Disclaimer –
The original story Neon Genesis Evangelion, its characters and all other trademarks are used without permission. The originals are mine, and will be named in the author notes of the first chapter they appear in. I will be making no profit from this story.
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Evangelion Chronicles
by Room3
Chapter 04 - Painful Lessons
"How they doing?" Makoto asked as he entered the harmonics lab, his eyes taking in the scene. Maya was sat at her usual console, with Dr. Akagi behind her, checking figures. Another technician manned the other console, but the bespectacled lieutenant didn't recognise him.
"Fine," Ritsuko answered, looking over at him as he wandered over to her position. "Rei's synch-ratio is the same as it has been for the last couple of months."
"What about Shinji?" Hyuga enquired, staring at the faces in the video windows on the observation window.
"He's gained a couple of points since the battle," Maya informed him cheerfully.
"But he's still behind Rei by a fair bit," Akagi added. Despite her tone, she was cautiously optimistic. He had increased his score far more than she had thought he would have been able to.
"He looks tired," the pilot rep. commented, noticing the fatigue on the third-child's face.
"Well, this is the longest harmonics test he's had, so that's natural," the doctor stated calmly.
"How much longer?" Makoto asked.
"Another couple of minutes or so," the blonde doctor replied, checking the timer on Maya's console. She wrote something down on the clipboard in her arms. "By the way, we'll be running an activation test on Unit 00 on Monday," she added.
"You sure that's a good idea, doctor?" Hyuga questioned.
"Don't worry, it won't be a full power test," Ritsuko assured him, "and Unit 00 will be in full restraints."
"It'll be okay Makoto," Ibuki said, glancing over at him. "The first sign of anything wrong and we'll shut it down. Rei won't be at any risk."
"It was gonna happen sooner or later," the bespectacled shrugged, pushing his worry aside and placing his full trust in the petite brunette. He looked up at the first-child, pleased to note the swelling around her eye had completely gone. A short time later, a beeping sound pierced the silence.
"Data collection complete," the technician at the second console announced.
"Shut it down," the doctor ordered, leaning forward. She tapped a short sequence of keys on her assistant's console, opening a voice link to the pilots. "That's all for today," she told them. "You two can go now."
"Um... Doctor Akagi?" the third-child's voice intoned over the link, his tone uncertain.
"Yes, Shinji?" the blonde asked.
"I thought you wanted me to do a practise run in Unit 01," Ikari said.
"That was the plan," Akagi told him, "but this test ran longer that I'd intended. Best if you get some rest. We can do the practise run tomorrow."
"Okay," the boy responded.
'Glad he bought it,' Ritsuko thought. She had wanted him to do the run, even considering how tired he would be as a result of the harmonics test, but she'd remembered a promise she had to keep. And there would be no harm in letting the boy skip one day's practise.
- - -
Katsuragi tore the target sheet down and held it in front of her. She grimaced - the sight on her gun was out slightly. She put a fresh target sheet in the holder and hit the button on the side of the booth. The motor kicked in and the sheet was pulled backwards, fluttering slightly as it came to a stop at the distance the captain had preset.
She picked up the ear-protectors and slipped them on before donning the yellow tinted safety glasses. Satisfied with the way the glasses sat, she picked up her pistol and inserted the full clip that sat beside it on the ledge in front of her. Releasing the safety and cocking the weapon, she adjusted the sight slightly and pointed it at the target. Planting her feet firmly on the ground, she put her left hand on the butt of the gun and closed her left eye. Taking aim carefully she gently squeezed the trigger. The paper target fluttered as the bullet passed through it.
Misato lowered the gun slightly and looked at the target. Satisfied, she raised it once more and squeezed off a couple more rounds.
'I need to practise more,' she thought as she waited of the sheet to stop moving. 'You always used to tell me that I should practise, practise, practise if I ever want to do anything, didn't you, daddy?' She sighed and lowered the gun, thumbing the safety back on. 'I know, I know. You think we shouldn't be using the children the way we are, but there is no other way.' She reached up and pinched the bridge of her nose, pushing the safety glasses up slightly in the process.
'We need the Eva's to defeat the Angels. And we will defeat them, I promise you that. Nothing is going to stop me from making that happen. Nothing and no-one!' She flipped the safety off and squeezed off the rest of the clip.
Ejecting the empty clip, she pressed the button on the side of the booth again and the target sheet fluttered forward. She pulled off the ear-protectors and safety glasses, dropping both on the ledge before her. The target sheet stopped in front of her and she ripped it down, holding it up to examine her accuracy.
"Good morning, captain," a male voice said, distracting her. She looked in the direction the voice had come, frowning at being interrupted.
"Lieutenant," she responded coldly, turning her attention back to the paper in her hands, intending to ignore the long-haired technician.
Shigeru walked over to her booth and whistled as he saw the cluster of holes in it. "You are good," he commented. "But aren't you supposed to aim for the chest?"
"Head shots guarantee success," Katsuragi answered coldly. "I can do better," she muttered, balling the sheet up and throwing it into the waste bin. She picked up the two empty clips and her pistol and walked passed him.
"Bye, captain," Aoba called as she disappeared from view.
- - -
"Are you sure it's a good idea to do it so soon?" Kouzou asked as he and Doctor Akagi exited his office. The blonde woman had just informed him of the timing of the activation test for Unit 00.
"Not completely," Ritsuko replied as the door hissed shut behind her. "That's why it's not going to be a full power test. And why it'll be completely restrained," she added as the two of them headed towards the professor's destination.
"So there will no danger to Rei?" Fuyutski enquired as they passed a flight of stairs leading towards the upper levels of headquarters.
"None," she assured him. "At the first sign of anything unusual the test will be aborted."
"Glad to hear it. The sooner Unit 00 is ready for combat the better."
"I agree," the doctor informed him as he stopped by an elevator. He pulled a keycard from his pocket and inserted it into the slot next to the door. A few moments later the card ejected and the doors opened. "We need to have a back up," she said as the pair got into the elevator car.
"Speaking of which, how's the 'Gemini' project coming along?" the grey-haired man asked as he pressed the button for the relevant level.
"Phase one is already underway," Ritsuko told him as the car began its descent. "We should be able to proceed to phase two in ten weeks if all goes well."
"Excellent," the head of Nerv commented. There was silence for a few moments, punctuated only by the whirring of the elevator mechanism. The car came to a halt with a slight judder and the doors slid open. "I assume you've heard about the incident in Germany," he said as he stepped out into the corridor and turned to his left.
"The failure of Unit 02's thermal regulatory system? Yes, sir."
"And?"
"You don't have to worry. Both Units 00 and 01 use a different system entirely. They've also just undergone a level three diagnostic and maintenance check," Akagi assured her superior, falling in step beside him. "But I've scheduled a test of both systems just to be on the safe side."
"I imagine the pilot had a few choice words to say," Kouzou chuckled.
"Knowing the second-child I'm sure they did," the blonde agreed. "At least they weren't hurt, just a little dehydrated."
"Any word on when Unit 02 will be transferred here?" the professor enquired. He knew that, sooner or later, the German built Evangelion would be assigned to the defence of Tokyo-3. And despite what he knew of the second-child's personality, it would be good for Rei to have someone besides Shinji living in the dormitory.
"Not yet," the blonde woman responded. "And I've requested that it undergoes a level four diagnostic before it leaves."
"Good idea," Kouzou responded, mentally agreeing with her decision. It wasn't often that the two disagreed on anything fortunately. They walked in silence for a few moments. "How do you feel Shinji's training is proceeding?"
"He's progressing nicely," the doctor informed him. "His accuracy with the pallet rifle could be better, but his pistol work is excellent."
"Understandable. The academy didn't have the resources to teach anything other than pistol shooting," the commander replied. "What about the progressive knife?"
"Well, he seems to be able to handle it well but we haven't, as yet, been able to test him under combat conditions with it," she related. "Lieutenant Ibuki's working on a simulation for that now. Once it's ready, I'll have both Shinji and Rei run through it."
"What about the second-child's training?" the professor asked, stopping in front of a door with an electronic keypad beside it.
"Reports indicate that they are proving proficient with all the Eva's weaponry, including the progressive knife," his companion replied as he typed in a series of seven digits and the lock on the door released with an audible click.
"Why doesn't that surprise me?!" Fuyutski asked flippantly, a smile on his lips. Ritsuko felt her own lips turn upwards to match his. She was about to say something when a quiet beeping interrupted her. Looking at her watch, she sighed and pressed button, silencing the alarm.
"If you'll excuse me, professor," she said.
"Of course doctor," he responded cordially and opened the door, leaving his second-in-command alone in the hallway. She stood where she was only long enough for the door to close and the lock reseal it before she walked away.
'Time to see the results of the latest test,' she thought as she headed to a different part of Terminal Dogma.
- - -
"Hey, Ikari," Kensuke whispered as Professor Koyasu began to loose himself in his lecture. Today being Thursday meant the lecture would be money related, and he had chosen the economy of pre-Second Impact Thailand. After checking the teacher had his back turned, Ikari swung round in his chair to speak to the bespectacled youth, quickly checking to see what Toji was doing; he had his headphones on and his eyes closed.
"Yes?" he asked.
"Where's Ayanami?" Aida enquired, having noticed the blue-haired girl's absence and been puzzled by it.
"I dunno," Shinji shrugged. "Makoto told me she wouldn't be coming today, but he didn't say why."
"Didn't she say anything?" Kensuke asked, his mind running through various possibilities, some of which were quite outrageous. He guessed it wasn't work related though, as he thought Shinji would know if it that were the case.
"No, but then, she's not really the sociable type," the third-child related. "She doesn't really say that much and I generally have to start any conversations." Feeling like someone was staring at him, he looked round to see Toji's eyes opened and locked on him. 'Thank God looks can't kill,' Ikari thought. He looked back at Aida and jerked his head towards Suzuhara. The bespectacled boy got the message and turned his attention to his friend.
"What the hell were you talking to him for?!" Shinji heard Toji demand as he turned in his chair once more.
"I was just asking where Ayanami was," Kensuke replied defensively. A quiet ringing sound distracted Ikari and it took him a couple of moments before he realised it was coming from his bag. Opening the brown leather satchel beside his desk, he pulled out the cell phone Makoto had given him, eliciting a number of stares as he did.
- - -
'What the hell is he doing with a cell phone?' Miki asked herself as she watched Shinji answer the electronic device in question. He spoke a couple of times, nodded once or twice and grunted a few times.
"Um, excuse me, Professor Koyasu?" he said loudly, getting to his feet.
"...now, of course, the government wasn't too happy with..." the teacher said, trailing off as he realised he had been spoken to. He turned around. "Yes, Mr. Ikari?" he asked, seeing the boy on his feet.
"I have to go," Shinji replied, still holding the phone, as if seeing it should mean something to the absentminded teacher.
"Ah, of course," Jin responded, running his hand through his grey hair. "You may leave."
"Thank you, sir," the boy said as he headed for the door, school bag in hand and drawing a number of envious glances.
'How the hell does he warrant being allowed out of class early?' the class rep. pondered as she heard his footsteps run down the corridor.
"Now then, where was I? Ah yes," Jin muttered to himself. "As I was saying, the Thai government was not particularly pleased with the events of..."
Miki sighed to herself as she blocked out the elderly professor's ramblings. She had hoped Ikari's interruption would distract him for longer. No such luck. And with the boy gone, for whatever the reason was, there was no chance of an argument between him and Suzuhara. She began to drum her fingers on the wooden surface of her desk, trying to think of something to distract herself from the rambling old fool stood at the blackboard.
She jumped, as did the rest of the students, when a loud siren began to wail. It had only been heard once before and could mean only one thing – an Angel attack.
- - -
"Man! I can't believe it!" Kensuke exclaimed loudly, catching Hikari's attention as she wandered around the shelter, talking to her classmates. She quickly went over to him.
"What is it?" the girl asked, crouching down next to her friend. He had a small television in his hands and was flicking through the channels.
"It's a complete media black-out," the boy complained, gesturing to the screen. "The government doesn't want anyone to see what's going on."
"I'm sure they've got their reasons," Horaki told him, her tone soothing.
"But I wanna see the battle!" Aida all but yelled, flicking off the television in disgust. He spotted Miki looking over at him, her disgusted look encouraging him to keep his voice down and he dropped his gaze to the floor.
"Well, at least we're safe in here," the girl commented softly, resting her hand on his slumped shoulder.
"I guess," the bespectacled youth sighed. He looked up suddenly and looked around, getting to his feet.
"What's the matter?" Hikari asked, noticing the concerned look that spread across the boy's face.
"Where's Toji?"
- - -
"So that's an Angel huh?" Toji muttered as the gentle breeze ruffled his hair. He stood on a hillside overlooking the city, watching as the attacker slowly drifted through the deserted streets. "Sure doesn't look like much," he commented under his breath. The thing was big, he had to admit that; it towered over many of the buildings it floated between. But the thing looked like a green pyramid that had been turned on its head. The boy couldn't see any distinguishing features on the apparently smooth sides.
'So where the heck's that damned robot?' Suzuhara wondered, his eyes scanning the empty streets for any sign of it.
- - -
Shinji tightened his grip on the control yokes as he gave his head a gentle shake, forcing away the nausea the G-forces launching had caused, glad of the cushioning effect of the LCL. The door in front of the Eva retracted allowing him to see the deserted city.
"Eva Unit 01, move out!" he heard Captain Katsuragi order over the active voice link to headquarters. Slowly he moved the robot forward and towards the nearest armoury building. As he neared it, it opened up and held out a rifle. Grasping it tightly, he turned around and looked at the Angel, spotting the red orb that had been identified as its core.
The thing was still floating serenely through Tokyo and hadn't done anything since it had been detected. Almost as if it was waiting for something. Using the armoury building for cover, he waited for it to move within range.
"Target is now within firing range," Makoto reported.
"Pilot, fire at will," Katsuragi's voice told him. Shinji nodded to himself and stepped around the building. Just as he'd been taught, he targeted the Angel and opened fire, stepping back behind the armoury building as the Angel became hidden from view.
"I'm registering an increase in the target's thermal signature," Hyuga's voice said, issuing from the comm. system.
- - -
'What the heck is that?' Toji wondered as he noticed a glowing spot appear on the Angel's top. It grew brighter, then flew towards the Eva. As it touched the building the robot was hiding behind, it exploded with a blinding flash. The boy closed his eyes and turned away as the incredibly intense light hurt his eyes.
- - -
The third-child rubbed his head where it had impacted the back of the control seat. Looking up, he was shocked to see the armoury building reduced to a pile of smoking melted slag. He froze for a moment before his self-preservation instincts cut in and he scrambled behind another high-rise, panting in surprise.
- - -
"What was that?" Ritsuko asked, tearing her eyes away from the main display.
"Some form of superheated plasma," Shigeru replied, reading the analysis his console was supplying him with. "Temperature in excess of one thousand Kelvin." He had to shield his eyes as another burst exploded of the main screen.
"Where are they coming from?" Misato asked calmly, blinking away the spots flashing before her eyes. The long-haired technician's hand danced across his keyboard for a few moments.
"They appear to be coming from a point between the horns-like structures on the Angel's uppermost surface," Aoba reported, his screen showing him a close-up on the triangular area in question.
"Ikari, target the horns," the captain instructed the boy.
- - -
Steeling himself, Shinji stepped out from behind the building he was hiding behind and raised the rifle. He took aim and opened fire for a few seconds. Most of the rounds missed, but several hit one of the horns, breaking it off. Sighing to himself, the boy lowered the rifle.
"Energy build-up detected in the target," he heard Makoto say.
"Is it going to self-destruct?" Katsuragi's voice asked calmly.
"Negative," he heard the bespectacled technician reply. "The signature closely resembles the one from the previous Angel as it restored itself."
"Meaning it's trying to re-grow the horn," the captain surmised.
"That's certainly a logical conclusion," Dr. Akagi said in a cool and clinical tone. Ikari spotted a movement out of the corner of his eye - he'd been looking at the damage the Angel had caused, hoping desperately that one had been hurt. His eyes opened wide as he watched two glowing yellow tentacles wave around in front of the Angel. They were connected to the two sides facing him, about a third of the way up from the bottom.
- - -
"Where the hell did those come from?" the director of Operations asked as she spotted the swaying tentacles.
"So, it can upgrade its capabilities," the professor muttered from his position. "Should of realised it would be able to do something like that."
"What are those things made of?" Ritsuko asked.
Kouzou smiled at her question. 'Always the scientist.'
"They appear to be some kind of focused thermal energy," Makoto replied.
- - -
The movement of the tentacles seemed almost hypnotic to the pilot. He watched, practically mesmerised, as they undulated around the Angel. They seemed to freeze for a moment, then one shot forward towards him. With a gasp, the boy made the Eva jump backwards. The tentacle barely missed the machine, but did smash into the rifle he was holding, destroying it. He moved backwards again as the other tentacle flew towards him. He evaded the strike, but the building beside him wasn't so lucky - a section of it was sliced through and fell to the street below. Again he leapt aside, this time the tentacle sliced through the Eva's umbilical cable.
"Switching to internal batteries," Shigeru's voice told him. "Five minutes activation time remaining." A timer appeared to the boy's left, showing the remaining time.
- - -
Toji shook his head and looked away in disgust as the purple robot kept moving backwards to avoid the advancing Angel's attack. 'I can't believe he's loosing,' he thought. 'Idiot!' Looking back, he frowned. The robot was nowhere to be seen. A sudden darkness made him look up to see what was obscuring the sunlight.
"OH SHIT!" the boy shouted as he saw the Eva falling towards him. He dropped to the floor, wrapping his arms around his head.
- - -
The third-child cringed a little at the force of the landing, grateful once again for the cushioning of the LCL. Shaking his head, he looked up, watching as the Angel began to advance towards him, the tentacles waving back and forth in front of it.
A beeping sound distracted him and he looked down. His eyes widened as he saw something move under Unit 01's hand. He turned the robot's head to get a better view and inhaled sharply the figure looked up and he recognised who it was.
- - -
"Who the hell is that?!" Katsuragi demanded as the feed of the Eva's view showed a boy cowering beneath the Eva's right hand. A window opened on the main screen, showing a school record.
"It's one of Shinji's classmates," Makoto replied, noticing the class number listed for the boy. 'Suzuhara... Where do I know that name from?'
"What the hell is he doing there?!" Misato spat.
- - -
Suzuhara's breath was ragged as he stared up at the giant robot's face like a deer caught in headlights. Slowly, the hand surrounding him was raised. A moment later, the purple machine's head snapped round and its arms shot out. Looking to the side, Toji saw the hands holding the glowing tentacles, smoke rising from them.
'Why doesn't he do something?' the boy wondered after the robot had just sat there for a while. 'Oh shit! He can't! Not while I'm here.'
- - -
"That kid is expendable," the director of Operations said calmly. She'd spent the last half minute or so evaluating the situation had made her conclusion.
"WHAT?!" Akagi shrieked, staring at the captain.
"How can you say such a thing?!" Maya demanded as all eyes turned towards the purple-haired woman.
"It was his choice to be there instead of a shelter," Misato responded coldly. "He chose to put his life in jeopardy. Besides, he is only one person. Destroying the Angel will save the lives of everyone in the city."
"No-one is expendable captain," Fuyutski said firmly, standing by his desk and staring down at the woman. "Lieutenant Ibuki, eject the entry-plug and get that kid aboard." Maya nodded as her hands input the relevant commands.
- - -
Toji watched as a piece of armour on the back of the robot's neck moved upwards and a white cylinder slid out. He stared at it, blinking in confusion.
"Get in!" a voice yelled at him over a loudspeaker. Giving himself a little shake, the boy got to his feet and ran over to the robot. He quickly clambered up and climbed in through the open top of the cylinder, surprised by the splash caused by landing in the yellow liquid that filled it. Before he could say anything, the top slid back into place and he was plunged into darkness. He coughed and spluttered as the strange tasting liquid filled his lungs, but once it had he found that he could breathe normally.
Suddenly lights came on and he found himself in what he could only describe as a cockpit. In front of him was a seat on which sat Shinji Ikari. Beyond that was some kind of display, showing what was going on outside. He frowned slightly as he noticed what the boy was wearing and the blue triangular shapes in his hair. To his left was some kind of timer. It was counting down and had just reached one minute. Looking at the display, he saw the green Angel flung aside by the robot.
"Increase in thermal signature detected," a voice shouted, distorted by whatever speaker it was coming from. His eyes glued to the screen in front of him, he saw a bright white light flying towards him. There was a bright flash and Shinji screamed out, as if in agony.
'What the hell was that?!' Toji wondered as he felt a tingle in his left arm. He shook it, blinking his eyes as the glare faded.
- - -
"Eva status?" Katsuragi questioned.
"The left arm is badly burnt," Shigeru reported, reading the damage report that was being relayed to his console. "I'd advise against continued combat."
"The pilot's injured, minor burning on his left arm," Maya added, seeing Shinji clutching his left forearm on the small window to the entry-plug she had open in front of her. 'Not that you care.'
"Dammit!" the captain cursed. "Unit 01, return to base."
- - -
"Dammit!" a female voice could be heard to say over the sound of Shinji's panting. "Unit 01, return to base."
"You heard her," Toji said, speaking for the first time since getting into the robot. He'd remained silent for fear of distracting the boy, but now that seemed irrelevant.
"No," the third-child said, his breathing still heavy. "I won't run away." He looked up and gripped the control yoke again. A growl rose from deep in his throat and the robot began to move forward.
"What the hell you doing?!" Suzuhara demanded, catching himself as he was about to reach for the boy. Ikari ignored him.
- - -
The staff in the command centre could only watch in surprise as the Eva ran towards the Angel, evading another plasma burst. Reaching up, the robot drew its progressive knife from its shoulder wing as it closed on the target.
"Idiot!" Katsuragi muttered.
"Activation time down to thirty seconds," Shigeru announced.
- - -
Toji fought back the fear that threatened to grip him as the robot charged towards its enemy. The glowing tentacles shot out and he heard Shinji grunt in pain as a sudden sickness filled his own stomach. The boy in the control seat slumped forward for a moment, before looking up and yelling.
- - -
Makoto sighed slightly as he saw Unit 01 move. He'd been worried that Shinji had been injured further by the Angel's tentacles. He could hear the boy's cry over the comm. link, as could the rest of the command staff.
On the main display, the image of the Eva gripped the prog knife with both hands and rammed it into the red orb. There was an ear-splitting grating sound and sparks flew as the vibrating blade began to bite into the core.
- - -
Inside the entry-plug, Shinji continued to yell, as if trying to force the knife further in by sheer force of will. Toji could just about hear a male reading out a countdown over the boy's cry. As it reached five, the glow from the red orb and the tentacles began to die and they turned dark. At zero, the cockpit was plunged into darkness. The only sounds that of the two boys' breathing, one harder than the other.
"You okay, Ikari?" Suzuhara asked, his concern showing in his voice.
"I'm fine," Shinji replied quietly, his breathing ragged from his exertions. He slumped forward in the control seat, grateful his companion wouldn't able to see him and closed his eyes as the adrenaline faded and the pain in his arm began to resurface.
- - -
Fuyutski watched the main display thoughtfully. He was pleased the Angel had been defeated, but Shinji's disobedience would have to be punished.
On the screen, the Angel began to sink to the floor, the Eva's elbows bending downwards under the weight. When they could bend no more, the Angel slid off the knife. It hit the grass with a resounding thud. The professor couldn't help but smile a little as he watched.
- - -
Shinji shifted his left arm back towards him so the tender spot no longer rested on the edge of his desk. It was still early, with less than half the class having arrived, but the boy had awoken early and hadn't felt like waiting at the dorm. So here he sat, waiting for the school day to start and waiting to be bored by another lecture on the pre-Second Impact world. He looked up as he felt someone staring at him. It was Toji.
"What happened to your arm?" Suzuhara asked, a frown creasing his brow.
"What? This?" the third-child replied, holding up his bandaged limb. The boy stood beside him nodded. "It got burnt during the battle."
"How?" Toji questioned, his frowning deepening.
Shinji lowered his arm carefully back to its previous position before answering. "I feel everything the Eva feels," he replied after a moment, shrugging. There was no other way to explain it to the boy.
An image of how Unit 01 appeared after the two boys had been released form the entry-plug flashed through Toji's mind - its left forearm was a blackened and twisted mess, caused by the heat it had endured and there were two holes through the abdominal area which looked like something had burnt its way through.
"Whoa," Suzuhara muttered. He was lost in silent thought for a moment before he spoke again. "So when I got that tingling in my arm-"
"Was probably when the Eva's arm got burnt," the pilot finished for him. "You probably felt the tentacles pierce the abdomen too."
"I did feel a little queasy at one point," Toji admitted softly. He looked at Shinji, with an expression on his face that the third-child could not decipher. "Why the heck do you pilot that thing?"
"Because they need me to," Ikari replied simply.
"Can't anyone else?"
"My Eva's the only one ready for combat," Shinji informed is classmate.
"What about that blue-haired girl?"
"Ayanami? Her Eva isn't ready."
"And when it is?"
"I dunno. I guess we'll be working together," Ikari said thoughtfully.
"Glad to see you two getting along," a cheery male voice from behind Toji said. The two looked over to the door and saw Kensuke walking over to them.
"We're not," Suzuhara responded quickly. "I just wondered what happened to his arm; it seemed fine after the battle."
"How would you know?" Aida enquired.
"I watched it."
"You did?!" the bespectacled youth gasped, remembering to keep his voice down. His friend nodded.
"Partially from inside the entry-plug," Shinji added.
"HE GOT TO BE INSIDE?!" Kensuke demanded loudly, no longer caring who heard him. The third-child nodded. "How?!" he asked. He had to know. His bedroom walls were full of newspaper cuttings of the first battle and it was is dream to have the chance to pilot one of those robots.
"He got caught on the battle field," Ikari explained. "If he hadn't gotten in, he'd be dead."
"You lucky..." Aida muttered, shaking his head.
"Hey, Ikari," Toji said, distracting his friend from finishing his comment. "There's something I've been meaning to ask."
"What?" the pilot asked curiously, cocking his head to one side.
"What the heck was that stuff in the cockpit?"
"It's called LCL," Shinji replied. "It's something to do with the control system. I don't really how it works. It's supposed to help link me to the Eva."
"So that's how I felt that stuff?"
"Probably," the pilot shrugged. "Oh, and I've been ordered by Captain Katsuragi to tell you not to reveal anything you saw in the entry-plug."
Toji tried to picture the woman the boy was referring to; he knew he knew the name. Then it hit him. "You mean that purple-haired babe who chewed you out?" Shinji nodded in response.
Toji thought back to the events of the day before. He'd only been able to stand watching, dumbstruck, as this incredibly beautiful woman, who could have been no more than twenty-five or thirty, had ripped into the pilot, using language that would've made even the coarsest truck-driver blush.
"Don't worry about that," Suzuhara assured the still seated boy. "I never wanna be on the receiving end of that kind of tirade. And I don't wanna think about the battle again either. I'm sticking to the shelters from now on." With that, Toji walked away, headed for his own seat, his bespectacled friend a few steps behind him.
'That kid's got more guts than I gave him credit for,' Suzuhara thought as he sat down at his desk, dropping his satchel on the windowsill beside his seat. 'At least that explains why he screamed the way he did.' He looked at the back of Ikari's head thoughtfully. 'Who'd've thought piloting a robot would be so difficult?'
- - -
Arching his back, Makoto stretched his arms out as far as they would go, groaning a little as he felt a slight twinge in his right shoulder. Dropping his arms, he looked back at his console. The Magi were still analysing the data. Having a bit of free time, he allowed his mind to drift back to the thing that had been bothering him since the day before.
"You are injured." Those three little words, even with as little emotion behind them as there had been had surprised the technician. He had not expected Rei to comment on the boy's injured arm. And he definitely hadn't expected to hear the concern in her tone. Most people would have missed it, but being familiar with Rei meant it had been clear to the lieutenant.
He'd had to school his expression carefully to avoid showing his surprise. He'd been concentrating on that so much that he'd missed Shinji's response. Knowing how the two pilots had been interacting, Hyuga was sure it had been a casual response. Everything about the two of them talking or doing anything was casual.
'Could they be...?' he wondered, startled by his own chain of thoughts. 'Nah, they couldn't be. At least, not yet anyway.' He sighed. 'Maybe I should tell Professor Fuyutski,' he wondered. 'But tell him what? That the two of them a getting along well. He already knows that.'
A beeping from his console interrupted the pilot rep's thoughts. Pushing the matter aside, he vowed to give it more thought later and turned his attention to the work Captain Katsuragi had set him.
- - -
Kensuke shifted to his left slightly as Hikari sat down under the tree next to him, taking advantage of the shade the foliage offered from the intense heat of the midday sun.
"Was I imagining things or was Toji actually speaking to Shinji this morning?" the girl asked after she'd taken a drink from the bottle she held in one hand.
"Nope. He was talking to him alright," the bespectacled youth replied, smiling.
"Why?"
"You must've noticed the bandage on Ikari's arm," Aida said. Horaki nodded. "Well Toji was wondering how it happened."
"He was worried about him?" the pig-tailed brunette asked, her tone making it clear she found it hard to believe.
"More like curious," Kensuke answered thoughtfully. "You see, Toji said Ikari didn't appear to be injured after the battle."
"How would he know that?"
"He watched it. He even got inside that robot of his."
"He got inside the Eva?" Hikari asked, a little surprised that her friend didn't seem to know the machine's name.
"Yep."
"So that's where he was," she muttered, remembering that Suzuhara had been missing from the shelter; she'd just thought he'd gotten lost and had wound up in the wrong one. "Why'd he decide to watch?" she asked Aida, not bring able to make sense of her friend's actions.
"Wouldn't say," the boy shrugged. "My guess is he felt a little guilty about hitting the guy. Probably thought he owed it to him."
"Sure sounds like something he'd do," Horaki agreed, a smile tugging at the edge off her lips. She frowned slightly as she realised something. "Where is Toji anyway?"
"At the hospital," the bespectacled youth replied. "He didn't get a chance to see Noriko yesterday with all the excitement."
"Oh. Any word on her condition?" the brunette asked. She'd babysat the Suzuhara girl several time and genuinely liked her.
"No change," the boy said sadly.
After a few moments silence, Hikari spoke again, saying "I suppose you've asked him what it was like?"
"I did. But he's been ordered not to talk about it," Kensuke admitted once he'd realised to what and who she was referring, sounding a little crestfallen. He lay down on the grass and stared up at the leaves overhead. "One little bit he did let slip is that Ikari feels everything that happens to the robot."
"So something happened to the Eva?" his friend asked, looking down at him.
"Its arm got burnt. Real bad according to Toji."
"Poor Shinji," the girl murmured, looking out over the schoolyard and watching her fellow students. A number were playing what looked like it was meant to be soccer, but she couldn't be sure. 'Why are they running around in this heat?' she wondered, wiping her brow. 'Sure hope this heat-wave doesn't last long!'
"Kind of makes you wonder why he pilots, doesn't it?" Aida said.
"That's just who he is," Horaki responded, dragging her attention back to her friend. To the bespectacled youth, it almost sounded as if she were defending the boy. "The two of you would get along fine – as long as you didn't pester him about Nerv and the Eva all the time."
"Sorry, but I'm not going to risk Toji's temper," the boy informed her, closing his eyes lazily. "He was angry enough when I asked Ikari where Ayanami was yesterday."
- - -
Miki watched the group of boys as they ran around with very little interest. From her vantage point on the roof it looked like they were playing some kind of ball game. She wasn't really interested in what they were doing, but there was almost no-one else visible from where she stood; they were all taking advantage of what little shade there was scattered throughout the grounds. She snorted in disgust and headed over to the shaded spot she'd left her bag at. Most days she could stand up here and watch the student body as they went about their trivial pursuits.
'At least I'll be able to tell who was crazy enough to be playing whatever that was,' she thought, doubting that any of those currently running round the schoolyard had brought any kind of deodorant. 'Whether I want to or not!' Mopping her brow, she sat down against the wall. She looked at her lunch, then looked away, letting her mind wander.
'Dammit, I haven't reamed Suzuhara for wandering off like that yesterday!' she realised, her eyes widening in surprise. It was something she'd intended to do first thing that morning, but she hadn't. Because the boy had been talking to Ikari when she'd walked in. And that was something that she hadn't expected. One part of her was worried that they'd figured out...
'Nah,' she thought, cutting off that line of thought. 'They won't. They ain't smart enough for that.' Of course, it was then she remembered the rumours she'd heard whispered about during class – that Suzuhara had been on the battlefield and had gotten inside Ikari's robot. 'That must be what they were talking about. Damn, hope they don't start liking each other because of that. That'd make it almost impossible get them fighting again!' And their antagonism was one of the few things that helped the time pass during the day.
'That new girl sure is a disappointment,' she decided, thinking about the blue-haired Ayanami girl. She knew the rumours that she lived with Ikari were true, having sneaked a look at her records. She'd even tried circulating a story that Ayanami was something of a slut and would sleep with pretty much anyone, but the girl hadn't reacted to it at all. Even after Ikari had told her what 'a slut' was! 'And how the hell could she not know what a slut is?' the class rep. wondered.
Miki shook her head and took yet another look at the pile of food in front of her. She sighed. It was appetising, and she hadn't eaten since breakfast, but she just couldn't bring herself to eat anything. "Must be the heat," she muttered She carefully rewrapped everything and was about to place it in her bag when she realised how much of a stink her mother would cause if she knew that her daughter hadn't eaten anything. She thought idly of tossing it off the roof, watching the reactions of her fellow students as it rained down on top of them. The idea did make her smile a little, but she doubted she'd get away with it.
"Guess I'll just have to dump it before I get home," she murmured softly, leaning her head back on the cooler stone wall. The only reason she'd picked this spot was because it was the only part of the roof that was in shade. She normally enjoyed the heat, but it was just too damned oppressive today and, as such, she had had to resort to hiding out in the shade like almost everyone else. She packed the food away and looked at her watch. Only ten minutes left of lunch. 'I'd better head back in,' she thought, getting to her feet. 'Maybe I can find a way to get some kind of reaction out of Ayanami this afternoon.'
She straightened up, smiling at the thought, and took a deep breath, hissing as a sudden sharp pain shot through her left hand side, just underneath her breast. She leant against the side of the building, right hand on the tender spot and dropping her satchel. 'Dammit! I must've slept more awkwardly than I thought.' A few moments later and the pain faded. She took a few moments to compose herself and picked up her schoolbag and headed back inside, flicking her hair over her shoulders as she began to descend the stairs.
To be continued...
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Author Notes –
Another chapter, another Angel. And yes, I know how much like the events of the fourth Angel from NGE the battle was, but the differences were there and have their reasons.
In response to taekmkm's query bout the incident involving Rei after her shower, I'd like to say that is was added to show how little she understands things like social etiquette and taboo's. I did not add it merely for the sake of gratuitous nudity as some people may believe.