Shinji's Redemption
Chapter 11
"You three will be swapping Eva units today," Ritsuko informed. Asuka threw her fists down and shook her head.
"No way!" Asuka shouted loud enough to let all of Nerv know.
"Don't worry you'll just be sitting in the entry plugs, nothing more," Ritsuko said. Asuka humphed, crossed her arms, and looked away in a pout, "Aren't you at least a little curious about the other Evas Asuka?" Ritsuko asked. Asuka just looked at Shinji.
"Whatever, I'm going first," Asuka demanded. The three of the pilots went to go change into their Plug suits.
Unit 00 felt cold as ice. Asuka was nearly shivering inside the entry plug of Unit 00.
"How does she pilot this thing? I feel like I'm going to freeze!" Asuka complained.
"Her synch rate is barely over 20%," Maya reported. Ritsuko looked down at her clipboard.
"Strange, I wouldn't have thought they would be that low," Ritsuko said.
"What's the point of all this anyway?" Asuka complained.
"We want to see how well you synch with other units," Ritsuko answered.
'Like hell, I'm piloting any other Eva than Unit 02' Asuka mused. Asuka tilted her head down. She pulled her knees up into her chest. She swore it was getting colder by the second.
"All right Asuka, you're done with Unit 00. Now for you to test out Unit 01." Ritsuko said.
"Finally." Asuka sighed. To be honest, Asuka was a little scared o get inside Unit 01. Asuka has seen what it could do if it was set loose. She stepped into the entry plug and waited for it to sink down into the Eva. After a few minutes of waiting, the Unit finally booted up. As soon as it did, Asuka could feel a warm sensation all around her body. She couldn't explain why, but Asuka felt safe and protected inside Unit 01.
"This is what mangled that angel?" Asuka thought to herself.
"Asuka is everything alright?" Ritsuko asked. Asuka looked up in surprise. She was completely distracted by how comforting Unit 01 was.
"I'm fine, I just didn't expect Unit 01 to be so...warm," Asuka said. Asuka took a deep breath. When she exhaled, It was like she could feel all of her worries melt.
"Her synch rate is almost at 50%," Maya said in amazement. Ritsuko looked over at the monitor. She tilted her glasses down so she could she clearer.
"How?" Ritsuko said, baffled. This was her first time synching with Unit 01. Even if she was an exceptional pilot, this was a whole different Eva. Ritsuko wanted to test something.
"Asuka, compare Unit 01 to Unit 00," Ritsuko asked. Asuka looked around Unit 01.
"Unit 01 feels warm and comforting, while Unit 00 feels cold and...lonely," Asuka said. Ritsuko looked down at the ground, with her fingers on her chin.
"No that can't be right." She said out loud. After a few more tests, Ritsuko finally told Asuka that they were finished. Asuka almost didn't want to leave Unit 01, she was going to miss how nice it was.
Next up was Rei. She entered into Unit 01 and felt a familiar presence. It was like staring into a mirror almost, except if the mirror was a seventy-five-meter tall superweapon.
"How does Unit 01 feel, Rei?" Ritsuko asked. Rei held her blank expression.
"It smells like Shinji," Rei responded.
"What's her synch rate?" Ritsuko asked Maya.
"It's not much of a change from what he usually puts out," Maya said. Ritsuko sighed.
"Well that's just about as much as we're gonna get out of her," Ritsuko said. Rei moved out of Unit 01 and into Unit 02. Ritsuko asked all of the same questions as before, none of which differed much.
Now last, but certainly not least. Out of the three pilots, Shinji's data would be the most valuable. Ritsuko was eager to find out how Shinji performs in the other two Evas. They started with him in Unit 00. Shinji entered the Eva and was met with an empty feeling. He sat in the entry plug and waited.
"He seems fairly relaxed for his first time in a different Eva," Ritsuko said.
"His synch score is about the same as in Unit 01," Maya reported. Ritsuko squinted.
'Unit 00's pattern waves are very similar to Unit 01's. The real test will be when he's put into Unit 02.' Ritsuko thought to herself. Shinji had been inside Unit 02 before when he co-piloted it with Asuka back on Over the Rainbow. But this time around he was completely by himself. When the Eva booted up, Shinji immediately felt a presence. It was one of confusion. Shinji closed his eyes and felt like someone was trying to reach out to him. His eyes jolted back open when the comm window flashed open.
"How's Unit 02 feel Shinji?" Ritsuko asked, a little too eager. Shinji sat silently trying to come up with an answer.
"I can't quite place my finger on it, but it feels like I'm meeting someone new," Shinji answered. Ritsuko looked a little confused by the boy's answer. She turned to Maya to give her his synch rate. All she was met with was a shock. Ritsuko looked over on the monitor to find his synch rate was 64.2%. Ritsuko's eyes widened and took a few steps back.
"How...the...hell?" Ritsuko blundered. 'This doesn't make sense. The Eva shouldn't be synching with him to this magnitude.' Ritsuko mused. After a few moments of silence, Ritsuko told Shinji that he could exit Unit 02.
Shinji stood at Yui Ikari's memorial plate. It was merely one of the many in the filed of thousands. Shinji held a bundle of flowers, he bent down and placed them in front of the memorial.
"It's been a while since we last came here, Shinji." A monotone voice rang threw the empty air. Shinji turned to see Gendo Ikari walking towards him. Shinji remained silent as the wind howled throughout the air. Shinji couldn't help but feel a sense of timelessness. The Memorial grounds seemed so dead and lifeless, much like the memorials themselves. The two of them stood silent for a while just looking at the gravestone.
"Why did you leave me?" Shinji asked. The words cut threw the air like a hot knife through butter. He's been wanting to ask that question ever since he got back from the third impact, but he's never gotten the chance to be alone with his father. Part of him didn't want to know the answer, Shinji felt that it would make him even madder at his father.
"It was for the best if we didn't see each other," Gendo said. Shinji was a mixture of confusion and anger.
'If we didn't see each other? What does that even mean?' Shinji thought. Shinji turned around to look at his father. He held his expressionless face, but his eyes held a sadness to them. It was the first time Shinji ever saw any emotion in his father.
"Shinji, why did you agree to pilot the Eva?" Gendo asked, curious to see how he would answer. Shinji looked down at the ground and scoffed.
"What was I supposed to do, let Rei die piloting it?" Shinji said with anger in his voice. Gendo looked off into the distance contemplating something.
"Shinji, do you pilot the Eva because you want to or you feel obligated to?" Gendo asked. Shinji clutched his fist, he hated how well his father could read him.
"I pilot the Eva because if I don't, people will die," Shinji said in resentment. Gendo looked down at the grave,
"You put other's safety before your own, which makes you either a fool or a hero. Never forget that." Gendo said. Shinji widened his eyes in response. Did his father just give him a compliment? The sound of jet engines echoed throughout the air. a transport shuttle came hovering in, throwing dust all around the memorial site. Gendo turned to leave, but before he got far he turned to Shinji. His face held hesitation, like he wanted to say something but couldn't. "Shinji, you're a lot like your mother," Genso said. He turned back and boarded the transport. The aircraft soon took off and disappeared into the distance. Once again Shinji stood alone, looking at his mother's grave. Shinji opened his hand and looked at his scar. He quickly tightened it and started walking.
Asuka sat in the kitchen tapping her fingers against the table. She had her head resting on her arms. She looked over at Shinji and got an idea.
"Hey, Shinji wanna kiss?" Asuka said. Shinji was too busy listening to his SDAT and drawing landscapes.
"Hey, Shinji," Asuka said a little louder. This time Shinji heard Asuka. He pulled out his earbuds to listen.
"What?" Shinji asked.
"Let's kiss," Asuka said casually. Shinji's eyes widened.
'That's today? I thought that happened later!" Shinji thought to himself.
"Well, do you want to do it, or not?" Asuka said impatiently. Shinji at up, breathed in deeply and then exhaled. He looked at Asuka. She wore one of Misato's shirts which nearly covered her blue shorts. Even with her hair tied up, it still went down all the way to her back. Her ocean-blue eyes held a saddened look to them. Shinji looked at her lips, they looked very soft. Without even thinking he leaped forward and planted his lips on hers. He wrapped his hands around Asuka's waist, pulling her deeper into the kiss. She responded by wrapping her arms around Shinji 's neck. Neither of them knew what they were doing, they simply ran on instincts. They stayed that way for what seemed like an eternity until they separated. Both were breathing heavily like they just ran a mile. They looked at each other's eyes and for a second everything was perfect. The doorbell rang throughout the apartment. Asuka immediately ran straight out of the kitchen into her room. Shinji was left standing in the kitchen to contemplate what just happened. The apartment door slid open with Misato nearly hitting her head on the wall. Kaji barely caught her in time to keep herself from getting a concussion. Shinji walked into the hallway to find a very drunken Misato and a very tired looking Kaji. He looked up and saw Shinji.
"Hey, Shinji, mind giving me a hand?" Kaji asked. Shinji helped Kaji carry Misato into her room. Afterward, Kaji Sat down on one of the kitchen tables. Shinji handed him a glass of water
"Thanks, Shinji," Kaji said.
"I've never seen her so drunk before," Shinji said worriedly.
"You shoulda seen her on her twentieth birthday, I didn't know you could wake up still drunk." Kaji joked. He slowly got up from the chair and headed for the door. "See ya Shinji, and also, make sure to give her some of these," Kaji said. He tossed a plastic bottle to Shinji. "When she wakes up, she's going to have a major hangover. Those should help." Kaji advised. After that Kaji left the apartment. Shinji looked at the clock and decided to go to bed.
Shinji tossed and turned in his bed. After what happened with Asuka he couldn't go to sleep. He got up and walked into the kitchen to see if he could drink some milk to make him sleepy. He sat down at the kitchen table only for him to notice that there was a draft coming into the room. He looked towards the veranda and saw the sliding glass door to be ajar. He walked over to close it to find Asuka sitting on the concrete floor. She wore a blanket around her to keep warm from the cool summer temperature. Shinji slid the door open and walked out. The only sound was the cool wind and cicadas. Asuka didn't bother to turn her head.
"Asuka, what are you doing out here?" Shinji asked., worried.
"Shinji are you ever scared of not being good enough?" Asuka said. Shinji was surprised by her tone. She seemed tired and defeated. Something Shinji had never seen from her before. Shinji sat next to her. He thought about her question.
"All the time," Shinji said.
"How do you do it?" Asuka asked. Shinji seemed confused.
"How do I what?" Shinji asked.
"How can you stay so positive?" Asuka clarified. Shinji smiled.
"I could ask you the same thing," Shinji said. Asuka frowned.
"How am I positive?" Asuka asked. Shinji looked surprised.
"Asuka you're the most confident person I ever met. You always try your best and you never give up. You're nothing, but positivity Asuka." Shinji said. Shinji could see a little smile on Asuka's face.
"Thanks, Shinji," Asuka said. Shinji got up to leave only for Asuka to pull on his shirt. He looked back to see her looking down.
"Can I…sleep in your bed tonight?" Asuka asked, embarrassed.
"Sure," Shinji said. Asuka made her way to his room, while Shinji went to the closet to get some blankets. When he started to make a temporary bed Asuka stopped him.
"You can sleep with me...if you want," Asuka said. Shinji's face turned a deep red. Thanks to it being dark Asuka couldn't really see it.
"Oh, ok." Shinji sheepishly said. Asuka scooted over to let Shinji have some room. He slowly and carefully made his way into his bed. He pulled up the covers and immediately fell asleep.
Misato woke up with a pounding headache. She slowly got up out of bed and walked into the kitchen. She was surprised to see that Shinji wasn't up yet. Even on the Weekends, Shinji still woke up pretty early. She went to his room and knocked on the door. After not hearing a response, she slowly opened the door. She was met with Asuka and Shinji asleep, cuddling each other. Misato tilted her head in confusion. She then shook her head. "This is one hell of a hangover," Misato said as she walked back into the kitchen.
The three pilots sat in their respective entry plugs. Ritsuko starred at the computer screen in awe.
"These numbers shouldn't be possible." She exasperated.
"Asuka and Shinji's synch rates are closing in on a hundred," Maya said, amazed.
"What happens when they exceed a hundred?" Misato asked, curious. Ritsuko pushed her glassed up.
"The higher your synch rate the better you pilot your Eva. With this, you also feel what the Eva feels. Normally the pain is only imaginary and it won't physically affect you. That changes when your synch rates go above a hundred." Ritsuko explained.
"What are their synch rates now?" Misato asked, worried.
"Shinji is at 90.1%, Asuka is at 96.7%, and Rei is at 34.1%," Maya reported. Misato eyes widened.
"Asuka's less than five percent from hitting a hundred?!" Misato exclaimed. Ritsuko sighed.
"That's why these sudden improvements are alarming," Ritsuko said.
"Is there anything we can do?" Misato asked. Ritsuko shook her head.
"These are the highest synch rates any Eva pilot has ever gotten. It's all new territory from here on out." Ritsuko informed.
The day was quite in Tokyo-3 the clouds were out and the sky was a bright blue. The workers at Nerv HQ were doing their daily duties when the alarm for signal red went off. The main bridge quickly contacted The pilots and Misato to hurry.
"What the hell do you mean it just appeared?" Misato shouted, still huffing from running.
"Our radio signals didn't catch anything, it was like it fell from the sky!" Aoba reported.
"All patters are orange!. No AT field detected!" Hyuga reported. Misato looked confused.
"It's not an angel?" Misato asked.
All three units slowly made their way towards the angel. Stopping only to replace their Umbilical cable.
"You three read me? We don't know what we're dealing with here, so be careful. Slowly approach the target and see what it will do." Misato ordered. The three Evas carefully closed in on the angel. Shinji sat in Unit 01, breathing deeply. Shinji could feel his heart beat quicker and quicker.
'Calm down! Calm down! Calm down!' Shinji thought to himself. The last thing Shinji need to do was to pass out and have unit 01 go berserk. He closed his eyes and breathed slowly and easily. With every breath out, Shinji could feel his stress ease out of him. When Shinji opened his eyes the Angel was nowhere to be seen. Confused Shinji looked around him to see where the angel went. Shinji's eyes widened, he looked below him to see a black shadow start to spread across the ground he was on. Shinji tried to jump, but it was too late. The shadow had already clung onto Unit 01's feet. "Fuck!" Shinji shouted. He pressed the emergency Entry plug release. He wasn't going to make the same mistake as last time. The entry plug launched into the air.
"Unit 01's Emergency Entry Plug has been released!." Maya reported.
"What?!" Misato exclaimed. The entry plug crashed into a building. Asuka looked over to see an entry plug crash into a building.
"What the?" Asuka questioned. Suddenly, an orange audio-only box appeared on her screen.
"Asuka! Look out for the black shadow!" Shinji yelled through the radio comm. Asuka looked down at the ground below her to see the surface she was standing on turn black. Unit 02 quickly jumped to avoid being swallowed by the shadow. Asuka didn't have time the luxury to try and figure out what just happened, another shadow started appearing underneath Unit 02. Without even thinking, Asuka grabbed Unit 01's entry plug and put it in Unit 02's mouth. The Eva gently bit down on the entry plug and climbed the nearest building.
"Everybody! Regroup back at the base of Mt. Futago!" Misato ordered.
"What about Unit 01!" Asuka yelled.
"Asuka, I said regroup! That's an order!" Misato yelled.
Shinji sat inside his entry plug waiting for the all-clear to open it. He beat his fist on the control unit. He cursed over and over again on frustration. When he heard the hatch pop open he looked over to see Asuka enter the entry plug. She dove on top of Shinji and hugged him.
"You idiot!" Asuka cried. Shinji looked down at the crying girl.
"I'm sorry Asuka," Shinji apologized. After the two had calmed down they exited the entry plug and waited for Orders. When the helicopter touched down, Misato immediately jumped out and Hugged Shinji.
"Are you okay Shinji?" Misato asked worriedly.
"Other than a few bruises, I'm fine Misato," Shinji said. After Nerv set up the temporary HQ at Mt. Futago, Ritsuko explained to her best ability what her theory was on the angel.
"You're telling me that thing's connected to another dimension?" Asuka said bewildered.
"The angel is roughly seven hundred meters long, but only three nanometers thick. The angel supports this with its AT filed. Inside this nanometer-thick space are imaginary numbers, also known as the Deric Sea." Ritsuko explained.
"What about the sphere?" Misato asked.
"When the imaginary number circuit closes, that sphere appears. Otherwise, it's a complete illusion." Ritsuko clarified.
"How are we going to get Unit 01 back?" Shinji asked. Ritsuko looked down and sighed.
"We're going to drop our remaining N2 mines onto the angel to see if we can open the Deric sea long enough, so the remaining two Evas can use their AT fields to kill the angel," Ritsuko said. There was a collective gasp around in the makeshift conference.
"You can't be serious! Your willing to destroy a whole city just to get an Eva back!" Shinji yelled. What really disturbed him was if Unit 01 hadn't gone berserk, would the have tried this back when Shinji was still in Unit 01.
"At this point, it's the only option," Ritsuko said.
'Only option? Why is Unit 01 so important, that they must bomb an entire city just for a chance to get it?' Just then it all clicked. Shinji realized looked over at Asuka, then to Unit 02. He didn't want to believe it. He slowly walked over to the edge of the temporary base.
"Shinji where are you going?" Misato asked. Shinji just ignored her and kept walking. When he got to the edge, he stopped and looked over at the angel.
"Mother?" Shinji whispered. At first, nothing happened, until Shinji felt a wave of dizziness hit him. He slowly lifted his hand up to his nose. Shinji's hand shook violently when he saw that there was blood on it. He collapsed onto the ground. Asuka ran over to Shinji. She looked down at Shinji to see his face now covered in blood. There was a collective gasp in the group. Asuka looked up to see the angel starting to contort and bulge. A fountain of red spurted out on the side of the Angle. The blood ran down the side of the angel. A Metalic arm reached out causing more blood to spew out. Unit 01 stook it's head out and ripped through the angel like it was nothing. The angel exploded into a cloud of red mush. Even all the way out here you could feel the vibrations of Unit 01's screech. It jumped down and leaped across kilometers of woods, before landing in front of the base. The entire mountain shook. Unit 01 slowly walked towards Shinji and stopped just before hitting the edge of the base. Asuka looked up in complete fear. Its mouth hung open and it breathed like it's very existence was tiring. The Eva was soaked in blood from head to toe and it's white eyes shook with energy. Ritsuko's knees buckled, she slowly fell to the ground, shaking with fear.
"What have we created?" Ritsuko said.