Chapter 2: Welcome to the World
Disclaimer: I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion. It belongs to Hideaki Anno, Gainax, and Tatsunoko Productions. I only own the characters I made up.
"Get me out of this thing! It hurts! Oh god it hurts!"
That voice. It. . .it sounds familiar.
"It burns! Somebody make it stop! ! ! ! !"
Why can't I recall where I heard that voice before? My mind's all fuzzy.
"Make it stop! Please!"
Who is he? What's happening to him?
He needs help, right? Is there something I can do to help?
"Can anyone hear me! ! ?"
I can. . . can I?
. . .
My mind's all fuzzy.
"Misato! Father! Someone! Anyone! Please help me! My skin is burning! Oh god! Everything smells like blood! I'm going to die! ! !"
He's going to cry? Don't cry.
. . .
My soul hurts.
"WHY WON'T SOMEBODY HELP MEEEEEEEEEEE! ! ! ! ! ? ?
Beep! . . . Beep! . . . Beep!
Shit! Everything hurts. What happened to me? It feels like my whole body was put in an oven.
Beep! . . . Beep! . . . Beep!
Why is everything so dark? Are my eyes closed? It feels like they are.
I attempt to open my eyes but am met with immediate pain. Dammit! Why does everything hurt? And what is in my right arm? It feels unnatural. Oh god! Someone stuck something in me! Where the hell am I?
Beep! Beep! Beep!
What's making that noise? It got faster all of a sudden. It sounds like a . . . heart monitor? Does this mean I'm in a hospital? If that's the case, then the thing in my right arm is an IV line.
The pain begins to fade away. As this happens, I once again attempt to open my eyes. But I'm having trouble doing this. My eyelids feel like lead, and it takes more effort than needed to move them. When they finally open, all I see is a cloudy white mess. The fuzzy mess eventually morphs into a white ceiling.
Yep. Definitely a hospital.
How did I get here? The last thing I remember was walking home and. . . seeing a white light. Did I get hit by a car?
"So, you are awake."
Huh? There's someone else here. A nurse most likely. Maybe she can fill me in on my condition?
I attempt to sit upright but stop when something snags my wrists. Confused, I take a quick look at my right arm. It's handcuffed to the bed railing.
Why the hell am I cuffed to the bed?! Did I commit a crime I'm unaware of?! What the hell is going on?!
"Can you understand me?" asks a voice lacking emotion.
I turn to the person speaking prepared to give her a piece of my mind. I freeze. What the hell is this?
A young asian girl, probably my age, is sitting on a wooden chair near my bed. She's wearing what looks like a light-blue japanese school girl uniform. She's covered in bandages, and her right arm's in a cast supported by a sling. But her most standout features is the pale skin, the light-blue hair, and her crimson red eyes.
Why is there someone dressed like an anime character in a room with me?
"Can you understand me?" the girl repeats calmly.
I nod dumbly.
Satisfied with my answer, she gets out of her chair and proceeds to walk out of the room.
"Hey!" the girl stops. She's not going anywhere until she answers a few questions! "Who are you?! Where the hell am I?! And why am I cuffed to the bed?!"
The blue haired girl looks in my direction. " I am Rei Ayanami. You are in the hospital wing of Nerv Headquarters. The reason for your restraints is to prevent escape."
Rei Ayanami? Nerv Headquarters? What is this girl on?
"Is this some kind of joke?" I ask, "You're too old for make believe so quit fucking around! Now tell where I am and how I got here or I'll-"
"Nerv officials will be with you shortly," says "Rei", seemingly unaffected by my outburst. She leaves the room and shuts the door.
Dammit! The bitch just ignored me!
Okay, calm down and think. Am I being abducted? If so, why? If the kidnapper (or kidnappers) plan to use me for ransom, they got the wrong guy. If they wanted real money they should've chosen someone who matters. Also, what's up with that girl calling herself Rei? Why did she say I was at Nerv Headquarters? None of this is making sense! It's like I'm having a wierd dream!
. . .
Wait a minute, am I dreaming? That must be it, I'm asleep! No one in their right mind would even think about abducting me so this must be a dream! Though, everything seems so. . .vivid. I hadn't had dreams this vivid in a long time. Still, it's the only explanation that makes sense.
I inhale deeply as I shift my weight to get comfortable.
I might as well play along and see where this dream's headed. Who knows, things might get interesting.
. . .
I'm bored.
The sound of a door opening catches my attention. I look on my right to see a nurse and two tall men in suits. The nurse walks to my bedside and removes the IV from my arm. Much to my surprize, it didn't hurt at all. Thank goodness for that. She puts a bandage over the exposed area and leaves the room.
The two men walk over to my bedside. One of them is holding a key which slightly elevates my mood.
The guy holding the key looks at my cuffs then back to me.
"You better not cause us any trouble," says the man, "You understand?"
I nod.
The man unlocks the cuffs, freeing my hands.
"Get up," says the other man.
I do as I'm told and get out of bed. As I'm doing this, I feel a slight draft between my legs. I look down to see I'm wearing a hospital gown. Of course they took my clothes. Dammit.
The man then slaps brand new handcuffs on my wrists.
"Hey!" I snap at him. He ignores me and commands me to follow him. The other man walks behind me, blocking off a possible escape route.
Great, I guess I have no choice. I let out a sigh and decide to play "follow the leader".
We're walking in a single file line down an endless hallway. The guy in front leads the way while the guy in the back watches over me. Escape doesn't seem possible.
What the hell do they want with me? I try questioning these "agents" but they keep ignoring me. It's pissing me off! Why can't they answer one goddamn question?!
After what seems like forever, we approach a door. One of the men opens the door and leads me inside. Inside is a small room with a metal table in the middle of it. The table has two metal chairs near it, one on each side. One part of the room has metal pipes sticking out of the walls, probably leads to a ventilation shaft. The other part of the room has a large rectangular mirror. There's no doubt in my mind that it's a one-way mirror. The room itself is dimly lit. The only source of light hangs directly above the metal table. The man who led me inside leaves the room then locks the door. I once again scan the area and come to a conclusion. This place is an interrogation room.
After a few minutes of pacing around, I decide to take a seat in one of the chairs.
It's as uncomfortable as it looks.
I rest my head against my cuffed hands and wait. How long will I have to sit here?
Few minutes later, the door opens. The person who walks in is wearing glasses and a lab coat. She has shoulder length blonde hair. Though, it looks like she dyed her hair to make it look that color. Underneath the lab coat is a blue uniform. The woman's also sporting a short black skirt along with see-through leggings.
Another realistic Evangelion character. Though, I don't remember her name. I think it starts with an "r".
"Good morning," greets the blonde haired woman as she takes a seat, "The agents didn't give you a hard time did they?"
"No," I respond, "They just wouldn't answer my questions."
The woman smiles. "I can understand how frustrating it can be to not know what is happening. You will get your answers soon enough."
But. . .?
"But first you'll have to answer a few questions," she says. Of course. Well, it's not like I have anything to hide.
The woman pulls out a recorder and a clipboard. She presses a button on the recording device and speaks. "I guess I should introduce myself. My name is Dr. Akagi and I will be asking you a series of questions." She pulls out a pen and writes something down on her clipboard. "Please state your first name, last name, and age."
Seems reasonable. "My first name is Michael. My last name is Hart. I am currently fourteen years old."
"Hmmm," her smile widens a bit as she writes down the information I gave her. Did I say something funny? "Country of origin?"
"The United States of America."
"State?"
"Texas."
"Race?"
"Isn't it obvious?" I reply dryly.
"Please answer the question."
"Fine. African-American."
"Do you identify yourself as male or female?"
What the-
"What the hell is THAT suppose to mean!?"
"I meant no offence," Dr. Akagi explains, "This is part of procedure."
"Hmph. Whatever." Let's just get this done. "I identify as male."
"Hmmm." She continues writing on her clipboard. "How long have you spoken japanese?"
"Japanese?" I question her. "What are you talking about? Aren't we both speaking engl-" I stop talking when I see a look of intrigue on her face.
"Interesting," she writes something down on her clipboard.
Odd, she thinks I'm speaking japanese. But it sounds like we're speaking english. Why would my mind tell me I'm speaking a different language? Heh, maybe I'm a Timelord here.
Dr. Akagi continues asking questions for the next hour. They usually revolved around where I came from and my psychology. At one point she gives me a series of tests to measure my mental health. One of the tests involved showing me a series of black blots and asking what I saw. I think it's called the rorschach test.
The constant questioning and testing is pissing me off! Not once did she answer a question of mine! Whenever I would ask a question not test related or off topic Dr. Akagi would say "You will get your answers soon enough".
"So Michael. What was life at home li-"
Bang!
I slam my hands against the table and look her dead in the eye. "That's enough! I'm sick and tired of your questions and tests! Now you either tell me why I'm here or you let me go!"
Two agents walk into the room. I look at them and prepare myself for a fight. Dr. Akagi raises her hand, stopping the two agents. "It's alright," she states, "I can handle this." The suits look at me for a moment, then step out the room.
I look back at Dr. Akagi, clearly tired of her shit. "Now tell me what I need to know."
The woman sighs then takes off her glasses. "I'm not allowed to tell you anything until I can verify you aren't a threat."
"How the hell am I threat?!" I ask.
"It's difficult not to see you as a threat," Dr. Akagi explains, "Especially when considering the circumstances of your arrival."
I'm getting real sick of her dodging my questions.
"I want to speak to your commander! Umm," Dammit! What was his name? "Gendo I-Ikari!" A look of shock spreads across the doctor's face. "If you want my continued cooperation then you'll let me speak to the commander!"
The doctor takes a moment to stare at me. It's like she's trying to read my mind. She crosses her arms then shakes her head. "I'll see what I can do." She leaves the room and shuts the door.
I don't know why I asked for Gendo. The guy seems like he'll be more tight-lipped than the doctor. That's just going by my knowledge of The Rebuilds. Guess there's no use worrying about it now. I rest my head against my hands and wait.
Click!
I sit up at the sound of an unlocking door and mentally prepare myself. A bunch of men in black suits walk through the door and line themselves against the wall. The next to come in is a man who looks to be in his fifties. He has grey hair and is wearing a dark-purple uniform. The man stands at attention next to a chair across from my end of the table. I think he's Gendo's right-hand man. Though I don't know his name.
The last person to come in looks a bit younger than the other guy. He wears a black military coat over what looks like a red turtleneck. Glasses rest on the bridge of his nose with amber-tinted lenses. There's no doubt about it. This man is Gendo Ikari.
Gendo takes a seat at the opposite end of the table. I briefly scan the room to evaluate my situation.
The room is crowded with all these agents in here. They all seem to be staring at me, though the black sunglasses they're wearing makes it difficult to tell. They're obviously here to protect Gendo so I better behave. I don't want to accidently piss these guys off.
"I heard you wanted to see me," says Gendo.
"Yeah," I say cautiously. "I have a few questions and nobody seems willing to answer them."
"I see," says Gendo. He rests his elbows on the table and clasps his hands together, fingers intertwined. "So you called me in hope of finding the answers you seek."
I nod.
Gendo pauses for a moment, then speaks. "Very well. I will tell you what you need to know. But first, you need to answer one question."
What? I'm getting real sick and tired of the constant questi-
"How much do you know about our world?" asks Gendo.
Huh? That's a new one.
"What makes you think I'm not from this world?" I ask.
"Let's just say you have certain attributes that should not exist." Now my curiosity is peaked. "Answer the question."
Oh man, where do I start?
I tell Gendo everything I know about this world. I talk about the Evangelions and the people who pilot them. I talk about what little I know about Nerv and the "Angels". I still find it odd how they call giant beasts of destruction Angels. That makes zero sense! Anyway, the only thing I left out was how I came across this information. I don't know how he'll react if I say "Yeah. Turns out there's a tv show and several movies about this world. Everything you know is something people watch for entertainment". Yeah, that probably won't end well.
"How did you gain this knowledge?" asks Gendo.
"No," I say sternly, "I answered one of your questions, now you answer one of mine?"
Gendo gives me an unreadable expression. Perhaps that's why he covers half his face with his hands. It makes it difficult to tell what he's thinking. "Very well. What is your question?"
Finally! "Why are you keeping me trapped here?"
"Simple," states Gendo, "I have a use for you."
"What?" I'm a bit shocked. "What the hell do you mean by that?!"
"I mean that you can be used to aid humanity," he states, "You will be the new pilot of Evangelion Unit-01."
The room goes silent.
Did I hear that right? Did he just say I'll be piloting a giant fighting robot? In any other situation I'd be ecstatic. But this isn't any situation. Even with my limited knowledge, I know piloting an Eva is a bad idea. Fucked up things happen to people who get into those robots.
My chest tightens. My breathing becomes irregular.
Why am I scared? I thought I already agreed that this is all a dream. I look at my hands and they're shaking. All the blood in my body turns to ice and I'm sweating. I need to move. My body doesn't want to stay still. I need to move, I need to run!
Dreams don't last this long. Do they?
"The fuck I am! ! !" I yell at Gendo. I don't care if the guards attack. Let them try to fuck with me. "Why the hell would I be a pilot!?"
Gendo, for his part, is unfazed by my outburst. "You ask as if you have a choice."
Is he fucking threatening me?
"Screw you!" I yell at him, "Why are you asking me to pilot YOUR son's Eva?!"
"So you're unaware," says Gendo. I'm unaware of what? "Three days ago, the former pilot of Unit-01 fought the third Angel. The Angel, in a fit of desperation, self-destructed. The explosion severely damaged Unit-01 and killed its pilot."
The room once again returns to silence.
This can't be right. That's impossible! Shinji's suppose to survive his first Angel encounter. He can't be dead!
My whole body's shaking. I don't know why? Something primal is telling me to run. To run as far as I can and never look back! But there's no escape. I'm completely surrounded. I want to wake up!
"W-what makes you think I can even pilot that thing?" I ask shakily.
"At the exact moment the Angel self-destructed, something unexpected happened." Gendo explains. "Our machines picked up energy levels not seen since the Second Impact. I assume you already know about the event in question."
I nod.
"When the sudden energy spike dissipated, Nerv personnel went to investigate. They found you in the middle of the Angel's detonation site, completely unscathed." What? Why don't I remember any of this? "Nerv personnel approached you and found you were in a comatose state. When they attempted to move you, Unit-01 moved on its own and attempted to grab you."
. . .
Let me get this straight. Not only have I been asleep for the past three days. But Shinji's Eva tried to grab me for some unknown reason.
"So you think because that I can pilot it?" I ask.
"You have potential," he explains, "We will need run more tests to be sure."
I probably already know the answer to this, but I gotta ask. "Do you even care that your own son is dead?"
"Hmmm?"
"Shinji!" I yell at Gendo, "YOUR son! He died three days ago, yet you seem more concerned with finding a replacement!"
Gendo pauses for a moment. "My feelings towards the former pilot is none of your concern."
Gendo's not even using Shinji's name. It's like he only sees his son as an object, not as a living being! That honestly pisses me off!
I know Shinji is known as a coward, but he didn't deserve death. And he didn't deserve a jackass of a father who doesn't shed a tear at his own son's death!
"Fuck you." One of Gendo's eyebrows rise slightly. "I'm not going to pilot your stupid robot. Find someone else."
"Again, you act as if you have a choice," states Gendo, "I can't let you run free. You are an unknown entity with knowledge that can be used against Nerv. So, you will be a prisoner of Nerv. As a prisoner you have two options. You can either train to become an Eva pilot," he hardens his look, "Or you can choose to be a test subject."
Test subject? Those words bring up visions of horror. I honestly don't want to know what kind of "tests" I'll be subjected to. I scan the room to look for an escape, but there is none. The agents in the room are all staring at me. It's very unsettling.
Dammit! What can I do now?
"Fine," I say in defeat, "I'll be your pilot. But, only if you get your people to find a way for me to get home."
"I'll see what I can do," I can hear the smirk in his voice. He gets out of his seat and speaks to one of the agents. "Take the child to his living quarters."
"Yes sir." responds the agent.
Everyone leaves the room. The only ones left is me and one of the agents.
"Follow me," the agent commands, "I will take you to where you'll be living."
I let out a sigh and gesture for the agent to lead the way. This is really irritating.
I'm led to a white hallway. We pass by a few doors until we stop in front of the one the agent was looking for. The door looks real fancy. It's one of those doors that requires a key-card to open. The agent pulls out a card and puts to in front of the door's scanner. The door slides open and I'm led inside.
The room is completely white and doesn't have a window. There's a bed in one corner of the room with a grey plastic bag resting on it. At the other corner of the room is a desk and a single wooden chair. Next to the desk is a large mirror that looks recently cleaned.
The agent pulls out a key and removes the cuffs from my hands.
"Your personal belongings are in that grey bag," he explains, "There will be two agents outside your room at all times. So don't get any funny ideas. Do you understand?"
I nod and the agent leaves me alone.
I immediately remove my hospital gown and walk over to the grey bag. Let's see, there's a black hoodie, baggy jeans, a grey shirt, my blue hair-band, and my cross necklace. Thank goodness, all my stuff is here. I put on my clothes then go to the mirror. I pull back my shoulder length dreadlocks and tie them together with the blue hair-band. I then put on my cross necklace. Don't know what I'd do if I lost that.
I look at myself in the mirror. I look tired. It's been a long day and it's only going to get worst. I walk over to the bed and lie down. I close my eyes for a bit and drift off to sleep.
I really hope this is all a dream.
Author's notes: I could've chosen any story that would be easier to write. But noooooo, I had to choose Evangelion! Anyway, if you can see where this story's headed then you're either gonna hate it or be indifferent. I also tried to keep everyone in character, hopefully I succeeded at that. Tell me what you think, new chapter will arrive next week. . . maybe.