Well, this is my first attempt at writing, but, oh well… Nothing to do but to start.
Disclaimer -- Do I really need to say it? I don't own it, yet…
This is basically a retelling of Neon Genesis Evangelion but with a different personality for Shinji. It's been done, I know, but reading a lot of the others out there actually got me interested in doing one myself. If this sucks, then I'm sorry, if not then, well, I won't be. Anyways read on and tell me what you think…
A.N: "Talking"
'Thinking'
AT 12:30 P.M. A SPECIAL STATE OF EMERGENCY IS BEING DECLARED FOR THE ENTIRE CENTRAL KANTO REGION, WITH THE TOKAI DISTRICT AT THE EPICENTER. ALL RESIDENTS SHOULD QUICKLY AND CALMLY EVACUATE TO THEIR DESIGNATED SHELTERS. WE REPEAT – AT 12:30 TODAY…
"Everything's stopped… what the hell am I supposed to do? Even the phone's broken…" an individual muttered to himself. It was a kid who looked about fourteen who said it. He was dressed in a pair of black pants with a white shirt and he had black hair that went down to just above his eyes. Overall, he seemed like a pretty normal kid.
As he walked down the steps of the train station he continued muttering, "Just great, it just had to be when I actually have something to do…" So intent was he with his muttering that he somehow failed to notice the giant green abomination off in the background, or the multitude of military armaments trying to destroy it. That is, until a missile veered off course and detonated near him.
"The hell!" he thought as he was engulfed in flames.
Several seconds later he walked out of the inferno. "Damn it! I just bought these clothes!" he ranted as he patted down his smoldering shirt.
Just then a car pulled up and the door was thrown open. "Hurry Shinji, get in!" a young purple haired woman shouted at him.
"Who the hell are you?" was his only response as he faced her.
"Gah! Don't be an idiot! Didn't you get my picture!" She yelled back.
'Picture?' He pulled something out of his pocket and looked at it. "So you're Misato?" He asked after looking back and forth for a few seconds.
"Yes, I am, now get in this… LOOK OUT!" She yelled as a giant slab of concrete was blown towards him by yet another missile.
"What?" he asked as it reached him as several tons of building smashed into him and broke apart.
"Oh my god! Are you alright!" she screamed. "Why wouldn't I be?" He asked, clearly confused. She was frozen in shock until he said, sitting next to her, "Shouldn't we leave?"
"Oh um right… yeah… let's just get out of here…" 'What the hell was that!' Misato stepped on the gas and sped off down the road. 'That was just way too weird… Damn, I need a drink…' They drove on for several minutes in silence. 'Oh man, don't tell me this one's like Rei, maybe I should try and get him to talk…' She was about to say something when he interrupted with a single word; "Incoming."
"What?" She managed to yell out before another missile detonated behind them. They flew forward a few feet as the car landed on its roof.
"Ungh…" Misato muttered as she pulled herself out of the wreckage. "Geez – are they shooting blind! You alright, Shinji?" She asked before thinking, 'what the hell am I thinking, this kid's probably as tough as an Eva…'
"Aieeeeee!" She yelled as she looked at the smoldering wreck that was once a car. "Noooooooo! The body's riddled with shrapnel! And I've still got Thirty-Three payments left on her! God damn it! Oh, no! This dress cost a fortune! These stains will never come out. Yeeeek! My shades are pulverized!" 'What a weirdo…' Shinji thought to himself as his attention was caught by a more pressing matter. That being a giant green… thing about to land on them. Fortunately a large purple robot shoulder tackled it out of the way.
As the purple behemoth turned and looked at them, Shinji just faced it and stared into its eyes. They continued to look at each other until the giant broke eye contact and looked away. It reached out one giant hand and flipped the car right side up. Their eyes met one final time before Shinji stepped into the car and it sped off. 'What the hell was that?' Misato thought to herself as she had witnessed the whole strange event. 'On second though, maybe I don't want to know…'
The purple giant looked at the car as it sped off before the green monster returned the favor and tackled the purple one into a building. It was able to stand but was only dropped again as the monster resumed the offensive.
"She ran…" he said once the purple giant was recovered.
'We knew this was going to happen…!' Misato muttered to herself. 'It's just too heavy a
burden for Rei right now…'
'Wait, She!' Misato thought. 'How the hell did he know?' She then looked at her watch and panicked. "Tuck your head into your lap and brace yourself for impact!" She yelled at him right before a single object dropped towards the green monster and detonated with a light as bright as a thousand suns. The shockwave blew the small car a very long distance forward before finally landing, upside down, again…
"Are you alright?" Shinji asked once they stopped moving. Misato then burst into tears saying "I – I can take this anymore…!" Her crying stopped as Shinji walked out and flipped the car back onto its wheels. She just stared again before sighing, and drove off again.
"For what purpose does my 'father' need me?" Shinji finally asked after several more minutes of silence. They had arrived in a large building and the car was currently on an elevator. "I thought that bastard had forgotten me completely." He continued. "Perhaps it would be better to ask your father directly, eh?" Misato said.
"What does he do here?"
"You don't know?" She asked. He just shook his head. "He's the commander of NERV, which is mankind's last hope against monsters like the green giant that nearly squished us who want nothing but the extinction of the human race."
"We're on our way to see him, aren't we?"
"You're not comfortable with your father, are you?"
"It's not that, it's just that ever since that bastard abandoned me to whatever hell fate had in store for me, I had sworn that he would pay for it. And seeing that he seems to lead the defense against these, um…"
"Angels." Misato put in.
"Right, angels, I guess it would cause problems if I ripped off his head." He finished with a straight face.
'Jeez that's scary… I better not get him mad.'
Shinji noticed the expression on her face and said, "Don't worry; I'm only dangerous to anyone stupid enough to become my enemies. I wouldn't hurt you otherwise, trust me."
"Um right…" she answered, slightly unnerved that he had basically read her mind.
"Oh and don't worry, I can't read your mind." He said then laughed at her astounded expression.
"What? Then how did you do that?"
"That's basically what everyone I tell that to thinks, I just guess what you would imagine by your expression and confuse you."
"All right, I understand that, but why do you do it?"
"Just because it's funny."
The conversation ended as the car reached an open area with buildings that seemed to grow out of the sky. "What is this!" he asked "Holy, it's a real Geofront!"
"Yup!" She answered. 'At least he still gets surprised…' "Our secret base of operations – Nerv HQ. The keystone for the resurrection of the world… and the stronghold of humanity!"
"Ha ha ha ha ha!" Shinji burst into laughter as Misato finished. "What are you laughing at?" She asked him. "Ha ha, that was a great speech and all, but probably not as good as it could have been if you didn't read it off of the piece of paper you're trying to hide in your hand!"
"Hey! That's not fair! You were supposed to be too busy looking outside to notice that," she complained as they arrived. The walked down a long corridor in silence.
'I still wonder what it is that he wants me for…' he thought.
"Misato?" He then asked
"What is it?" she replied
"We've been walking for a while now, aren't we there yet?" At first he had thought that the area was just very large, however, after fifteen minutes of walking and seeing the same area over and over, he decided to ask.
"Wha…?" She stuttered. 'Damn, he noticed. I really, really hope he isn't the easily angered type…'
"You got us lost, didn't you?" he stated.
"No!" she yelled out just a little too panicked and quickly for being believable.
"Hmm…" he said as he stared at her evenly.
'Ahh! What am I going to do' she screamed at herself, being driven to near hysteria by his gaze alone. Thankfully for her, her savior arrived on the scene with the loud VWOOMSH of an opening door. "You two! Where are you going?" a blonde woman in a lab coat called out to them. Both of whom were being addressed turned towards the source. Shinji half turned his head and looked at her out of the corner of his eye with a look of extreme disinterest. Misato, however, jumped at and hugged her as if she would somehow be able to protect her if the young man near her went insane.
"What the…? Get off of me Captain Katsuragi!" she yelled to the woman cringing behind her. "Oh!" she said as she noticed who remained facing her. "So this is him? The Third Child?" She asked.
'Third Child? What the hell does that mean?' he thought to himself, and seeing no reason not to ask, he did. "What are you and what the hell are you talking about? As far as I knew, I was an only child."
'Jeez… I can see why Misato seemed to be afraid of him. Where's section two when you need them…' "I'm Ritsuko Akagi from the first engineering division – the supervisor of project E. Pleased to meet you."
"Ha ha ha!" He laughed again, which greatly confused both women. "Pleased to meet you? Ha ha ha… maybe you shouldn't be 'pleased' when you're shaking…"
"Yeah Ritsuko," Misato taunted, "there's no need to be afraid of this kid!"
"Hey! If you don't remember, you were the one cowering behind me when I got here!"
"Oh man!" He continued to laugh. "I'll never get tired of messing with people's minds like that!"
"I should apologize, however," he said after he caught his breath.
"For what?" The blonde woman asked.
"I fear that in my quest for entertainment, I might have acted rude towards you. For that I apologize. My name is Shinji Ikari; it is an honor to meet you." He finished with a slight bow towards Ritsuko. "I also feel I must apologize for scaring you like that, Captain Katsuragi, I can honestly say I mean no permanent harm to either of you." He finished.
'He doesn't seem like a bad kid, even with his twisted sense of humor' Ritsuko thought. 'I can barely believe that he's related to the Commander.' "Come along Shinji. There's something I want to show you before you see your father." She informed him after the shock of his introduction wore off.
"Something to show me, very well then, lead the way." He replied.
They walked a short distance before arrive in a pitch-black room. "Well, we're here. This is it. It's dark so watch your step." Ritsuko spoke as she and the others entered the room.
As the lights were thrown on with a loud KLANK, Shinji found himself facing the demonic face of the purple giant. "Oh," he said. "So she's the one who helped us out earlier, Captain?" he then asked Misato.
'Again with the She? That's it, I'm asking!' "Um… Shinji, what makes you think this robot's a girl?" Funny how much braver one is in their own mind…
"What? Well, aren't big machines like this normally referred to as female?" He replied after a bit of thought.
"It's true, Misato." Ritsuko added.
"That and the pilot was female as well, right?" To this, both women stared at him incredulously.
"B… But how did you know!" Both Misato and Ritsuko demanded of him.
"Oh so I was right…" he said to himself.
"Damn it! Just answer!" Misato shouted at him.
"What?" he said. "But you are the one who said it!"
"I never told you anything!"
"Well not me but you were thinking that it was 'too heavy a burden for Rei right now…' right?"
"I knew it!" Misato shouted in a mixture of triumph and fear. "You can read minds!"
"Are you insane Misato! That is physically impossible!" Ritsuko shouted.
"Yeah!" Shinji quickly added. "I didn't read your mind about that, you just muttered to yourself and I assumed that 'Rei' was a girl's name.
"So what is she?" Shinji asked.
"Hey!" Misato told him. "It's very rude to ask what someone is if you don't even know them!" To which she received a blank stare from Shinji and Ritsuko.
"I meant the huge purple giant that left that huge hand mark on your car on the way here." The reminder of her car's fate shut her up long enough for him to state his observation as to the big purple giant.
"So is this what NERV is? A base of operations for these, um…?"
"They are known as Evangelions. And they are Humanity's last chance. This one is the first unit."
"So these Evangelions are what fight those, um, Angels, was it?
"That's correct." A voice boomed down from a higher level. A voice that made Shinji's blood boil and his murderous rage rise to the surface. However, years of training helped him quell the rising urge to end this bastards' life. At least until he full understood the situation. Misato and Ritsuko, standing so near him, instinctively took a step back from the feeling emanating from him.
"It's been a while." The man spoke again. Shinji turned upwards at him and rested the full power of his gaze on the man who had abandoned him as a child to what amounted to hell itself. His voice, however, did not betray him.
"Father." He said simply, with a cold indifference that the man before him could never hope to match.
"Shinji," he began again, slightly unnerved. "Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you. You're going to ride in her. You're going to battle the Angel!"
"Hmm..." was all he was able to say before Misato intervened.
"Wait a moment Commander!" She shouted as she pushed past Shinji. It took even Rei seven months to synchronize with the Eva—remember? A boy who just arrived today? Its Impossible!"
"He only needs to sit in her." He replied "I'm not expecting more at this point"
"But…!" Misato said
"Captain Katsuragi!" He cut her off. "Our over-riding priority is to halt and repel the angel! In order to accomplish that, it is imperative that we load someone, no matter who, in the unit — someone who may have the ability to synchronize to some extent with the Eva! Or do you have any alternatives you'd like to share!"
"You want me to ride this thing, and fight to the death with that giant green monstrosity out there!" Shinji demanded.
"Just accept this explanation. You're the best candidate we have." The commander told him. "No." he continued. "You're the only candidate we have."
"Ha ha ha ha ha!" Shinji started laughing again. "Do you have any idea why I came here, 'Father'? I'll tell you. It was to confirm what I felt."
"What are you talking about?" the commander asked, with a very slight hint of fear as he felt his son's gaze on him.
"I came to see whether the bastard who abandoned me really was the cold hearted man I imagined him to be or if he was just another poor fool dragged around in the current of fate. And judging by what I see before me, you are nothing but a pathetic piece of trash that is standing before me! And you have the guts to demand I obey you after the hell I was put through?" Shinji finished this shouting at the commander, his voice heavy with grief and barely contained rage. "I refuse to listen to your foolishness any longer! If this is what you wanted of me, then you have wasted both of our time!" Shinji turned and started to walk away as the commander said.
"Fuyutsuki, wake Rei! The spare is unusable!"
"No way in hell…" he muttered to himself after hearing that. He turned his head as he saw a heavily injured woman with light blue hair and brilliant crimson eyes was wheeled into the area.
The commander now addressed the woman, "Rei… our only back up is useless. You must pilot the Eva again."
"Yes sir." She replied as she slowly began rising from the bed. Only to be stopped as Shinji walked up to her and placed an arm on her uninjured shoulder.
She turned to look at him and was met with a gaze filled with compassion at her condition.
"You are the one who save be earlier are you not?" he asked as he gently lowered her onto the stretcher again. Then, without waiting for a reply continued. "I thank you for that, even if you were ordered to do so." Her eye widened slightly seeing as how that was exactly was she was thinking. "Please just relax and leave the rest to me. I will protect you." He turned towards the commander and was about to say something when an explosion shook the facility and a huge iron beam was dislodged and fell towards them. He steadied the bed with a single arm as the explosion hit, so that she would not accidentally fall off the bed. He seemed not to notice the giant iron rain of death until it was almost on him. He raised a single fist and the beam smashed into it. It bent with the force of the blow and cracked in several place, but his arm did not so much as move. Everyone stared at this amazing feat with wide eyes and open mouths, including the commander and the young pilot he shielded with his own body. He looked down at her and said, "I swear it." He shook his arm and lobbed the steel on his arm into the water on his side. It splashed but not a single drop hit the woman on the bed. He turned towards his father again and said; "Is this how far your depravity goes! Are you willing to sacrifice people like this so easily! Do you have any idea how disgusting you are!"
"Shut your mouth!" The commander shouted. "You have no idea what…"
"No! You shut up! I'm tired of hearing your voice! Listen to me well, 'Father', I will pilot this thing for now, however, when all seventeen angels are destroyed, and SEELE shows their true intentions, if you are still the weak pathetic fool you are now, I will kill you myself!"
"…" was what the whole room said.
"Now how do I pilot this thing." He demanded.
"Um… Come this way Shinji…" Ritsuko muttered, still in awe of his showdown with the commander. He was led to a long white tube which he was told was the Evangelion's entry plug. He sat inside and waited for something to happen. What he wasn't expecting was for the chamber to start suddenly filling with some strange liquid. Of course, he reacted as calmly anyone else would have in this situation.
"What the hell is this!" he demanded. Or not.
"It's called LCL." Ritsuko told him over the intercom. "Just breathe in a big lungful and it will oxygenate your blood directly."
"Main power connected! All circuits fully functional! Initiating power-up sequence! A10 Neural synapses operating within normal limits! First contact all clear! Opening reciprocal circuits."
"This is incredible…" Ritsuko said. "Synchro errors are within 0.3! It's going to work!"
"Evangelion Unit-01! Prepare to launch!" Misato shouted.
"Jeez, Captain, you don't need to shout! The com link is open!" Shinji said.
"Releasing safety locks one through fifteen!"
"Internal battery fully charged!"
"External power outlet nominal!"
"Transporting Eva unit-one to the launch elevator!"
"Launch path clear!"
"All green!"
"Launch preparations are complete."
"Roger!" Misato answered.
"Commander Ikari! Do we proceed?" She asked. The commander just stared back with an annoyed expression and simply said, "Of course."
She nodded in reply turned around and shouted, "LAUNCH!"
The Eva shot out of the launch tube and rocketed towards the streets. As soon as it arrived, it was faced by the Angel.
"Damn!" Misato shouted. "It's as if it knew what we were planning! Shinji, concentrate on walking right now!"
"How do I do that?" he asked.
"Just concentrate on the concept of walking. All you have to do is think it!"
"Okay." He said as the mech started walking forward.
"He -- he did it!" Ritsuko exclaimed.
"He's up and at 'em!" Misato exclaimed.
"So all I have to do is think, and it happens?"
"Yes just think things through and you'll be fine!"
The Evangelion went from a slow walk, into a full charge straight at the Angel. The Angel swung at the Eva but it jumped over it, did a half spin in mid-air, and faced it about a city-block away. "Wow! That was amazing!" The bridge crew exclaimed. "How did he do that?"
"Hey, does the Eva have external speakers?" he interrupted.
"Yes, they're the fifth switch from the left, why?" Ritsuko answered.
He reached over and flipped the switch. "Hey, you!" he called towards the Angel, "before I fight you, tell me your name!"
"Shinji! Don't be stupid!" Misato yelled. "Just kill it already!"
"No," he said. "I refuse to take the life of a sentient being with out knowing their name."
"Pilot!" The commander shouted. "Get on with your job and cease this foolishness!"
"I already know your name." Shinji told him, which shut him up immediately.
The Angel roared at Shinji and those watching thought it to be out of anger but it actually said something, 'Sachiel.'
"Heh…" Shinji said through the external comm., "My name is Shinji Ikari! Take it as a final gift to the afterlife." He charged it and attacked. Sachiel threw a punch at Shinji which he countered with a forearm strike. He kicked it in the stomach and slammed it towards a building. Seeing an opportunity he charged it, only to be blasted back by a huge energy beam. The Angel pounced on the disoriented Eva holding its arms. It blasted what seemed like an energy rod repeatedly into it's left arm. And by the fifth blast, the arm came off in the Angels hand.
"Ugh…" was all Shinji said. The crew, however, was a little more verbal.
"Oh my god!" Misato shouted. "Shinji! Are you all right."
"Damn it, what are the pilot's life signs?" Ritsuko demanded.
"His heart beat is increasing and I detect an increase in body temperature!" Ritsuko's assistant, Maya, said.
"Get me a visual feed of the pilot!" Ritsuko said.
"I can't doctor, all internal cameras have been shut down by the Pilot!"
"What?"
Back on the battlefield, Sachiel tossed the Eva's arm aside. Feeling content with itself it turned towards the silent machine. Only to back away very quickly. It did not know why, but it felt something that it had never felt in its entire existence, fear. Why it was afraid became obvious when the Eva stood. Its stump of a left arm bled profusely and created a large puddle below it, but it seemed not to notice. Its eyes glowed a bright yellow color and the mouth restraint snapped allowing the Eva to unleash a bone-chilling roar. Part anger and part grief. What truly frightened all who were unfortunate to hear it was the second voice entwined with the first. It came from the Eva's external speakers but it was what added the touch of grief to the unearthly screech.
"My god…" Ritsuko said. "What have we done…? Is it a Berserker? Or something infinitely more frightening…?"
It lunged forward and buried the whole of its fist in the Angel's body. It screamed in pain as the Eva pulled its arm out of the Angel, taking a sizable piece out with it. The Eva then struck the angel's mask like face, causing it to crack. It struck with a head butt, disorienting it long enough to slam it's arm forward again and grip the blood red orb in the angel's chest.
"Sachiel…" They heard Shinji's voice. "Forgive me…" He closed his fist and shattered it. Before it died, it growled once more, 'Thank you…' was its parting message as it detonated in a cross-shaped blast.
The whole bridge crew was in awe at what had happened. No once did they ever imagine the angels had minds of their own, and here, this young boy seemed to understand them. What no one noticed, was the single tear that the Evangelion itself seemed to shed, as it took upon it's master's grief and made it it's own.
TO BE CONTINUED
Well, there it is… I gave it my best shot. If any actually reads this. Please review it. Tell me what you like, what you didn't. If it seems that even one person actually found it interesting, I'll keep going. If not, then, oh well, I guess that's it.
Goodbye.