust me, you don't want to be in something like that. And you don't want to be involved in any kind of war. It's not as 'awesome' as you're thinking it to be."
"Take it from us kids, we've been fighting a war against the Decepticons for centuries," Jazz added. "And it has never been pleasant for any of us."
"Centuries?!" Toji yelled in surprise. "You mean you guys are hundreds of years old?!"
"They don't look that old," Sakura said as she felt the seat she was sitting on. "And they don't feel old either. The inside feels like it's a new car."
"Well, we don't age like most humans do," said Jazz. "But considering how long we have been around, I guess you could say we are old. But there are Autobots who are older than the rest of us."
"Wait, like grandpa Autobots?" Kensuke asked. "I'd like to meet them!"
"Please no!" Toji sighed, putting his head on the dashboard in exasperation. "Haven't you gotten enough film to last a lifetime today?"
"Aw come on!" Kensuke moaned. "Can I at least keep what I recorded?"
"Sure, just as long as you keep it to yourselves," said Jazz. "We don't really need any more intruders."
"Aw man," Kensuke slumped back in his seat. "But that's censorship."
"No, it's keeping safe," said Trailbreaker. "We can't afford to have humans dropping in at the Ark uninvited while we're fighting a war. And it's also for your safety as well. I'm sure tons of people will hound you if that gets leaked online, and the Decepticons could try and attack you for information on us and the video."
"What?" Sakura asked, looking frightened at the thought of being attacked by strangers. Toji seemed to feel the fright coming off his sister and reached over to her, putting an arm around her for safety. Ever since their mother died, Toji and Sakura mostly had themselves at home, as their father was often busy working to provide for both of them. Toji had made it a priority in his life to protect his sister from anything, and if these…Decepticons, as they were called, tried to attack Sakura, then he would make them regret it. And then he'd hit Kensuke for putting them in that position, and then slap himself for being strung up into this.
"All right kids, end of the forest," Jazz said, coming out of the mass of trees and revealing Tokyo-3 in the distance. "We'll let you out here so you can walk back if you want to."
"Okay," Toji climbed out of Jazz, helping Sakura out. Kensuke had already left Trailbreaker and was walking away, completely absorbed in his camera. He didn't even notice that he was walking out on the road.
"Hey! Kensuke!" Trailbreaker called out as he noticed it, along with Jazz, Toji, and Sakura. "You're on the road, that's dangerous!"
"Huh?" Kensuke asked as he looked up at the group. The sound of an approaching car caught Toji's attention, and he looked to the left to see a pink minivan heading straight for his friend. His eyes narrowed slightly before widening as he felt that the automobile looked vaguely familiar. But any sense of familiarity was taken over by concern and fear as he saw it heading for Kensuke, still looking at his camcorder.
"Kensuke, get out of the road!" Sakura called out as the minivan's horn honked and Kensuke finally noticed it. The glasses-wearing boy yelled in shock as the minivan came straight for him...
"Hold on, kid!" Trailbreaker quickly transformed and held out his left arm, projecting a force field that surrounded Kensuke to keep him safe from the approaching vehicle. Fortunately, the minivan screeched to a halt just as it came close to the barrier.
"Whew!" Jazz sighed in relief as he transformed himself. "That was close!"
"Yeah, but Kensuke's going to get an earful now," Toji groaned as he finally recognized the pink minivan. He saw it almost every day at school. "I know who that car belongs to."
"You do?" asked Jazz.
"Yeah," Toji said with a wince. "And it's the last person you want to get angry at you." The passenger door of the minivan opened up, allowing the occupant in the seat to step out. Looking up at the person, Kensuke took a nervous gulp when he saw that it was Hikari Horaki glaring at him angrily.
"Aida, you idiot! What the hell are you doing?!"
"S-sorry, class rep!" Kensuke stammered out a response.
"Now, now, Hikari," said the driver of the minivan, a teenage girl a few years older than Hikari with glasses and shoulder-length brown hair, as she stepped out to look at the military nerd. "Are you all right, Kensuke?"
"Y-yeah, I'm fine," Kensuke said as he relaxed.
"Hikari, don't rage at him!" a young girl with black hair tied in a bushy ponytail admonished the twin-tailed girl as she stuck her head out the window. "Can't you see he's freaked out?"
"I'm not raging!" Hikari said, turning to the girl. "He jumped out in front of us so suddenly without looking. I'm just trying to caution him!"
"Even out of school, you really are a class representative, aren't you?" the young girl asked with a knowing grin.
"Class rep!" Toji called out as he ran down the hill and toward the minivan with Sakura. "I'm really sorry about Kensuke, we just came out of the forest!"
"The forest?" Hikari asked, looking at Toji, then Sakura, and then Kensuke before realizing what was going on. She let out a sigh. "I see. You actually went robot hunting?" The girls' attention was solely on the boys and Sakura that they didn't see Jazz and Trailbreaker off to the side.
"Yeah, and we actually managed to find them!" Kensuke said excitedly as he walked over to Hikari. "You have to see-UGH!" He stopped suddenly as he felt himself walking into what felt like an invisible wall. "What the?" He felt the barrier before him. "What is this?"
"That would be my force field generator!" Trailbreaker answered. His response finally got the three girls' attention, and they looked over to see the two Autobots standing before them. Hikari gasped and her eyes widened, the older girl's jaw dropped, and the youngest one had a mix of the two reactions. "I put it up to protect you from the car."
"Woah!" Kensuke gasped in awe, feeling the barrier all over. "An actual force field, this looks awesome! If I could see it." Trailbreaker then dropped the field, much to Kensuke's disappointment as he was still feeling it.
"Yeah, old Trailbreaker's fields have really saved us in tight squeezes before," Jazz said, looking down at the trio of girls near the minivan. "So, you're friends with these kids?"
"Well, I-I wouldn't really say friends," Hikari said, regaining her speech. "We all go to the same class together in school."
"This is Hikari Horaki," Toji introduced his classmate to the Autobots. "She's our class representative."
"Representative?" Jazz looked at Hikari, interested at what he heard. "So, are you the leader of your class?"
"Not leader exactly, but I do have responsibilities in taking care of the matters concerning the class, and usually with these two," she pointed a thumb to Toji and Kensuke, "I have to straighten them out."
"But that just means you care about them, don't you?" the older girl asked with a warm smile before looking up at the Autobots. "I'm Kodama, Hikari's older sister. The little runt in the back is our sister, Nozomi."
"I told you not to call me a runt!" Nozomi scolded her sister, her face set in a pout. "I've been growing, and I'm already past Hikari's waist!"
"That means you're still short," Kodama said with a teasing grin. Nozomi simply huffed.
"Well, they're an interesting bunch," Trailbreaker muttered to Jazz. "Anyway, we have to get back to our base. You kids stay safe now!"
"Aw, you're already going?" Nozomi whined, looking at the two Autobots. "But we just met. Can't we know each other more? Maybe we can be good friends!"
"Maybe another time if we ever meet again small fry," Jazz said with a shrug before transforming with Trailbreaker. "Catch you later!" The two vehicles drove back into the forest, leaving the humans to themselves as Kensuke filmed the departure.
"All right, out with it." Hikari turned to Toji and Kensuke once Jazz and Trailbreaker were out of sight. "How much trouble did you cause?"
"We didn't cause any!" Toji insisted. "But there was a lion and a rhino that turned into cassette tapes and nearly scared us."
"And you wanted to punch one of them," Sakura pointed out.
"Yeah, in case they tried something on you!" said Toji.
'Figures,' Hikari thought with a sigh and small smile. Toji's delinquent-like behavior could be annoying at times, but she couldn't help but admire his dedication to protecting his sister, even if it meant getting into fights. She still remembered two months ago when he socked one guy for calling Sakura a 'bratty half-pint pipsqueak.'
"And we got tons of footage!" Kensuke said, holding up his camcorder for the sisters to see. "Wait until you see what we managed to get on camera!"
"Hey!" a male voice yelled out from behind the minivan. "Move your asses!" Kodama, Nozomi, Hikari, Sakura, Toji, and Kensuke all looked up to see a pickup truck behind the minivan, with the driver sticking his head out of the window, looking annoyed. "I've been sitting here for two minutes!"
"Sorry, we'll get going now!" Kodama called out. "Come on, let's get out of here!"
"Wait, is there enough space for us?" Toji asked as he eyed the minivan. "It looks too small for us."
"Don't worry, we can all fit in!" said Kodama. "Nozomi, sit between Toji and Kensuke. Sakura, you'll have to sit on Toji's lap."
"Okay," Sakura said. After a few minutes of struggling and arranging, the four of them managed to fit in the backseat of the minivan, Kodama sitting in the driver's seat with Hikari next to her.
"Yeah, check out what I got!" Kensuke showed the footage to Nozomi as the minivan drove down the street. Nozomi watched with wide-eyed wonder at the recording of the Ark, the Autobots, Blaster's transformation, and the inside of Trailbreaker's vehicle mode. "Pretty cool, huh?"
"Wow," Nozomi gasped in child-like wonder.
"They couldn't let us go in the ship though," Kensuke frowned and put away the camcorder. "I really wanted to see what kind of cool alien vehicles and weapons they had!"
"Please, if they did let you in, you'd probably never want to leave," said Hikari, knowing how much of a nerd he was with military and robots. "Still, at least none of you got in major trouble. Imagine what the class would think of that."
"Hey, I'm sure they'd think us brave for making contact with alien robots!" Kensuke said, puffing his chest out proudly.
"Or crazy," said Nozomi, deflating Kensuke.
"Still, that must have been something for you to see actual giant robots, and catch the footage," said Kodama. "I'm surprised they let you keep it."
"Yeah, but they won't let me post it online. Said they don't want the attention," Kensuke said with a pout.
"Don't forget, they said that there's some bad robots finding them, and they could use that video to find them," Toji reminded his friend, holding on to Sakura so she wouldn't fall out of his lap. "So, we may not be able to see them again either."
"I hope we can though," said Kensuke. "I'm sure the class would like to see them themselves. How about you, class rep? What do you think of them?"
"Well, they do look cool, but I'm not going to geek out like you," said Hikari. "I don't do military or giant robots." Though a small part of Hikari couldn't help but feel amazed at the sight of the Autobots, it was best to leave them be. Just because she was curious about them didn't mean she was going to intrude on their space like the boys did.
"Okay, it's bad enough you guys made these Evangelion units from Angels' bodies, but did you really have to replicate the blood as well?" Hot Rod asked with a grimace, looking up at Ritsuko. The Autobot rookie was currently on a hover platform in a large black chamber with Kup, Wheeljack, Ratchet and Bumblebee and Optimus, all on platforms of their own. The chamber was filled with an orange liquid that Ritsuko explained was LCL, the blood of the Angels. A few of the Autobots looked disturbed by this information, especially when they learned that pilots sitting in the units would be completely submerged in it. Although Ritsuko assured them that the LCL was oxygenated, allowing the pilot to breath safely, it still didn't deter them from the creepiness of it. For the Autobots, it would be the equivalent of bathing in the spilled Energon of fallen Decepticons. Currently, a long white tube, which was a test plug, sat half submerged in the liquid. And in the plug was Rei, wearing her white and blue plugsuit and her interface headset in her hair, a calm, serene expression on her face as she sat in the pilot's seat, submerged herself in LCL.
"It was necessary for the construction of the EVAs," Ritsuko said from the control room. "By being submerged in the LCL, the pilot will truly be able to synch with their EVA unit and become a part of it. In addition, the plug suit is airtight and will keep the LCL from affecting the rest of the pilot's body, cutting down on interference."
"Interference?" asked Ratchet.
"Yes, if LCL is exposed to too much human skin, then it could affect the synch rate", explained Ritsuko. "The Interface Headset is also necessary to synch." The blond-haired scientist currently stood in the testing chamber with Gendo, Fuyutsuki, and Maya. Misato was also present, leaning against the back wall of the room as she glared daggers at Gendo. Upon arriving to NERV early this morning, Misato, Hot Rod, and Kup had been told by Bumblebee and Star Saber regarding Rei's living conditions that Gendo had set up. Suffice to say, none of them were happy in the slightest, with Hot Rod feeling a strong urge to blast Gendo until Kup talked him down. Misato herself even felt a strong urge to smack Gendo in the face herself, but was stopped by the reminder that she could be fired if that happened. Being in poor conditions herself for two years after Second Impact on a boat, she felt that a child should never be in a position like that. At least the soldiers that put her there had some reason; the wars that happened as a result of Second Impact had them focusing on all of their attention on the multiple battles and disaster relief missions. What reason did Commander Ikari have for this? When she was told that Rei would be moved to her apartment building after the Commander was confronted by the Autobots, she attempted to ask the commander if Rei could move in with her, only for him to deny her request.
"Have you gotten the results yet?" Hot Rod asked, leaning back on the support rail of his platform. "This whole test thing is frigging boring!"
"They may be boring, but they're also necessary," said Ritsuko. "Through frequent synchronization tests, the pilot's synch rate is able to gradually rise up. Through sharp focus and a clear mental state, they'll be able to form a better neural link and—"
"And blah, blah blah," Hot Rod cut her off. "No offense doc, but I'm not really that into your big-brain science stuff. I know it's important a lot, but other times it makes me want to bang my head on a floor if you just ramble on about unimportant nonsense." Ritsuko huffed indignantly at Hot Rod's attitude while Gendo looked greatly annoyed. Misato stifled a laugh. Ritsuko may be her friend, but even she found herself bored to death sometimes when it came to the scientific stuff of NERV.
"Anyway," Fuyutsuki said, choosing to get back on the matter currently at hand. "Lt. Ibuki, what is the status of Rei's synch rate?"
"Let's see…" Maya said as she looked at the screen. "According to this, her synchronization rate is now reading at 37.8%...2.2% below the activation threshold."
"That's it?" Ritsuko huffed again. "That's not going to be helpful when the Angels come!"
"Well, what else do you want Rei to do to get a better rate?" asked Kup. "Do a handstand in the plug and whistle a folk tune?"
"…What," Ritsuko replied flatly, completely confused by Kup's response.
"Just ignore him," said Bumblebee. "When you're as old as Kup, you say the strangest things."
"That's enough, the test is over for today," Gendo spoke up. "I'm certain that when we have her synch test tomorrow with Unit-00, her rate will finally raise up to the desired number."
"Rei, can you hear me?" Optimus contacted the girl in the test plug.
"Yes Optimus, I can hear you," Rei answered.
"Your test has ended, so you can come out now," said Optimus. "Doctor Akagi says that your synch rate is 37.8%, very good."
"Thank you," Rei said, surprised at Optimus praising her for her accomplishment. Only the Commander before had ever praised her, whereas Doctor Akagi often acted cold and indifferent around her. As she climbed out of her tube, Rei thought back to last night in her apartment when Bumblebee spoke out concerning the state of her living arrangements. He showed clear concern for her, something which, like with praising her, only Commander Ikari had done before. When the two headed for NERV this morning, Bumblebee had taken the time to tell him more about himself to Rei. When he asked her if she did anything outside of NERV, she said that going to school and piloting for NERV was all she had to do. It was true, as that what she was programmed for. The yellow Autobot, who used to be a scout for the Autobots during the war on his home planet, Cybertron, seemed to be very friendly with her. She soon noticed that the same could be said for the rest of the Autobots she had met so far. Even the giant one that became a Tyrannosaurus Rex, Grimlock, seemed to be friendly with her despite his demeanor, which came off as constantly angry about something.
'These Autobots seem to be a very interesting group of individuals,' Rei thought to herself as she showered in the locker room, washing the LCL out of her hair. Drying herself off and changing into her school uniform once she had concluded her shower, Rei left her plug suit on the bench for the laundry team to take it and clean it of LCL. Hearing the locker room door open, Rei looked up to see Commander Ikari standing near the door, looking at her with an unreadable expression.
"Yes, Commander?"
"Rei, I would like to give these to you," Gendo reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys which Rei took. "These are the keys for your new apartment. You will be living on the same floor as Captain Katsuragi."
"Thank you, Commander," Rei said as she looked at the keys in her hand before looking up at Gendo. "Commander, may I ask a question?"
"You may."
"What do you think of the Autobots?" Rei asked, resulting in Gendo's eyes flashing briefly before looking at her with a calm, almost-calculating look.
"Well, what do you think?"
"I find them to be…intriguing," Rei answered. It was an honest answer; she had always been honest with the Commander. "They seem to be a very well-organized unit prepared for battle, though some of them seem rebellious towards authority. A few of them were also quite concerned with my well-being, especially Bumblebee."
"I see," Gendo said with a frown.
"Commander, if I may ask," said Rei. "What do you think of the Autobots?"
"Well, like you said, they do appear to be well organized, but they are too soft to be an effective fighting force," Gendo replied with a dry tone. "It is honestly an annoyance." Watching Gendo walk out of the locker room, Rei was left to ponder about Gendo's thoughts on the Autobots being an annoyance. She then remembered Bumblebee's words from last night. Feeling that this was the reason, she left the locker room herself to find the Commander. Fortunately, he was near the end of the hallway with Doctor Akagi and Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki.
"Commander, I have everything prepared for the synch test tomorrow," Ritsuko reported to Gendo. "The testing area is cleaned out and the restraining bolts are in place, along with the power cable."
"Excellent," said Gendo. "Now we can—"
"You do not trust them," Rei spoke up suddenly, catching the attention of Gendo, Fuyutsuki, and Ritsuko as they looked at Rei in mild surprise.
"What?" Gendo asked, looking confused.
"The Autobots. You do not trust them," Rei repeated. "Like NERV, the Autobots have a top priority in protecting this world and humanity from the Angels and the Decepticons. But unlike NERV, they have different methods to achieve victory in battle. That is why you do not trust them. Because their ideals and methods are much different from yours."
"What made you come to that conclusion?" asked Gendo.
"Bumblebee told me," Rei answered. "He said in times of war and life, goals can be the same, but the methods we use to achieve them can greatly differ. Is that why you do not trust them?"
"What the Autobots say should be none of your concern," Gendo replied sternly. "You should head on home now."
"But you didn't answer my question."
"I said, it's none of your concern!" Gendo yelled at Rei. "Now go home!" The blue haired girl stepped back in shock. Commander Ikari had never been angry with her before in her life, and she was unsure of how to make of this. Fuyutsuki and Ritsuko also had their own expressions of shock as well, never seeing Gendo like this with Rei.
Gendo himself looked shocked as he saw Rei's face, and for a moment he saw her staring back in fright. Taking a deep breath, Gendo looked at Rei with what appeared to be one of exhaustion and regret.
"I'm sorry Rei. I didn't mean to lose my temper."
"No, I should apologize," said Rei. "I realize now the Autobots have become a subject that displeases you to speak about. It was not my intention to anger you, I simply wondered why you did not trust them."
"We all have our reasons Rei," said Gendo. "You should head home now. Bumblebee is probably waiting for you outside. By the time you arrive to your new residence, your stuff will have been dropped off."
"Yes Commander. I shall see you tomorrow for my test." With a bow of her head, Rei turned and left the hallway. With a heavy sigh, Gendo began walking back to his office with Fuyutsuki and Ritsuko behind him, a look of annoyance on his face.
"I think I can see now why you neglected to mention to Rei about Optimus Prime's position of authority here," Ritsuko said as she boarded the elevator with her superior officers. "You think he'll persuade her away from the Scenario if given the right pushes?"
"She cannot be swayed," Gendo assured her. "She knows her place in all of this."
"Even so, this could still backfire," Fuyutsuki warned him. "Even without the Autobots' influence, Rei is still human despite her origins. So, she will still likely be prone to the same kind of traits…especially given who she came from."
"She would want this from me," Gendo said, a small hint of desperation in his voice. "I'll be close soon."
Fuyutsuki suppressed a sigh as he looked at Gendo in sadness. Despite the aura he often projected around the NERV employees and other people, the older man knew him long enough to know that deep, very deep, beneath the aura, Gendo was a broken deluded man, who hadn't been the same since the loss of one of Fuyutsuki's best students.
Ritsuko looked over at Gendo with a small look of annoyance. It honestly grated on her nerves how he still hadn't gotten over what happened ten years ago, and was trying to have it again through Rei, when Ritsuko herself was the one who had been growing close with Gendo ever since her mother died. She was actually hoping that the Autobots could pull Rei away from Gendo, if only to convince him to give up on Yui and focus on her outside of NERV.
"I think you need to relax a bit and unwind before the test tomorrow," she said as she snaked her arms around Gendo's shoulders. "Everything has been prepared, so I don't have anything to do tonight, you know."
"All right," Gendo sighed. "9:30 tonight at your place. Put the cats in another room."
"Will do," Ritsuko said with a sly grin. Gendo suppressed the urge to sneer and groan. If it wasn't for the fact that Marie left Japan ten years ago after socking him a hard one (even after all this time he could still feel the pain) and refused to see him again, he would have replaced Ritsuko long ago. The way she was always throwing herself on him at times was severely grating, making him wonder if she was just as bad as her mother was. But with Marie prepared to eventually return to Japan with her daughter, perhaps he had a chance to fully replace Ritsuko, and if her couldn't dispose of her, then maybe demote her.
"Here we are Rei! Home sweet new home!" Bumblebee announced as he pulled into the parking lot of Misato's apartment building. Hot Rod and Kup were also present with Misato standing near the former. "I guess it's a good thing you're living in the same building with Misato, huh?"
"The building is owned by a company that is contracted by NERV, so only NERV staff live in this building," Rei said as she exited the yellow car.
"And that's a good thing!" Misato exclaimed. "Since NERV owns this building, we don't have to worry about paying any rent! There's actually a few more apartment buildings around the city that NERV owns, allowing the staff to live there."
"Well, I guess that helps," Kup commented.
"Come on Rei, I can help you move in!" Misato offered the blue-haired girl as they walked into the building together.
"I appreciate the offer Captain Katsuragi, but I can handle moving in," Rei declined.
"It's no problem at all," Misato assured the First Child. "I can help give you some pointers on how to keep the place clean and help you set everything up."
"Very well," Rei said, deciding to accept if it meant Captain Katsuragi dropping the subject. She could see that while she seemed dedicated and competent when on duty at NERV, she was quite energetic off-duty, maybe a little bit for her tastes. The two females finally reached the floor where Misato's apartment, and Rei's new apartment, were situated. Misato saw three boxes outside a door that was down the hall from her own apartment.
"Is this all you have for stuff?" she asked as she opened the box on top to see a pile of school uniforms, neatly folded and stacked.
"Yes, it is all I ever needed." Rei fished the keys out of her skirt pocket and inserted one of them into the keyhole, unlocking the door and opening it. Misato took the box containing the school uniforms and followed Rei into the apartment, the girl holding the other two boxes. Looking around the apartment, Misato noticed that it was smaller than her own. While it had the usual basic stuff – a stove, a refrigerator, a living room, a table with chairs, a bedroom with a closet and a bathroom – there was not much else, no extra rooms or anything.
"So, is this…better than your last place?" Misato asked as Rei opened another box to pull out her schoolbooks. The third box contained a lamp and the dishes from the old apartment. The indigo-haired woman held back her gag reflex when she noticed how dirty some of them looked. It made her wonder how bad the place Bumblebee described was, and if Rei knew how to take care of herself. If she didn't, then Misato would teach her once she had the chance.
"Yes. This does seem more sufficient for my needs," Rei answered, walking around the apartment and taking in everything. She had to admit, the place seemed more vibrant and colorful than her previous residence. Perhaps this would help her perform her duties better with NERV.
"Well, since everything's taken care of, I say we have some fun tonight and celebrate your new place!" Misato said, taking Rei by the hand and leading her down to her apartment.
"That does not seem necessary…"
"Oh, nonsense!" Misato laughed. "I think it's time you learned how to loosen up and have some fun!" Opening the door, Misato led Rei into her apartment and to the kitchen, where Rei sat down, taking in the mess that was Captain Katsuragi's apartment. Despite the countless papers and assorted objects that lay around the area, Misato was able to maneuver her way to the fridge and open it to see all of the instant food packages.
"Hmm, let's see…Rei, what would you like? Pork ramen, or beef skillet?"
"I will have to turn down both your offers," said Rei. "I do not like the taste of meat."
"Vegan, huh?" Misato asked with a grimace as she looked through her fridge. "Doesn't look like I have many options in that department right now…wait, here we are! Vegetable curry! How about that?"
"Yes, I can eat that."
"All right, let's break this bad boy open!" As Misato pulled out a pork ramen for herself and began preparing the meals, Pen-Pen waddled into the kitchen, looking up in slight surprise to see Rei sitting in the chair he usually occupied.
"Wark!" the penguin squawked at Rei, who simply stared back. Girl and penguin stared at each other for what felt like seconds, then minutes, then hours, then days…
Until Pen-Pen blinked rapidly, eyes watering from the long staring contest. Conceding defeat to Rei in a silent battle for the chair, the flightless bird waddled to the mini fridge and walked in, where his newspaper and evening beer were waiting for him.
'What a strange creature,' Rei thought to herself. It felt strange, completely foreign really, to be eating dinner with someone besides Commander Ikari, and in a place that wasn't the NERV dining room. This would take some time for her to adjust for sure.
The next afternoon, the test cage where Unit-00 was stored was abuzz with noise. Technicians, along with Wheeljack and Ratchet, were performing final physical checks of the restraints that would keep Unit-00 in place in case something with the test went wrong. The power cable was plugged into the back, providing it with the energy needed for the test. Optimus, Bumblebee, Star Saber, Jazz, Ironhide, Chromia, Hot Rod, Kup and Grimlock stood nearby on hand to witness the test and prepare for the worst.
In the control room, Gendo stood right by the windows, observing the final adjustments. Ritsuko and Fuyutsuki were standing behind him, with Misato near the back. Maya, Aoba, and Hyuga sat in their chairs, looking over the system readings for Unit-00.
The white entry plug hung positioned over the back of Unit-00's neck, ready to be inserted at Commander Ikari's orders. Rei sat in the plug, feeling uneasy and nervous. It wasn't just that Captain Katsuragi's cooking from last night didn't agree with her stomach – it actually fascinated her how someone was able to burn an instant meal – but this was her first big test with Unit-00. She had been using the test plugs up until now for her synch test. But this was finally it, and while Rei didn't show it, she was worried that her test would go awry and she would disappoint not only Commander Ikari, but her other superior officer Optimus Prime.
Down on the floor, Bumblebee looked up at the Eva unit with a nervous expression on his face.
"Hey." The yellow Autobot looked up when he felt Chromia's hand rest on his shoulder, a reassuring warm smile on her face. "Don't worry Bee, everything will be just fine. You know Ratchet and Wheeljack, they'll have everything handled easily."
"I wouldn't be that quick on the uptake," said Ironhide. "Anything can go wrong, especially with what these things are made out of."
"Okay, restraining bolts check out!" Wheeljack contacted the control room team. "Evangelion Unit-00, secure!" The technicians quickly vacated the room once they were done, and Wheeljack and Ratchet went back to the group of Autobots near the corner of the room.
"Internal battery status?" Ritsuko asked in the room.
"The battery is currently at 15%," Hyuga reported. "If anything goes wrong, it should have about one minute of operational time. I'll have the cable eject in case it does happen."
"Good," Ritsuko nodded. "Is Rei ready?"
"She's all set, Doctor," Maya replied.
"Commander Ikari," Ritsuko turned to her superior. "We're ready to start once you give us the word."
"Begin activation test," Gendo ordered, adjusting his glasses.
"Inserting Entry Plug to Unit-00," Hyuga reported, watching the plug slide into the neck. "Primary connections established. Connection is complete."
"Flooding Entry Plug with LCL now," Maya said. "Main power now online. LCL filling process is complete. Nerve connections online."
In the entry plug, it was all dark for a few moments as Rei felt the LCL flood the plug and engulf her. Breathing easily, Rei closed her eyes as the plug suddenly lit up in an array of dazzling colors, followed by a spinning rainbow tunnel. The lights finally faded as Rei could see the inside of the cage, displayed in front of her like a screen.
"Primary contacts have been established, and are holding," Aoba pitched in. "Pilot's life signs are steady. Brain wave pattern is normal."
"What's the synch ratio?" asked Misato.
"Hold on a minute," Maya said, looking at the screen in front of her. "Synchronization ratio is…40.5 percent. She actually managed to just get it over the activation threshold, if only by a margin. Commander, should we continue?"
"Go ahead," Gendo ordered.
'So far, so good,' Hot Rod thought as he heard the entire conversation through the speakers. The other Autobots were also standing tense, including Grimlock.
"Nerve connections now being established," Maya reported. "Clear to 2580…2670…2880…"
As Maya continued reading off the numbers, Rei continued sitting calm in the plug, closing her eyes as she felt the Eva around her. It felt like a new extension of her body as she calmly took it in. So far, it was working easily. She began to feel relieved. Commander Ikari and Optimus Prime would be pleased with this –
"Ikari…Commander Ikari…"
"What?" Rei whispered in shock, hearing a faint whisper in the plug. "Who's there?"
"I can see him…he ruined my life…ruined your life! Revenge! REVENGE!"
"Counting down to absolute borderline!" Maya continued reporting in the control room. "0.9, 0.7, 0.5, 0.4, 0.3…" Her eyes suddenly widened in shock. "The pulses are flowing backwards!"
"What?!" Wheeljack yelled in shock at the news. A loud groaning noise diverted the Autobots' attention to Unit-00, which was beginning to struggle in the wall. In the entry plug, Rei began feeling herself losing control.
"What's going on up there?!" Ironhide yelled.
"Something went wrong in the third stage!" yelled Aoba.
"There aren't any inputs from the pilot at all!" Hyuga shouted as Unit-00 continued its struggle, the restraints slowly beginning to bend.
"Oh, dear Primus!" Ratchet gasped and made contact with the Entry Plug. "Rei! Regain control of Unit-00 by any means!"
"I…I'm trying!" Rei began to panic as she jerked at the controls, but they were unresponsive. "I cannot control it!"
"I can see him now…the one I trusted…the one who betrayed us!" the voice yelled out.
"Stop it!" Rei yelled as she continued jerking with the controls. "I am in control!"
"Never!" yelled the voice. "We must have revenge!" As Rei continued her attempts to regain control, she couldn't help but notice that the voice, while sounding deep and distorted, felt familiar to her.
"Deactivate Unit-00 at once!" Misato barked out in the control room, a flash of panic and worry for Rei in her tone.
"Nothing's working!" Maya replied.
"Unit-00 is rejecting every signal!" Aoba called out.
With a loud roar, Unit-00 flexed its arms and began breaking apart the restraints bolt by bolt. The shoulders were the first to break apart, followed seconds later by the forearms. Now free from its prison, Unit-00 stared right into the control room with its one eye, focused on one person in particular.
"IKARI!" the voice yelled out as Unit-00 stomped towards the windows of the room.
"By the Matrix!" Optimus whispered in horror. The other Autobots were not far behind, and even Grimlock looked wary by the rampaging Eva unit.
"Good God, it's out of control!" Fuyutsuki gasped.
"Lt. Hyuga, abort the experiment now!" Gendo ordered. "Cut off the power supply!"
"Yes sir!" Hyuga pounded on the button next to him. "Ejecting power cable!" The large cord detached from the back of Unit-00, landing on the floor with a loud clatter. "59 seconds of battery power remaining!"
"Stop it!" Rei begged as she fastened the safety restraints, realizing she would likely have to eject. "You could injure Commander Ikari and the rest of the staff!"
"That's just the idea!" the voice retorted. Unit-00 threw its right arm forward, punching the window where Gendo stood. It continued pounding away on the windows, the cracks growing larger and larger, shards falling out as the thick glass slowly began to give.
"We have to get out of the control room now!" yelled Misato. "It's gone berserk, and it looks like it's coming for us!"
"Optimus, what do we do?!" asked Jazz.
"We have to get Rei out of the Entry Plug and protect the NERV staff!" said Optimus. "Chromia, Grimlock, distract Unit-00. Star Saber, get Jazz, Bumblebee, and Wheeljack up to the back and save Rei!"
"No problem!" Star Saber quickly transformed into his jet mode and took off with Jazz, Bumblebee, and Wheeljack hanging on to him. Pulling out her sniper rifle, Chromia took aim at Unit-00's head and began firing off round after round. But the unit paid no attention to the shots, irritating as they were.
"I'm going to bite that eye out!" Grimlock roared as he transformed into his T-Rex mode. Activating the jet boosters built into his back, he took flight and rammed into Unit-00's head, which was as big as his entire dinosaur body.
"Grimlock!" Ritsuko gasped as Unit-00 staggered back from the force of the attack. Grimlock bit and clawed at the face of the Eva unit, taking out bits of flesh and armor. Inside the entry plug, Rei could feel the entity growing angered and annoyed by the attack.
"Get out of my way! I don't have much time left!" the voice inside roared. Grabbing Grimlock in its massive hand, Unit-00 threw the Dinobot leader to the floor. Grimlock bounced several times before transforming back into his robot mode.
"Ugh…" Grimlock groaned from being thrown so hard. Not even Devastator or Bruticus packed this much strength!
"Unit-00! Stop this at once!" Rei angrily yelled out. "The Autobots are our allies!"
"Anyone that tries to stop my revenge will pay the price! Including you!"
As Star Saber attempted to maneuver his way to the back of Unit-00, the armor plating covering the area where the Entry Plug was inserted was suddenly blasted off.
"Hey! What's happening?!" asked Jazz.
"The auto ejection system has been activated!" Maya yelled.
"Damn it!" Gendo cursed at the news. "Abort the sequence now!"
"All of our signals have been severed, Unit-00's not listening anymore!" Hyuga exclaimed.
The Entry Plug was unscrewed from its place in the unit before rockets fired up, sending the Plug careening into the air.
"Hang on Rei!" Star Saber called out as he flew quickly. "I got-UGH!" The entry plug moved faster than the Autobot second-in-command thought and it struck him in the wing, sending both Star Saber – along with his passengers – and the Entry Plug spinning in opposite directions. Star Saber crashed to the floor with a loud thud, transforming into robot mode as the three Autobots with him shared a harsh landing as well. The Entry Plug spun around, crashing into a wall before sliding up into the ceiling, ricocheting around the edges like a giant bullet before crashing into a corner. Sparks flew as the Entry Plug flew in place, spinning around like a screw.
"Oh no, Rei!" Bumblebee shouted.
"That's it!" Grimlock transformed again and flew straight for Unit-00. "This time I'll…"
"Away!" Unit-00 threw up its arm before Grimlock, erecting a barrier that slammed into Grimlock, sending him crashing to the ground again.
"What was that?!" Ironhide yelled, surprised at the barrier.
"That must have been the A-T Field!" Ratchet gasped in realization. "The barrier of the Angels!"
"Ten seconds of power remaining!" Hyuga reported.
"Optimus, you and the Autobots clear out now!" Ritsuko called into the cage. "We're activating the Bakelite suppression system. It'll stop Unit-00's rampage!"
As the bridge technicians began activating the systems, the Entry Plug's ejection rockets finally depleted their fuel. The plug stopped spinning and began descending to the floor at a rapid pace before landing with a rough clatter.
"REI!" both Bumblebee and Gendo shouted, horrified at what they just saw.
"Oh, no!" Optimus voiced in worry.
Compartments in the walls opened up around Unit-00, allowing a thick burgundy liquid to spray out at Unit-00, in an attempt to restrain it. The berserk Evangelion began punching the wall in response. But its energy was slowly running out.
"Power offline in T-minus seven seconds!" Maya announced. "Five…four…three…two…one…zero! Unit-00 is now offline!" The orange Evangelion slumped forward, its outstretched right fist embedded in the wall. The Bakelite that had formed up to its lower half instantly solidified, forming a mountain of burgundy solid matter.
Once the staff was sure that Unit-00 was completely offline, Gendo rushed down to the Entry Plug, which sat on the edge of the Bakelite mountain, boiling LCL pouring out of several cracks it suffered when it crashed. Misato was not too far behind, with Bumblebee running toward the Plug as well with Star Saber and Grimlock
Gendo was the first to reach the Plug. Grabbing the handles of the emergency hatch, he pulled hard, only to feel a searing pain in his hands. "AAAGGHHH!" Yelling in pain from the burning handles, Gendo let go of the handles, staggering back. Slipping in the LCL, Gendo fell to the floor, his glasses falling off his face and into the puddle. Standing back up, Gendo grabbed the handles again, grunting as he felt the hot metal sear his hands again.
"Move!" Gendo grunted as he felt a big hand knock him back. Staggering into Misato, Gendo looked up to see Bumblebee had pushed him away from the plug. "You're going to burn your hands off! I need some help here!"
"I got this!" Bending down in front of the plug, Grimlock drove his fingers into the top of the Plug, and ripped it off like a soda can.
"Rei!" Bumblebee called out as he looked into the Plug to see the pilot. What he saw was a horrible sight. Rei was unconscious in her seat, blood leaking from her head and running down her face. Her plugsuit was torn in several places, blood flowing from the injuries. Her right arm was bent at an unnatural angle, and her left foot was facing the wrong direction.
"Rei!" Bumblebee called again to the girl. "Rei, are you all right?!"
"B…Bumble…Bee…?" Rei groaned, eyes cracking open slightly to see her Autobot bodyguard looking at her with a pleading expression. Optimus ran over, gasping at the sight of the mangled girl.
"Ratchet! Rei needs to be transported to the NERV hospital at once!" Gendo's and Misato's eyes widened in terror as they finally saw Rei's state as the girl was carried out of her plug by Bumblebee. Ratchet ran towards the group and transformed into his ambulance mode.
"Get her inside, quickly!" Acting as fast as he could without making her injuries worse, Bumblebee loaded Rei into Ratchet's back, where robotic arms came out of the sides to move her on a gurney that rose up from the floor.
"Commander, you should go as well," Misato told Gendo. "Your hands…!"
"Yes, I know!" Gendo gasped with a sharp breath. As much as his hands hurt, Rei's current state was more concerning for him. Walking to the ambulance, Gendo climbed into the back, sitting on a seat that folded out of the side. As Ratchet sped out of the cage and towards the hospital with his siren blaring loudly to clear a path, Gendo looked at the unconscious girl, feeling guilt, sorrow, and fear over putting her in this place.
'Damn it, don't do this to me,' he thought desperately. 'I can't lose you a third time…Yui.'
As Ratchet pulled into the hospital area, a group of paramedics came running out with a stretcher. Wheeljack came in moments later with Ritsuko and Misato sitting in him, Bumblebee, Optimus, Hot Rod and Kup following close by. Fuyutsuki climbed out of Optimus as the other Autobots transformed into their robot modes.
"Prep an operating room immediately!" Ritsuko yelled to the medics. "The First Child is our top priority right now!" Once Rei and Gendo were out, Ratchet immediately transformed into his robot mode.
"I have some equipment at the Ark that could help with Rei's surgery," the Autobot medic said. "I'll need it brought here ASAP. I can assist if necessary!"
"Do you even know anything about the human body?" Misato questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes, I have studied your primitive anatomy. Despite the mess it is compared to Cybertronian bodies, the human organic system is similar somewhat."
'Primitive?' Ritsuko thought incredulously. 'If only he knew about Rei's biology. He's likely blow a gasket.' Minutes later Sky Lynx came flying in through the air transportation lifts. Landing on the ground, his back opened up, allowing Trailbreaker, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker to run out with a crate of supplies.
"Here! These should help you," Trailbreaker said as he passed the crate to Ratchet. Once the medic had the crate, he turned to Ritsuko.
"Is there a place I can set up this equipment quickly? Time is short for Rei."
"Yes, this way!" Ritsuko gestured to a nearby area. In a matter of moments, a large tent had been erected to allow Ratchet, Ritsuko and the medical team to work on Rei. A small separate team led Gendo away to tend to his burnt hands. The hours passed by as the Autobots, Misato and Fuyutsuki waited outside the tent. All of them were on edge and worried for Rei's safety. Misato wished she had a beer to calm her nerves, but she knew this wasn't the right time for a drink. Optimus looked down to see Bumblebee standing near Sky Lynx's leg, shaking slightly with a worried look on his face. He could tell this was eating away at him, as he was assigned to be Rei's guardian, but was feeling like he failed her.
"Don't worry lad," Kup assured the small Autobot. "This is Ratchet we're talking about. He'll make sure Rei makes it off his table alive."
"Ritsuko's no slouch either in the medical department," Misato added. "She's gonna make it out."
"I knew something like this would have likely happened," Wheeljack said morbidly. "But during a test? What could have gone wrong with the synchronization?"
"We're not entirely sure ourselves, but this isn't the time to think on that," Fuyutsuki said, looking at the massive tent with his own worried expression. His eyes then caught Gendo standing near the edge of the tent, his hands now covered in a pair of white gloves, and a new pair of sunglasses covering his eyes. Despite standing still and having a stoic look on his face, Fuyutsuki knew Gendo was greatly worried for Rei, having heard him yell her name in fear during the rampage.
Eventually, Ratchet walked out of the tent and to the group that had gathered.
"What's the extent of her injuries?" asked Optimus.
"None of it good," Ratchet answered sadly. "Her right arm was fractured in multiple places and her left ankle was twisted. She has bruised internal organs, fractures in other bones, and a swollen brain from a severe concussion."
"But you were able to heal her, yes?" Gendo asked. "You said your technology is more advanced than ours."
"It wasn't easy, since we couldn't take off her plugsuit without causing more damage to her body," Ritsuko said as she rolled out Rei on a gurney. The blue-haired girl was covered in bandages all over her body. Her right eye was covered with a patch, and her right arm and left leg were fixed with what appeared to be cybernetic braces. "Fortunately, we were able to close up the wounds and stop the bleeding. The braces she's wearing are made from Cybertronian technology. Nanobots in them will slowly heal her arm and leg. We were able to bring down the swelling as well. I have to admit, Cybertronian technology really does seem like it could help us in the future."
"How long will it be until she's fit for duty again?" asked Gendo.
"Even with the braces healing her, it's going to take at least two months before she's able to step into an Entry Plug again," said Ratchet. "Until then, she is not to be moved from bed."
"Thank you Ratchet," Misato sighed in relief, Bumblebee following her immediately in said action. Even Gendo, despite having a stern-looking face again, relaxed his composure hearing this news.
"Let's get her to a room now," Ritsuko pushed gurney to the hospital area. As she was being placed in her bed, Rei's eyes cracked open for a minute, thinking about what happened in the cage.
'Why did…Bumblebee…save me back then? I could have…just been replaced…like before. What happened back there? Who was that voice?' Whatever thoughts she had began to slowly fade away as she lost consciousness again, her final thought on two people. 'Optimus Prime…Commander Ikari…forgive me. I failed you. I'm not worthy…to…be a…pilot…'
"A complete rampage?!" Perceptor asked in shock as the Optimus's team reported to Elita and Magnus the events of Unit-00's failed test. Optimus, Ratchet, Star Saber, Bumblebee, Jazz, Hot Rod, Kup, and Wheeljack were currently on the bridge.
"Yeah, it completely tore off the restraints and tried to kill the NERV staff in the control room!" said Jazz. "It even knocked Grimlock and Star Saber down with that AT Field thing!"
"And the pilot?" asked Elita in concern.
"She was gravely injured but Ratchet and Doctor Akagi were able to save her," said Star Saber. "She's healing, but she won't be ready for two months."
"How could this have happened?" asked Hoist.
"There isn't anything concrete yet regarding this," said Wheeljack, "but Doctor Akagi believes that mental instability on Rei's part was a primary cause."
"Mental instability?" Perceptor asked with a hand under his chin. "What do you suppose caused that?"
"Apparently, when Rei was a young child, her parents were killed in front of her," said Ratchet. "She was alone for a while before Gendo Ikari found her and took her in. The Marduk Institute, tasked with finding Evangelion pilots, found and selected Rei as the First Child after she was taken in."
"And I don't think Rei ever got the proper help for dealing with that," said Bumblebee, a scowl on his face. "She's been acting completely withdrawn with almost all of us ever since we first met her, and she barely noticed how much of a dump she was living in before I pointed it out to her."
"And Commander Ikari is supposed to be her guardian?" Elita asked with a disgusted look on her face. "What was he thinking? Does he even care about Rei?"
"That's the strange part," said Wheeljack. "When Rei's Entry Plug crashed, Ikari himself was the first person to run to it. He even burned his hands trying to open the emergency hatch before Grimlock tore it open. And during the surgery, he looked…worried."
"Oh, please," Hot Rod scoffed. "From what I've seen of this jerkface Ikari so far, I bet he wasn't even thinking about Rei. He was probably just putting on an act."
"If he was, then he's definitely a good actor," Kup admitted. "Definitely had me fooled with his Allicon tears."
"This is most confusing," said Perceptor. "Adding to that, we barely know anything about Rei Ayanami herself."
"Is there anything we can find out about her besides that she has dead parents, is adopted by NERV's commanding officer, and she's more antisocial than Grimlock?" asked Hoist.
"Rei has little to no personal records," said Wheeljack. "According to Doctor Akagi, Rei's parents were killed by an arsonist that burned down their house, and Rei was the only survivor. Any personal records were likely destroyed in that fire."
"That seems a little suspicious," Nightbeat said as he appeared on another screen. "She's brought in by the commanding officer of NERV right before she's chosen as a pilot. And on top of that, one of the children selected is the daughter of one of NERV's veteran staff."
"And knowing you Nightbeat, it's probably no coincidence," Kup told the resident Autobot detective.
"Yes, I believe there is something sinister going on with NERV," said Nightbeat. "We were finally able to get Asuka Langley Soryu's records. This will get your attention. Her deceased mother, Kyoko Zeppelin Soryu, was a founding member of NERV, and the creator of Evangelion Unit-02." All of the Autobots on the bridge were left stunned by the revelation.
"So that's three Evangelion pilots with familial or personal ties to the NERV staff," said Ratchet. "All of them chosen by an institute…that works for NERV."
"You think NERV paid off this Institute to deliberately make these kids pilots?" asked Hot Rod.
"I'm not entirely sure yet," Nightbeat replied. "Prowl and I have been trying to do more digging, but what we've found hasn't yielded many results."
"Continue investigating as best you can Nightbeat," Optimus ordered. "Be covert as possible, and do not attract unwanted attention, and do not be hasty in your conclusions. Until we have solid evidence of NERV committing something truly heinous, we cannot afford to act. Especially with the threat of the Decepticons and Angels looming close by."
"Anyway, getting back on track with Rei," said Hoist. "If she has mental instability…"
"Then it likely means she's never been able to cope properly over the loss of her parents," said Hot Rod. "Add in the fact that she's likely been alone all of this time in her old place, and it's no wonder she's so messed up and caused Unit-00 to go crazy."
"And when you put in the fact that her guardian isn't exactly a guy that will give you that warm and fuzzy feeling inside," said Jazz. "Gets even worse."
"So, what do we do now Optimus?" asked Hot Rod.
"Hoist, Perceptor, I want you to closely observe any future synch tests with Eva Units 02 and 05, especially with Unit-05 as the pilot is newly selected. Elita, Magnus, continue with aiding the staff as well, and be on the lookout for any Decepticon activity."
"We're on it Optimus," Elita gave a finger salute before signing off. Once the screen went dark, Bumblebee collapsed in a chair with his head in his hands.
"I should have acted faster," he said looking down at the floor. "When Unit-00 began breaking free, I should have tried to run to it before it completely broke free. If I did, maybe I could have gotten Rei out with no problem. But what happened caught me off-guard, I…I couldn't move at all until it was nearly too late. I was meant to protect her, and…"
"You are not to blame for Rei's current situation Bumblebee," Optimus sat down next to the smaller Autobot. "We were all caught off-guard by Unit-00's sudden rampage."
"So, what should we do now about this?" asked Wheeljack. "As much as I hate to admit it, we'll need a full team for this war, but I don't think putting Rei back in Unit-00 is a good idea."
"At least not in Rei's current mental state," said Star Saber. "Perhaps if we reached out to Rei, offer her the comfort she clearly needs, it will not only allow her to be more open with us, but it could also give her a better chance of synching with Unit-00."
"Could it help her though?" asked Kup.
"I think so," said Bumblebee. "I haven't know Rei that much yet, but I do know something that's important. Rei needs help. She needs friends."
Three weeks had passed since the disaster that was Unit-00's failed synch test. The orange Evangelion unit remained where it stood in the cage, encased in Bakelite with its arm outstretched, punching the wall before it. Nobody had entered the cage since then, and the destroyed Entry Plug continued to lay where it rest after its crash landing. Three days ago, Rei finally awoke from her coma and to everybody's surprise, she still wanted to pilot Unit-00, which she deemed her purpose. Ratchet advised against it until she was fully healed. Despite the braces healing her arm and leg, she was still required to wear casts and stay in bed until further notice. Despite wanting to protest, she knew better than to argue with Ratchet. When it came to medical affairs, Ratchet clearly outranked even Commander Ikari in the final say. As she lay in bed one night, Rei's thoughts drifted to the voice she had heard in Unit-00 when she lost control. She was aware that there had to be a soul in it to power it up, but who was it? And why were they so angry with Commander Ikari? And why did the voice seem…familiar?
'Whoever they are, I will not allow them to succeed a second time,' Rei thought with a fierce determination. 'I am the pilot, and Unit-00 will listen to me. I will not fail Commander Ikari a second time.'
"This is a complete mess," Ritsuko sighed, sitting in her office with Fuyutsuki. "Unit-00 will be out of commission until further notice, and Ratchet is being extremely careful with Rei's treatment. If the Autobots weren't breathing down our necks before, then they certainly will now. At this point, I'm surprised they haven't found out about the Scenario, even with the files now on paper. But it's only a matter of time."
"Perhaps, but with the war approaching, they'll likely have their hands full with the enemy," said Fuyutsuki. "Our biggest concern right now is preparing for the arrival. With Rei injured and Mari still training in America, we will have to hasten with Asuka's transfer."
"It will take the Second Child a month at best to arrive in Japan," Gendo said as he suddenly arrived in the office. "By the time she arrives it will be too late."
"Sir?" asked Ritsuko.
"I just spoke with Chairman Keel. Sachiel will arrive in a week."
"A week?!" Fuyutsuki asked with widened eyes. "We're practically out of time then! Even with the Autobots, we can't defeat the Third Angel without a fully functional Evangelion."
"And we will have one," Gendo assured his Sub-Commander. "Because on the day Sachiel arrives, we will bring him in. I'll have Captain Katsuragi pick him up."
"You mean…the Third Child?!" Ritsuko gasped, realizing the meaning behind Gendo's words.
"But he has no training!" Fuyutsuki argued. "He could very well die!"
"All of us could," said Gendo. "But he will survive. Surely the Autobots will not allow another child to be injured."
"And what if he doesn't want to pilot?" asked Ritsuko, an eyebrow raised. "You know this will be the first proper time in ten years that you'll have extended contact with him. He won't take your presence well and he could refuse."
"He will not refuse," Gendo replied calmly. "Because I'll give him no choice." Fuyutsuki and Ritsuko looked at Gendo, who had a calm yet determined look on his face. It was clear there would be no arguing with him on this decision.
"Very well then," Ritsuko sighed in defeat. "I'll begin the preparations for Unit-01."
"Then I'll set things up for the Institute to…find him," said Fuyutsuki. "And we should also send a letter to his residence."
"I'll send it to him," stated Gendo. "It will give him more motivation to come if I personally invite him. Now go and make the preparations."
"Yes sir," Fuyutsuki and Ritsuko both said. As Ritsuko began working on her computer, Gendo and Fuyutsuki exited the office and went their separate ways. As Fuyutsuki walked towards his office to prepare the reports, a feeling of unease and dread was building up in him. The Autobots would have to know about the Third Child, but given how there were problems brewing between them and Gendo as of late, then the identity of the child would certainly be the breaking point.
Gendo walked into an observation room that looked over a certain cage. Turning on the lights, Gendo took in the sight of Evangelion Unit-01, its face on even level with the window, as if staring into it. He placed a hand on the window as he looked at the purple and green mecha with a look of longing on his face.
"Don't worry Yui," he spoke softly. "He's coming home. It's only a matter of time before we will all be together again. I know you never wanted him to pilot, and neither did I. But it will all be worth it in the end. That is, if the Autobots do not cause any more problems for the Scenario."
"Have things been progressing well on your ends?" Optimus asked Elita and Magnus on the bridge.
"All right so far," Elita responded. "Asuka's synch tests with her Eva unit have been going surprisingly well. It may likely because of her longer status as a pilot than the other children. But she's refusing to let us do any modifications or extra work on her unit. The closest she's been doing is allowing Hoist to look it over, but that's about it. She doesn't want any of the weapons we've been offering her, and she's also been getting on the nerves of some of my team here, notably Slug, Brawn and Red Alert. Warpath's actually taken a liking to her, sees her as a one fiery fighter."
"It sounds like her issues stem from pride," said Star Saber. "Giving her status as a senior Eva pilot, she may have likely formed a high opinion of herself, with others sharing that same opinion. I've seen it before with many great warriors. Skilled they may be, they will often let their reputation get the better of them, and it could lead to them underestimating their opponents and refusing assistance, and in turn, it could lead to their downfall."
"What about Mari and Unit-05?" asked Ratchet.
"So far, she's only been doing synch tests in the testing chambers," said Magnus. "After hearing what happened to Rei, Doctor Illustrious has insisted on doing daily tests in the test plug before going into Unit-05. She says that she wants Mari to have a synch rate past 40% before she lets her into Unit-05. She believes that having a low synch rate suddenly spike up in the Eva unit upon first activation may have also led to Unit-00's rampage, in addition to Rei's mental instability."
"She clearly wants to keep her daughter from being injured like Rei," said Optimus. "I can respect that greatly."
"What about you Optimus?" asked Elita. "With Rei injured, you don't have an Evangelion pilot yourself right now in good condition."
"A problem that will be rectified shortly," said Optimus. "I spoke with Commander Ikari yesterday, and he has informed me that the Third Child, the designated pilot of Unit-01, will be brought to us in a week."
"Finally, he does something right," Elita mumbled before speaking up again. "So, who is the Third Child?"
"That is for the Marduk Institute to determine," said Ratchet. "Supposedly, they are tasked with finding the pilots. With any luck, they'll find a pilot before the week is out—"
"Optimus!" Wheeljack drove onto the bridge and transformed, stopping in front of Optimus with a wide-eyed expression. "Doctor Akagi…she just informed me that the Third Child has been found!"
"Good," Star Saber said. "Have they identified him?"
"Yes, and…I couldn't believe it myself!" said Wheeljack.
"Believe what?" asked Ratchet. "What is it?" What Wheeljack said next was the last thing any of the Autobots on the Ark's bridge or on screen expected to hear.
"The Third Child's name…it's Shinji Ikari! He's Gendo Ikari's son!"
Megatron stood on an observation deck with Deathsaurus and Starscream, overlooking the project they had been working on ever since their arrival to Earth three years ago. Progress had been slow at first given their limited understanding of what was meant to be built, but after Soundwave and Shockwave managed to hack into multiple files, everything had unfolded before them, and for Megatron, a new plan that would ultimately lead to his victory had begun. And after three years, the time was drawing nearer.
"Lord Megatron!" Shockwave called from above, standing on a higher platform with the Constructicons Scrapper and Mixmaster. "We are almost with the completion of the project."
"All we need now are the right components for these things," Scrapper motioned to three giant objects that were obscured in the shadows.
"Excellent," said Megatron. "Look through the files and determine which ones will suffice."
"That will hardly matter my liege," said Deathsaurus. "After all, our choices are nigh-infinite. If one falls, we can simply replace them."
"I still believe this is a waste of time and resources," Starscream sneered at what was being worked on by Bonecrusher, Long Haul, Hook, and Scavenger. "How is this going to secure our ensured victory over the Autobots?"
"This is only one of several plans I have in place Starscream," Megatron answered his air commander. "If this doesn't go as well as I intend for it, then we can simply fall back on another."
"Yes," Deathsaurus agreed. "That is the greatest advantage we have in this war now. The Autobots and NERV may think themselves prepared, but they will be unable to prepare for what we know, and what we have ready. At last we will have our revenge."
'And I will finally ascend to my proper place in the Decepticon hierarchy,' he finished as a thought, looking at Megatron and Starscream with a sharp gleam in his eyes. 'Soon your time will end.' The door to the observation platform opened and Soundwave came in, kneeling before his leader.
"Pattern Blue detected in outer solar system," he said. "The Third Angel will arrive in one week."
"Good," said Megatron. "So, our readings were correct. I knew they read true, but a double-check didn't hurt."
"With the Third Angel arriving, perhaps now is the time for us to strike!" said Starscream. "Lord Megatron, I will assemble the Seekers and launch an assault on NERV immediately. They will be too crippled for Sachiel's arrival."
"No, Starscream!" Megatron snapped. "We are to not act until I say so! Soundwave, deploy Barricade and Spinister to Japan and have them observe for now."
"As you command Megatron," Soundwave said with a bow of his head. Megatron then turned to Starscream, giving off a glare that made the treacherous Decepticon recoil in fear.
"Yes, Lord Megatron. I live to serve you," he said with a bow as he thought to himself. 'For now at least. With the special cargo we managed to secure back on Chaar, I will soon use it to finally achieve my rightful place as the Decepticons' supreme leader!'
"The time draws near," said Deathsaurus. "Soon the Angels will descend from the heavens to wreak their vengeance on humanity in the name of Adam. But from the ashes of the war, we Decepticons will ascend to take control as the new gods of this world!"
"Yes! Soon, the ultimate victory will be mine!" Megatron threw back his head, an evil laugh escaping his lips. Before long NERV would truly understand the power of the Decepticons and the Angels, and the world will never be the same again.
END CHAPTER 5
"Hot Rod here. As the Third Angel finally arrives, we end up getting stuck in the middle of the worst family reunion ever!"
Next time: Angel Attacks
And done.
And with that, we've now been introduced to Mana Kirishima and the Trident project, as well as Kyoya Kenzaki from the Secret of Evangelion video game. Mayumi Yamagishi is also a part of this as well. In the video game Second Impression I am aware that Mayumi was adopted by someone who worked in the United Nations, but there have been Evangelion fanfictions that have done her differently, along with Mana and the Trident project. So I decided to have my own way of doing this as well. Don't expect the Trident units to be ready just yet, since I want to bring Asuka, Shinji and Mari into Japan first and have them meet Optimus.
And there was the big selling point of this chapter besides Trident: Rei and her synch test. I'm not going to lie, writing how Rei looked when Bumblebee and Grimlock pulled her out of the plug left me a little bit queasy, but seeing how the anime never really showed how she would have looked after that crash, besides a little bit of blood from her head in Rebuild, I decided to show the full extent of something like that. And of course, there were a few differences, such as Misato being present this time around. And while Gendo still burned his hands like in canon, Bumblebee and Grimlock were the ones to get her out of the plug.
Some of you may be a little caught off-guard by Gendo's outburst at Rei of all people, but at this point the Autobots have been interfering in NERV's business so much that it's driven Gendo up the wall, so much that even a collected individual like him would eventually snap. Do recall that in canon Gendo had his big plan laid out ahead of time and had predicted much of what would happen. But the Autobots have so far proven to be major disruptions. And by now, this is just the first month of the Autobot-NERV alliance's formation. The Decepticons are just going to make things worse once they finally step into the spotlight, so much that SEELE may have to send…a certain someone…ahead of schedule if it comes to that.
And there is also how Gendo reacted to seeing Rei get hurt, as well as his thought process regarding Shinji's imminent arrival. Keep in mind that while Gendo may never win the Father of the Year award, he was, in the end, just as broken mentally and emotionally as much of the rest of the Evangelion cast, with Yui's "death" wrecking him. He wanted to be a good parent to Shinji, but he never knew how to be one. But as much as it hurts losing someone you truly love, it still doesn't excuse what Gendo did to Shinji and the others in canon, the manga, and Rebuild.
Next time, the time has come to finally say five little words:
"GET IN THE EVA, SHINJI!"
