The inquiry, which was composed several high ranking Wille officers, both in person and a few through holographic projection, sat at a long conference table. For several minutes, the members of this inquiry engaged in a combination of greeting each other as they entered the room, conversing on matters ranging from the serious to the mundane, conferring with aides, and reading various briefs and papers. With a cough from Kusangi and a few raps from his gavel, the inquiry came to order.
"The purpose of this inquiry is the review the events of the battle two days ago, the decision the deploy Evangelion Unit 10 with Shinji Ikari as the pilot on the battlefield and his performance. We will also be looking at the request of Commander Ryoji Kaji to have Ikari be assigned as the official pilot of that Unit along with Captain Katuragi's request to have him live on board the Wunder. We will be hearing from several witnesses today including an interview with Shinji Ikari himself." He then turned to a staff officer.
"Could you please bring in Commander Ryoji Kaji." The officer left the conference room, returning a minute later with Kaji following right behind her.
"Now," Kusanagi said when Kaji took his seat. "I want to start with the day of the attack."
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Shinji sat on the edge of the bed in Ayanami's room surrounded by various sketches and drawings, some of them in color, on the walls. He was dressed in a Wille jacket along with a clean white shirt, tie, and pressed black slacks. He was looking down at his legs as he dangled them over the edge of the bed. Ayanami was sitting in a chair looking at him.
"You seem distressed," Ayanami said to him.
"Just nervous, that's all," Shinji replied. "I have to testify in front of this inquiry, and I don't know what is going to happen."
"I see," Ayanami said.
"Also,...after the battle was over, I had to meet Kaji and Burke. They...they want me to be a pilot again."
"Are you going to pilot?" Ayanami asked.
"I…I don't know," Shinji said. "I thought when I first came to this city, I wouldn't have to go through that anymore. But then I see all that is happening and knowing that I can help, and...fuck!" he plopped down on the bed. Ayanami stared at him for a few moments.
"I am sorry that I can not think of anything to say that will make you feel any better," she then said.
"That's all right," Shinji said as he sat back up. "I still have a few hours before I need to be there, so can we discuss something else, okay."
"Very well," Ayanami said.
"Let's see…" Shinji tried to search for a subject before discovering that it was staring him in the face from all around the room. "I see that you are still working on your art."
"Yes," she replied. "I must thank you for the supplies you have given me."
"No problem. I can get you anything you ask for, just tell me." Shinji then stood up and started to walk around the room, gazing upon the pictures as if he was in a gallery or a museum. He had looked through two walls and was in the middle of the third when one of the pictures, larger than the others on the wall, caught his eye.
The drawing, sketched out in colored pencil, was of the blood red sea and the white beach where the sea met the land. Above it, there was a large flock of black birds flying down with their talons out, appearing to Shinji as they were about to fly out of the picture and tear him to ribbons.
"I like this one," Shinji said as he continued to study the drawing. "When did you draw it?"
"Two days ago," she answered.
"You mean the day of the battle?"
"Yes," Ayanami said. "I finished it several minutes before I was moved to a safer location. I am happy it survived any destruction."
"Okay," Shinji said. "You did a really good job on it."
"Thank you," she replied. "It is based on a dream that I had the night before."
"Really? That's interesting," Shinji said.
"I do not remember much about the dream. I do remember standing on the beach, and seeing this mass of black birds coming towards me."
"Whoa, freaky," Shinji said. "Yeah, I've had weird dreams like that."
"Yet, the most unusual detail that I remember is that I know the birds were all coming from the South." Those words took Shinji out of his contemplation of the drawing. There was something familiar at what she said. He then figured out what it was. The South.
"Uh…Ayanami, have you ever had similar dreams like that one before? I don't mean exactly like the dream you told me but with similar details, such as having something to do with the South." She thought about it for a few moments, and then she answered.
"Yes, I had several dreams like that." Shinji sat back on the bed, his face in shock and confusion.
"How can this…" he began, but did not finish.
"You have them as well," she then said.
"Yes," Shinji said. "How did you know?"
"You told me about one some time ago," she replied.
"Then why didn't you say anything to me?" Shinji asked.
"You didn't ask me," Ayanami said. Shinji held his head in his hands in dumbfoundment. A second later, he composed himself.
"Did you draw any of the other dreams?" he then asked.
"Not all of them, but I drew some of the others." She got up and went to the other wall. "Here is one, I drew it around two weeks ago."
That's around the time the other Ayanami attacked, he thought as he went over and looked at the drawing. The pencil sketch showed two people walking along in a grassy field. He saw what looked like a representation of her in the drawing, but he couldn't recognize the other person with her.
"I could not remember who the other person was, but it felt to me as if I had been with him or her before," Ayanami said. "All I remember was that this person and I were discussing you. The person said that I needed to protect you, and you would play an important role in the future."
"Really?" Shinji said. "What role would that be?"
"This person either did not say or I can no longer recall," she answered. "I can recall one other thing that was said."
"What is it?"
"The person said that he or she looked forward to seeing you again," she said.
"I…met this person before?" Confusion swam over his face. He had to admit that the words Ayanami said did sound familiar to him, like he heard them somewhere before. Yet it was the drawing itself that caught his attention the most. He remembered that he had a dream like that image around that time. All he remembered was that it involved Rei, not the one standing in front of him, but the one from all those years ago in Tokyo 3.
"I-I need some time to think about all of this," he then said to her. "I'm going to go now, but I want to talk to you about this again."
"Of course," she said. "I will see you again." With a quick wave and a mumbled farewell, Shinji left the room, leaving Ayanami staring at the doorway.
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"Now Captain," Kusanagi said. Can you explain to this inquiry the reasoning behind your proposal to transfer Shinji Ikari to your authority on board the Wunder?"
"Of course," Misato replied. "After the attack by the enemy Ayanami type two weeks ago, it was discovered that he was a target by Nerv. As the attempt to kill him failed, it is logical that they would make such an attempt again. With Nerv launching a massive attack on New Constantinople, we have to assume that one of its targets must be him. We believe moving him to the Wunder will allow him greater saffety for both him and perhaps the city as well."
"And what would be the advantages of putting young Ikari on board?" General Samuel Clayton then asked.
"As the Wunder is practially a flying fortress, we have considerable firepower as well as two Eva Units at our disposal," Misato answered.
"So does the city," the General continued. "And it barely survived the recent attack. What makes you think the Wunder would do any better?"
"The one thing we have that they don't," she replied. "We have mobility on our side. We can avoid just about any fight we can't win. Of course, we can't entirely erase the danger, but it can be reduced."
"What do you think of Commander Kaji's plan to have him be the full time pilot of Unit 10?" Clayton asked.
"I believe it is rash, dangerous, and with no consideration of the potential consequences, including the likelihood if him awakening the Eva," she said.
"What other consequences do you mean, besides any potential awakening?" Admiral Jonathan Fontaine asked.
"I was referring to the negative effects of piloting will have on Shinji," Misato said.
"But according to the Commander's testimony," Clayton flipped through some of the papers in front of him, "he said, and I quote, 'he has showed an increasing strength of character since his arrival in the city.' What do you think of these words?"
"His 'strength of character,' as the Commander put it, is due to the fact that there was no longer any negative pressure on him due to being a pilot. Personally, I am glad that Shinji is a much happier person, but my fear is that repeated combat would regress any personal gains that he has made."
"Do…you hold any personal animosity towards Shinji?" General Isabel Cafiero then asked.
"What? Where would you get such an idea?" she answered in a calm voice, though her face betrayed to the inquiry the fact that she was furious at such accusation.
"I am talking about the fact that since he had returned from Unit 01, you have seemed to have a…I don't want to say grudge, but I don't have any other word for it."
"As I stated in previous reports, we had concerns that it might not have been Shinji that had come out, but an enemy Ikari type. All precautions had to be taken to ensure it was him."
"Yet from what testimony made by Shinji, back when he first arrived in this city, he described the situation that the best word I have for it is Kafkaesque. What do you have to say about that?"
"Looking back at that time, I admit that the way we handled those few hours was not the best," Misato said. "But even if we could have determined for certain that it was the real Shinji we were dealing with. I would have taken similar actions for his protection."
"For his protection…" General Zhu Lei repeated. "Is that the same logic you're using to oppose him being a pilot?"
"It is," Misato replied. "I would like to add that a couple of weeks ago, Shinji came to visit me at my apartment for an unrelated reason. We talked for a while over that incident as well as few other things, and we came to an understanding. I even apologized to him over my actions. So allow me to reiterate. I do not have any animosity whatsoever towards him, and I never had."
"So what is your personal opinion of Shinji Ikari?" General Alexander Kutuzov asked.
"He can be very kind, hard working, generous, brave. A great kid to have around," she replied. "However the life he has lived has taken a lot out of him. I fear that if he does pilot, it will take even more, and the result of that will be tragedy, not just for him, but potentially everyone else."
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Shinji attempted to make sense of what he had learned from Ayanamiin his head as he walked down the corridor. He needed to talk to someone about it, but no one was around. Everyone he knew he could bee comfortable talking about this was at the inquiry. Should he talk to Misato or anyone else on the Wunder? It might be worth it to see if he could. the problem was that many of them were at the inquiry as well. As he was trying to decide who he could turn to, he then heard voices come from further up the corridor.
"Do you really think that's funny four eyes?" he heard one voice ask. He recognized it as belonging to Asuka.
"The question really should be why don't you think it's funny?" he heard another voice answer. That was Mari. Perfect, he declared in his head. He could talk to them. Shinji was about to quicken his pace when he heard a third voice that made him stop cold.
"Are you two always like this?" That was Sakura. His legs started to shake, and he began to take deep breaths as if he just ran a mile. I can't see her now, he thought. Not after I piloted Unit 10. Finding an adjacent corridor, he rushed down it and turned on the first right, where he stopped and leaned against the wall, listening to them as they continued their conversation.
"Are you guys sure he'll be there?" Asuka asked.
"That's what they said," Sakura replied. "When anyone wants to visit her, they have to register with security."
"You think that they could be less hard ass about the whole thing now," Mari said.
"Need I remind you that she is a prisoner," Asuka said.
"Even after she helped them when that other one attacked?" Mari said. "That sucks."
"Anyway, I hope that we can find Shinji," Sakura said. "I need to talk to him about a couple of things."
"What, did he confess to you or something like that?" Mari said.
"No, nothing like that," Sakura countered. Shinji felt that her voice was unsteady when she answered. There was nothing but silence for a few seconds. "Don't give me that look," she then said.
"Whatever you say," Mari said. The conversation faded from Shinji's hearing, leaving only quiet. Shinji remained where he was for several seconds listening for any other sounds. He then balled one of his fists and slammed it against the wall. Why do I have to be such a damn coward, he thought. With a sigh, he walked down the corridor, his head looking at the floor.
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"It's a pleasure that you are able to speak to us today Vice-Commander," Kusanagi said.
"It is no problem, General, Burke replied. "I mean it could be worse. I could be testifying before politicians." The joke caused a wave of soft chuckles from the Wille brass.
"Now then," Kusanagi said when the chuckling died down. "It is stated in the official report of the battle that you agreed to Shinji piloting under protest."
"Yes, that's correct," Burke said. "When the Commander suggested that we let Shinji pilot, I attempted to talk him out of it."
"What was the reasoning that you gave him against the idea?" Fontaine asked.
"My primary concern was the potential for Shinji to inadvertently awaken Unit 10," Burke answered. "It had been a year since the Impact event at the ruins of Tokyo 3 and while he had become a better person from living a normal life, I was unsure if these benefits would hold up once he was in the heat of battle. I am pleased to say that I was wrong on that point."
"Could your time living with him be affecting your judgment on these matters?" Clayton asked.
"Do any of you have children?" Burke then asked the inquiry. Some of them nodded yes in reply. "Then some of you can see where I am coming from. In the past year that he had been living with me, I have seen him improve drastically. The difference between now and from back then, or even the assessments that I've read of him from before 3rd Impact is almost night and day. So to answer your question, it is affecting my judgment in that I can make a better assessment."
"What then is your opinion about young Ikari being the full time pilot of Unit 10?" Cafiero asked.
"If he want to, I would be okay with it," he answered.
"Even after what you have said?" Zhu said.
"That's another thing about kids," Burke said. "You got to let them grow up, and let them make their own decisions, even if you don't agree with them. You just hope that you raised them well enough that they make the right ones."
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Shinji left the building and walked out into the open area, and sat on a park bench, looking up at the sky. This has been one hell of a day, he thought. he could say that it had been a hell of a couple days or even a hell of a couple weeks when he thought about it. So many things have been hitting him like a freight train, he didn't know what to do if this kept up. He then looked at his watch and saw that still has an hour and a half, before he had to go before the inquiry. He closed his eyes and tried to relax.
He then heard the sound of children's laughter not too far away from him. Opening his eyes, he turned head towards the sound and listened for few a seconds. Shinji then got up and headed over to the sound.
After walking for about half a minute he came upon them, playing and running around in the grass. He recognized some of the children being from the daycare center, though he did notice more than a few new faces among them. Some of the staff that he knew were there as well, keeping watch over the kids. He turned around to return to the bench when he heard a voice from behind him.
"Hey it's you!" Shinji knew that voice. He turned back around to find Akane standing there.
"Hello there," he said.
It's been a long time since you last came," she said.
"Many things have been happening. "That's why I have been not coming."
"Oh," she said, looking a little sad. "But you're here now!" a smile came upon her face. She rushed towards him and grabbed his hand. "Come on!" she dragged him towards the other children. Still the same girl, he thought as she dragged him along.
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"No. Unit 10 did not awaken any time during the period Shinji Ikari was piloting," Hood said. "Our sensor readings, along with data recorded from the entry plug show that while both sync rate and plug depth were approaching dangerous levels, they were not enough to push the Eva into an awakened state."
"Then how do you explain the actions of Unit 10 during the latter stages of the battle?" Clayton asked. "Even the exploits of both Units 02 and 08 during these years don't even come close to what Ikari was doing."
"I understand your concern," Hood said. "The data we received were having me take pause as well when I first saw them. He pushed a few buttons on the table, and holographic screen appeared showing video of the battle, starting at the point where Unit 10 was trapped between the two enemy spheres. Hood froze the video at the moment the spheres exploded.
"When I first saw that, I thought Unit 10 went faster than light. If it did, I would be as worried as any of you are. But as you can see," Hood then began to move video frame by frame from the explosion showing that even though it appeared as a black blur, it was moving physically through the sky. "It was doing nothing of the sort."
"How fast was it going?" Cafiero asked.
"Our sensors have it going at Mach 8 at that point in time," Hood replied. "Keep in mind though that afterwords, the Eva never exceeded Mach 2.3 at any one time."
"The G-forces should have killed the pilot," Clayton exclaimed.
"It should have yes," Hood said, "but further details of our scans showed that Unit 10 was deploying minute AT Fields to act as a cushion against those forces. I should add though that this is not the first time an Eva was pushed to those speeds. In the battle against the 8th Angel, the Eva Units deployed did break the sound barrier in order to intercept the Angel from the ground."
"Very well. Turning to the next subject on the agenda, you do know that Commander Kaji wishes to make young Ikari the official pilot of Unit 10," Kusanagi said.
"Yes. I was informed yesterday," Hood replied.
"If he does become the pilot, can it be guaranteed that he will not awaken Unit 10."
"You can not erase the possibility completely," Hood said. "It's impossible. However, you can minimize the chance of it happening. When I was informed of the Commander's decision, I began formulating systems we can easily install, not only on Unit 10, but on other equipment as well to minimize the Eva awakening."
"And what are the factors that prevent the complete erasure from the awakening?"
"The pilot," Hood replied. "It all comes down to the pilot."
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Both Shinji and Akane headed over to where many of the kids were. Several of them, who recognized him surrounded him shouting and laughing, and trying to tell him things. After Shinji got them to calm down, Akane spoke.
"He can tell us everything about it," she declared.
"About what?" Shinji asked.
"About the Oovas," Akane replied.
"Oovas? What's are those?" Shinji couldn't figure out what she was talking about as he sat down on the grass.
"You know, Oovas are the things that saved the city."
"You mean what happened a couple of days ago?" Shinji asked.
"Yep, she replied. "The Oovas were fighting the bad guys." It took another few seconds for everything to click.
"Oh, I think you mean Evas," Shinji then said. "That's what they're called."
"Evas," Akane then said. "It sounds prettier."
"I agree," Shinji smiled. But how do these kids know all about them, he wondered.
"How…how did you learn about this?" he then asked.
"My friend Megumi said she saw it on TV," Akane replied as she pointed to another girl, who tried to hide behind another kid when she was called out. Something like that wouldn't be aired on TV, Shinji thought. They never did when he was at Tokyo 3. Maybe one of that kid's parents brought their work home, and she caught a peek at it.
"So..." Shinji began, "what do you want to know about them?"
"He says they have people inside them to move them around." She pointed at a boy he did not see before." I say they're robots, and they don't have people in them."
"That's not true," the boy said.
"It is so."
"Is not!"
"Okay, okay," Shinji said before turning to Akane. "It's true, people do pilot the Evas. I've…met them."
"You have?" Akane said.
"Yeah, I am even friends with them," he added.
"Really? Cool," Akane said. The other children talked among themselves with excitement.
"I-I suppose so," he said. "So, what do you think of the Evas?"
"I think they're awesome!" she shouted.
"They're not scary?" he asked.
"Nope," she replied.
"I think they are scary," Megumi said in a soft voice.
"That's all right," Shinji said to her. "They do look scary, but the people who pilot them are really nice." The girl nodded in understanding.
"I want to be a pilot," one of the boys then said.
"No, you can't," Shinji said. "It's too dangerous for kids like you. It's not like playing a video game."
"But I want to protect my Mom and Dad," the boy then said.
"That's a good thing to do for your parents, but you're still too young," Shinji said. "Besides, I hope that one day we won't need them any more."
"Well, if they ask me, I'll say yes," the boy said.
"I'm sure you will," Shinji said. They wouldn't know of course, he then thought as he stood back up. They're only kids. "Well, I have to get going," he then said.
"You can't play with us?" Akane asked.
"There's a place I need to be," Shinji said. "I have to get going. How about I tell the pilots about you, and maybe, just maybe, some of them could come to visit, okay?"
"Okay then, bye bye," she said. As Shinji walked off, he could see the kids shouting and waving at him. He then had a terrifying thought. Wille had been fighting for about fifteen years now, with no signs of it ending. The fact that there have been other pilots like Joanna over the years made him wonder that if the fighting continued for years onward, would these kids have to fight as well?
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"Did you know of Commander Kaji's plans to have Shinji Ikari pilot Unit 10?" Kusanagi asked.
"No sir, I did not know until the Commander gave the order to deploy Unit 10 with Shinji as pilot," Aida replied.
"You were out of the loop entirely?" Clayton followed up.
"I did have a battle on my hands," Aida said. "Unless they needed me for something, my focus was on the fighting. I will admit at the time that I did think it unusual when the Commander asked Shinji to come up to his desk."
"And…how did you feel about that?" Fontaine then asked.
"Very uncomfortable," Aida said. "I was concerned, not only for Shinji possibly awakening Unit 10, but how the battle would take a toll on him. Once decided though, I knew had to help him get through that."
"Even with your concerns?" Kutuzov said.
"Orders are orders," Aida said."'Ours is not to reason why…' Isn't that how one old poem discusses the matter?" he could see some of the inquiry nodding in agreement.
"How did you feel about the possibility of Ikari becoming Unit 10's full-time pilot?" Zhu asked.
"Just as uncomfortable," Aida said, "but not due to any fearmof Unit 10 awakening. You see, back during the Angel War, my friend and I sneaked out of the shelter we were in to see a battle. One thing led to another, and we ended up in the entry plug with Shinji. After it was over and the Angel was defeated, there was this…anguish coming from him. I'll never forget that. If he does want to pilot, I will support his decision. But speaking as someone who is his friend, I hope that he won't."
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Shinji entered the area in front of the conference room where the inquiry sat. He found the room filled with several people, some that he recognized and some that he didn't. Burke, who was in the room standing around, caught sight of Shinji and waved him over.
"Good, you're here," he said when Shinji approached him. "Joanna just went in there a few minutes ago, so it might be another half hour or so."
"I see" Shinji said.
"I'll also be going in with you," Burke then added.
"Really? Why?" Shinji asked.
"I'll be there as sort of…I want to say lawyer, but that isn't right. Using that assumes you're a criminal of some kind…intermediary, that's the word I want."
"Okay…" Shinji said. He allowed two seconds of silence to pass before he spoke again. "I-I saw Ayanami today."
"That's nice," Burke said as he looked at his tablet. "How is she?"
"She's fine," Shinji replied. "Anyway, you know about the art she draws, right?"
"Yeah," Burke said. "I swear, I don't know if we need to consult a psychologist or an art critic with some of those pieces."
"Well, uh, I want to talk to you about some of those works."
"What? You think she should have a gallery show or something?" Burke asked, still looking at his tablet.
"No, I don't mean that," Shinji said. "When I was talking to her earlier today, I discovered-" He would have said more, but was interrupted by Burke's phone ringing. When he had finished the call, Shinji tried again, but was interrupted for a second time when a staff officer came up to Burke to discuss some matter. When the officer left, Burke turned to Shinji.
"Got that done," he said. "So what were you saying?" Shinji paused for a seconds, and decided the third time might not be the charm.
"It-It can wait until later," he said. "Where's Kaji?"
"Good question," Burke answered. "I haven't seen him in a good while. I haven't seen Katsuragi either, not since she finished her testimony. If it wasn't for the fact we need to stay here until we're called, I'd try to seek them out. Maybe I could try call him." He was about to reach for his phone when the door to the conference room opened and Joanna stepped out looking tired.
"You've only been in there for ten minutes," Burke looked at his tablet to confirm the amount of time. "What happened?"
"They didn't have too many questions," she said. "Most of the time they congratulated me on how I fought in the battle."
"Well, you earned it," Burke said.
"I was so nervous that by the time it was over, I wore myself out," she added. "I just want to take a nap now."
"Don't worry you'll have the rest of the day," Burke said.
"What kind of questions did they ask?" Shinji asked.
"It was about you," she replied. "They asked things such like if I thought you seemed calm when you were fighting and what I thought about you being a pilot." She slumped into a chair. "I hope I gave the right answers."
"I'm sure you answered fine," Burke said. As they were talking, a female officer then stepped out of the conference room and headed over to Shinji.
"Excuse me," she said to him. "You are Shinji Ikari, correct?" He nodded yes. "The inquiry is ready for you."
"Oh, okay," Shinji replied.
"Are you ready?" Burke then asked him.
"As I'll ever be," he replied.
"Let's get to it then," Burke declared.
"Good luck," Joanna said as the two then followed the officer into the conference room.
Shinji saw a group of high ranking officers seated at a conference table, some of them holographic projections. he and Burke took their seats at a table opposite them. When they were settled in their seats, the officer in the middle began to speak.
"Mr. Ikari, thank you for being able to join us today," Kusanagi said.
"N-No problem," Shinji replied.
"No need to be nervous," Kusanagi said. "Now, we want to talk to you about two main things: When you piloted Evangelion Unit 10 two days ago, and Commander Kaji's request to have you be the official pilot of that Unit. You have been asked to be the pilot?"
"Yes," Shinji replied.
"And what have you decided?"
"Well, I haven't decided anything yet," Shinji said. "I'm still thinking."
"I see," Kusanagi said. "That's okay. I know it isn't an easy decision. Now, we want to ask you some questions regarding the battle a couple of days ago."
"Okay," Shinji said.
"Now, when Commander Kaji asked you to pilot, how did you react?'
"At first I was shocked," he said. "I didn't think I would do anything like that again. But then I thought about everyone who is fighting, especially Joanna, and I figured it was the right thing to do."
"Did you think of what could have happened if you piloted, that you could cause an impact?" Shinji took several seconds to put his words together before he answered.
"Yes. I was afraid that it could happen. During the battle, I had to keep control of myself, even when things got chaotic."
"At any time when you were fighting, did you feel like you could or even would lose that control you're talking about?" Cafiero asked. Shinji took another pause before answering.
"I did feel…a pull that way, but I always kept it in check," Shinji said. "I was always aware of the consequences if I didn't."
"Aren't you afraid that if you did become a pilot again, it could still happen?" Clayton asked.
"Yes I am," Shinji answered. "But…I think that fear would keep me from doing anything. Be there to remind me. I don't know if I said something that you would understand."
"I think I do," Clayton said. "I'll admit, that's an interesting way to look at things."
"Thank you," Shinji said.
"We'll now proceed with the next item on our agenda," Kusanagi said. "I want to begin by asking a question regarding your encounter with the Ayanami type two weeks before."
"Yes," Shinji said.
"You reported that when you encountered her, the Ayanami told you that you were one her targets. Was that correct?"
"Yes, he replied. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"You see, when this fact became apparent, there was some discussion on what was the best course of action to take in protecting you should Nerv or Seele try again to kill you," Kusanagi said. "One plan was created by Captain Katsuragi, and that plan was to have you live on the Wunder on a permanent basis."
"What?" Shinji said. "I've never heard that before."
"I can see why you were surprised," Kusanagi said. "Commander Kaji argued against her plan saying it was better for you to stay in this city."
"Why didn't anyone tell me?" Shinji asked.
"To be honest, you were having a rough day," Burke then said. "Maybe we should have told you later. That…That was a mistake. I'll admit that. For my part in this, I'm sorry."
"I'm not angry," Shinji said. "I just would have liked to know, that's all.
"In any event," Kutuzov said, "what do you feel about that plan?"
"I…I have to say no," Shinji then said. "Some time ago, Mi-I mean Captain Katsuragi asked me if I wanted to come on board the ship. I said no to her."
"Was this before the recent attacks?" Clayton asked.
"Yes," Shinji replied. "I refused because at the time, I had a life here.
"And your reasoning is still the same, despite what happened?" Clayton followed up.
"I do," he said. "It feels like I've been saying this a million times because I have said this to many people, but I think if this city, along with the people who live here as my home, that I should fight for it, and for them."
"And this was different than when you were in Tokyo 3?" Fontaine said.
"Yes," Shinji replied. "I had made friends there too, and there were people who cared for me such as Captain Katsuragi along with a few others, but it never felt really like home. The city felt empty to me. It never felt comfortable to me either because there was this...I don't know, expectation to save them, even if I didn't feel the same."
"And it is different now, because?" Kusanagi said.
"I think it's the fact that I have lived here," Shinji answered. "With Tokyo 3, I was just summoned there suddenly, and been told to defend it. This city is," he tapped on the desk with his forefinger to make is point, "is my home. If I did become the pilot, I think it would easier for me to deal with it."
"So you could see yourself becoming the pilot of Unit 10?" Zhu asked.
"I could, but I'm not sure if it's a good idea," he answered. "I mean, I made so many mistakes when I piloted Unit 01, and…other mistakes as well.
"Are you talking about the Fourth Impact?" Kusanagi asked. Shinji froze, but before he could say a word, Burke spoke up.
"I should remind all present here than in the case of Fourth Impact, Shinji was given misleading information as well as being in a distressed mental state, both of which was what Nerv and Seele wanted. There was no maliciousness from him in that incident," he said.
"We do understand that Vice-Commander," Kusanagi said. "I believe that both it and the Near Third Impact incident were not by his designs. Shinji, if you knew the things you know now back then, you would not have made the decisions that you did, right?
"Yes, of course I would," Shinji said.
"Well," Kusanagi leaned back in his chair. "Are there any other questions from this inquiry?" The other members were silent. "Would the two of you please leave while we make our decision. We will recall you shortly." Both Shinji and Burke stood up and left the room.
"You did great," Burke said when the door closed behind them.
"Thanks," Shinji said. "What's going to happen now?"
"They'll make their decision on whether they will let you pilot or not," Burke answered.
"I see," Shinji said.
"You still haven't made a decision yet?" Burke then asked. Shinji thought about it in silence for about a minute.
"I think I may have," Shinji replied. "That time with them did help me make up my mind as well as some other things that happened to me today before I arrived here."
"Really? That's great," Burke said. "Well don't keep me in suspense, what is it?" Shinji was about to answer him when the attendant came up to them, saying it was time to return to the room. When they went back in, and faced the inquiry, Kusanagi began to speak, reading off a sheet of paper.
"Today, we have heard from several witnesses and their testimony about Shinji Ikari and his determination if he is suitable to be an active Evangelion pilot. After hearing from those witnesses, along with Shinji Ikari himself, we have determined that he is fit to pilot Evangelion Unit 10, and if he so chooses, he can be commissioned as pilot with the rank of Major." Burke patted Shinji on the shoulder.
"T-Thank you sir," Shinji said.
"So now, it all depends on what you want to do," Kusanagi said. "Have you made a decision?"
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
The air from her breath cooled in a whitish cloud as Misato worked in the freezing air in the base's computer room. In one hand, she held a piece of paper with instructions that Ritsuko had written out for her, and typing out those instructions on a keyboard in her lap with the other into the servers.
"Why couldn't she do this?" she muttered to herself. Misato knew the answer. Ritsuko was on the ship preparing their systems for the data linkup, which was why she was down here in the cold. She just wanted to complain. After taking what felt to her as a long time, she began to input the final commands on the list.
As she was doing that, she thought she heard some noise, like the door to the facility opening and closing. She dismissed it, thinking she was hearing things. Ritsuko assured her that there would be no technicians in the room during this time, and that she would be done before any of them would come in for scheduled maintenance, and the key card she was given was guaranteed not to alert the security systems.
That reassurance was dashed away when her screen went blank, replaced seconds later by sets of binary numbers. At the same time, the servers, which glowed in a cool green, began to light up in red. That meant one thing, they knew.
"Shit, she muttered as she laid down the keyboard and pulled her pistol out of her jacket. She stood up and with slow, steady steps, made her way down a row of servers towards the door. She approached the corner of the row, prepared to shoot, and made a sharp turn aiming her pistol, finding Kaji standing there right in front of her.
"Well," he said. "This is a fine how-do-you-do."
"Hands where I can see them!" Misato demanded. Kaji showed his hands, his face remaining calm.
"Who else is here?" she then asked.
"Just me," Kaji replied, "though you should know that there is a squad of security personnel on the other side of the door, and your attempts to access our systems have been blocked."
"How did you find out?" Misato asked.
"I would have done the same thing if I was in your position," Kaji said. "I mean, most of the senior staff are concerned with this inquiry, it's the perfect distraction. Come on Katsuragi, I was in this kind of business once upon a time."
"So why did you come in here?" Misato said. "You could have just had me arrested."
"Because I want to avoid that," he answered. "I remembered what you said a couple of days ago, about Nerv wanting us to have Shinji pilot? I said at the time I didn't know what would be the advantage in them doing that. I think I do now."
"What is it?" Misato asked.
"This," Kaji replied. "You, pointing a gun at me. Or maybe Gendo imagined me pointing one at you. I don't know."
"How would you know that's true?" she then asked, her voice wavering.
"I don't," he said, "but think about this, who would benefit if this came to blows? Not any of us. Only Nerv would benefit. You know that's true."
"I'm doing this for Shinji," Misato said.
"I know," Kaji said, "and I'm thinking Gendo Ikari is counting on that."
"Then what am I supposed to do?" she then asked. Kaji was about to answer when his phone rang.
"Uh, do you mind if I get that?" he asked her. Misato nodded and he pulled out his phone.
"Oh, hey Stanley," he said into it. "No, I'm not doing anything important…oh he did. I'll need to talk with him yet today. Has Aida and Hood been informed?" More silence. "Good. I want them at the meeting as well. Talk to you in a little bit." He hung up.
"Well, that's it," Kaji said to her. "Shinji said he'll pilot." Misato seemed to deflate in front of him.
"It can't be," she muttered to herself.
"Look, to answer your question, I would say that you should go see your daughter tonight. I'm sure she wants to see you," Kaji said. "After that, I would like you to be a part of the process, to help him with the duties he's undertaking." He then gave a smile. "Besides, don't you want to know more about Arbiter?"
"I…thought I wasn't supposed to talk about that," Misato said.
"Well, I won't tell if you won't," Kaji replied. "Besides, Shinji has to be briefed on it eventually if he's going to be an active pilot again. I would like you to be in the room when I do. Is that all right with you?" Misato sighed.
"If that's the best I can get from you, I'll take it," she said as she holstered her pistol. Her phone then started to ring as well.
"If that's Ritsuko, tell her that the three of us should have a drink sometime soon, just like old times," Kaji said. Misato grabbed her phone and put it to her ear.
"What happened?" Ritsuko asked. "What's going on?"
"Abort the operation," Misato said. "It's over. I'll explain back on the ship." She hung up the phone, and began to walk towards the door. When she reached Kaji, she stopped and turned to him.
"Remember this though, if something happens to Shinji, and I don't just mean through Eva combat," she said. "I swear that you will regret this."
"I will keep that in mind," Kaji replied. Misato the walked out the door with Kaji following right behind her.
