From the author : Sahaquiel is coming down next to Neogoya and it's down to Highway Star to save his people from extinction
i don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion and Akira
Neon Genesis Evangelion belongs to Studio GAINAX and Hideaki Anno
Akira belongs to Kōdansha and Katsuhiro Ōtomo
"this" is speech
'this' is thought
NEON GENESIS EVANGELION HIGHWAY STAR
Chapter 29 : Sahaquiel
Shinji was sitting onboard the transport plane in his plug suit while listening to his SDAT and looking across the transport compartment that transported him alongside Asuka and Rei towards the battlefield. Shinji meanwhile couldn't stop to grin as remembered what Misato told him before departure
"Hey ! Be gentle with her ! We just finished her a day ago !"-Asuka said as she and Shinji were helping to load the HS Finale on one of the NERV trucks as the crew managed to finally load it in and secure it
"Ok Misato , now tell us why are we loading the motorcycle on this truck over here ?"-Shinji asked as Misato sighed a biit
"The next angel is gonna be falling next to Neogoya . According to MAGI our best chance is to catch it before it's gonna start to go underground to the Geofront. And as we began to move our forces there we already got tons of messages from various companies and corporations. And that means staying a week or so in the city , so i know that you wouldn't forgive me if i hadn't told you that we would be stationed there so i ordered this transport truck to get the HS to Neogoya. Also you three are gonna use a plane to get to the battlefield , the EVA's are already being transported there so get to the airstrip , also do you have a place to stay there ?"-Misato asked as Shinji was swallowing the information. And the confusion turned to excitement. 'YEAH BITCH ! HOMECOMING ! YES ! I'LL HAVE TO CALL KANEDA AND THE REST !'-Shinji thought as he managed to calm down internally and externally
"Yeah , I have an apartment in the 8th district . Ok now we'll get to the airstrip. Come on girls !"-Shinji said as he began to make his way with Asuka and Rei following him
"You have to be really happy for this homecoming"-Asuka said as she managed to snap Shinji back to reality and looked at Asuka and Rei sitting beside him
"Yeah ! I'm finally back to my home turf and climate. Everyone is gonna have to pick up their jaws when they will see the HS finale !"-Shinji said as he put his SDAT back to his sports bag
"So you feel like you're coming home ? That's nice , and Misato said that we will be there for a week , i just hope that we won't get into trouble , at least big trouble"-Asuka said as both of them chuckled while Rei looked at them with a worried expression
"It will be my first time leaving Tokyo 3 I don't know what i'm gonna see"-Rei said as Shinji looked at her
"Ah relax Rei ! Think of it as an adventure ! Just stay next to me or tell with who you are"-Shinji said as Rei looked at her hands
"Adventure , it , makes me , excited"-Rei said as Shinji smiled
"See ? Told you !"-Shinji said as Asuka looked at the window and noticed that they were beginning to land and noticed the plane going through the clouds
"We're beginning to land , we should prepare"-Asuka said as she put on her A-10 hair clips with Shinji doing the same , another 10 minutes passed as the plane landed on the ground as the three pilots felt the misshapen ground beneath them. The cargo door opened to reveal Misato and fastly constructed mockup cage for Unit 01
"Hey Misato , wait , where is Unit 00 and my Unit 02 ?"-Asuka asked as Shinji looked at One-chan in all its glory with all its weapons loaded on
"The plan changed a bit , You and Rei are gonna get to the mock up cages that are here and here"-Misato said as she gave the trio of pilots the plan of battle that showed the way of how the Evas were supposed to run to meet up with the angel in a shape of letter T
"Ok , so when we are leaving ?"-Asuka asked as Misato pointed at one of the jeeps standing next to the mockup cage
"Now , while Shinji will get inside Unit 01 and we will be waiting for the angel to reach the atmosphere"-Misato said as Rei and Asuka looked at the jeep
"Well , I guess it's goodbye for now . We'll see each other after the battle"-Asukka said as she kissed Shinji on the cheek and Shinji stroked Rei's hair before the two girls left
"Ok , while I go inside One-chan you'll keep the guard of my clothes and stuff"-Shinji said as he gave Misato his sports bag and clothes alongside his Jacket . As Shinji began to make his way towards the cage Misato felt two Berettas inside Shinji's jacket and could only sigh . 'I tried to get him to stop carrying guns and what does he do ? Carries two guns !'-Misato thought as she made her way to the mock up command center while Shinji was already standing next to the entry plug , as he got inside it he closed the entry plug the LCL flooded and began the synch process as the colors flashed across the entry plug while Shinji took out the tube and began to sip the diet coke from it. Another few minutes passed as Shinji noticed the com window with Misato popped up
"Hello Misato , so when do we begin ?"-Shinji asked Misato took a sip of her coffee
"5 to 7 minutes and we can begin , and one more question, Shinji . Do you have a car in Neogoya ? I know you use your Motorcycle but I'm sure that you have a car right ?"-Misato asked as Shinji chuckled
"Actually I do, it's been under a canvas for some time but I'm sure it will work"-Shinji said as he turned off the sound on the com window as a 5 minute timer appeared in the entry plug. Misato meanwhile looked bored waiting and began playing with a portable radio that was standing nearby
"Lets see whats on the waves around here"-Misato said as she began to twist knobs to find some music
"Due to the angel attack the radio broadcast was suspended during the attack . NHK Neogoya 1 is thanking for your cooperation"-The digitized voice said as Misato began to twist the knob again
"Of course, the nationwide radio is suspended"-Misato thought as she began to twist the knob again
"Hello this Neogoya FM ! Airwaves 70-95 FM ! Everyone is anticipating the angel attack as the groups of protesters and fans of the HS are standing beside Tsukijicho 2 are-"-Misato changed the station as she began to twist the knob again
"Do we have to again listen to angel attack information ?"-Misato said as she managed to find another station
"Tu Polskie Radio Neogoya , twoje radio imigracyjne . Reklama , poszukujesz człowieka od prac remontowych a nie chcesz wynajmowywać Lokalsów ? USŁUGI REMONTOWE BOGUSŁAW LĘCINA ! może nie najtaniej ale jako tako"-the radio voice in a weird language said as Misato again twisted the knob
"Even some immigrant radio is active while I can't listen to normal J-pop ?"-Misato asked as she twisted the knob while looking at the timer that said that in 3 minutes Sahaquiel would reach the atmosphere
"What's so weird about that ? After the second Impact tons of eastern european survivors instead of helping to rebuild their countries decided to move east and reached Japan , since Nagoya was the first city that was rebuilt many groups began to help with rebuilding process and society in Japan , notably the Polish , Czechs , Slovaks , Hungarians and Balkan people began to build their society here , not to mention Immigrants from neighbor countries like Taiwan or the Philippines also abandoned their islands to start new lives here. And that's why only 70 % percent of people there are japanese and tons of local radio stations and tv stations exist for those groups , it's one of the most interesting cities in Japan in terms of demography"-Maya said as Misato looked at her with a puzzled expression
"Before i decided to switch to computer science i studied Social Studies and wrote an essay about that"-Maya explained as Misato noticed the timer being at 01:50
"Ok Kids , we are beginning the operation . Bend down and prepare for the dash"-Misato said as the three evas took the starting positions of their sprint
"And also , Shinji has to kill him"-Misato said as a com window with Asuka opened up
"EHHHHH ?! Why ? Why does Shinji get the killing blow ?!"-Asuka asked as Misato folded her arms
"The reason is Shinji is the only person related to NERV that is liked around here . So Its to get the opinion about NERV warmed up in Neogoya , besides the model kit sales of Unit 01 are spiking up around here"-Misato said as Asuka closed her eyes in anger
"Ahh fine , if it's an order i'll do it , besides i'm sure i'm not so famous around here from piloting the Eva"-Shinji said as he was looking at the ground while holding tightly his control sticks and looking at the timer
"All right begin the countdown , 15 , 14 ,13 , 12 , 11 , 10 , 09 , 08 , 07 , 06 , 05 , 04 , 03 , 02 , 01 ! EVAS LAUNCH !"-Misato ordered as the trio launched in a dash . As Shinji felt his feet touch the ground he felt like the world's fastest being when he noticed he broke the speed of sound he noticed the two girls rushing from both his sides alongside the giant orange being flying towards them . 'All right ! Its Sword-macin time !'-Shinji thought as he took out his Sword-Mace and prepared for attack . Asuka meanwhile was looking at Unit 00 in front of her and also the falling Sahaquiel on her left . 'Come on Shinji !'-Asuka thought as she looked at Unit 01 dashing towards them with the swordmace already prepared. Meanwhile Misato was looking at the dots on the radar and noticed that the three dots that represented Asuka , Rei and Sahaquiel were already close to each other
"All right ! Asuka ! Rei ! Stop and grab the angel ! Shinji will pierce it though !"-Misato said as Asuka and Rei stopped their Evas and noticed Sahaquiel
"Got It ! Rei ! AT Field max power !"-Asuka said as both of them began to push Sahaquiel away with their AT fields . Meanwhile Shinji prepared his Sword-Mace to push it into Sahaquiel's eye
"Shinji ! Use the vulcan guns to weaken the angel's AT field !"-Misato ordered as Shinji activated the target computer and pulled the trigger as tons of tiny bullets began to put cracks in its AT field before Shinji finally managed to catch up to Asuka and Rei and pierced the AT field with his Sword-Mace
"COME ON ! COME ON !"-Shinji screamed out loud as he pushed the swordmace though the AT Field and felt his feet begin to slip and lose its grip as the struggle was beginning to shift to Sahaquiel's side , Shinji also began to lose the grip on the swordmace , 'Think Think Think ! Got it !'-Shinji thought as he activated the rocket boosters and felt his that the power struggle was shifting towards him and it restored his grip on the Sword-Mace and finally pierced it into Sahaquiel's eye/core and destroyed it with the angel's corpse falling down on the ground and not exploding for the first time
"We, We've done it"-Misato said as she sat down on the nearest chair and trying to loosen up her breath before she grabbed the microphone
"All right guys , the angel was terminated . Wait for the recovery crews and prepare for transport to Neogoya , that was a really good operation , good job everyone"-Misato said as she turned off the mic. Meanwhile the three evangelion pilots could finally breathe calmly as they looked at Sahaquiel's corpse
"And this is the reason why we have to stay in Neogoya for the next week ?"-Asuka asked as Shinji opened a com window
"Welcome to Neogoya Asuka , a city ruled by corporations and Yakuza , my old man doesn't have a grip around here . And good for that , he couldn't control me here"-Shinji said as numerous NERV trucks were making their way towards them
"We should get out of the plugs , I can't wait to get my feet on home soil"-Shinji said as he opened the entry plug and released the emergency ladder before he began to climb down from Unit 01. After a few minutes of climbing down thanks to slippery LCL he finally stood on the ground. Meanwhile Asuka and Rei also got out of their plugs before they reached Shinji.
"So what now ?"-Asuka asked as Shinji took a look across the battlefield and numerous trucks full of agents , regular NERV officers and scientists securing Sahaquiel's corpse. Shinji decided to walk up towards one of the agents
"Hey , so how are we gonna get out of here ?"-Shinji asked as the agent pointed at one of the trucks , Shinji just nodded and the group made their way towards the truck
"Well that was easy , i can only hope that they prepared showers for us"-Asuka said as they sat on the bench inside the truck
"I don't think about showers , i hope that they did not destroy the HS finale while transporting it to Neogoya , because if i see any dents on it i'll kill them and rip out their hearts like Kano from Mortal Kombat"-Shinji said as they felt that the truck began to move
"We're leaving towards Neogoya , i think"-Rei said as the trio snuck their heads from under the covers that covered the transport compartment to look at the road that the truck was driving on. As minutes passed the bumpy mountain road changed into a regular streets that passed through a medium sized city
"Is that ?"-Rei asked only to be interrupted by Shinji
"No , that Hamamatsu . One of the few cities that still had their old names in Japan . Thanks to the Hamamatsu people being afraid of typhoons most of them survived . And after the rebuilding process they saw what happened to Neogoya. They retain the Hamamatsu name , and it is the capital of our country's motorcycle industry so hail to them . But for some reason were passing through them than though the Highway , i think i can see why is that the thing , the traffic jams are long during this time of the day"-Shinji finished his monologue as the truck left the Hamamatsu roads as another hour and a half passed with Shinji telling Asuka and Rei the ways of how Neogoya works. As Shinji was finishing his long beginner's guide for tourists he noticed that the sun already set and took out his head from the transport compartment , as he took it out and noticed the tall glass skyscrapers and neons he could only grin , before he put his head back in the transport compartment with grin on his mouth.
"Im home"-Shinji said as Asuka and Rei looked at him with puzzled expressions while Shinji couldn't hold his excitement on a leash , after another 30 minutes of driving they reached Tsukijicho 2 . Shinji opened the transport compartment and jumped out on the ground
"Ah yes the Neogoyan soil, I'm so happy"-Shinji said as he noticed Misato holding Shinji's stuff and Ritsuko walk up to them as Asuka and Rei walked up to them
"Hey kiddos , now Shinji where is my new car ?"-Misato asked Shinji to take a look across Tsukijicho 2 and noticed NERV crews running around the warehouses unloading tons of equipment while section two agents were trying to hold on a group of protesters and what he could see from some transparents , Shinji's fans ? 'What the hell ? Fans ? And even more than came to races ?'-Shinji thought as he tried to listen to some of the fans already screaming to him
"WE LOVE YOU HS !"-He heard them scream as he looked at tons of teenagers and young adults worshiping him
"And I want to ask why we couldn't use a VTOL ?"-Asuka Asked as Misato sighed
"WILLE is still a menace around here and we can't risk the lives of our pilots by using air travel . Some hillbilly with a rocket launcher could send a VTOL down , thank you Yakuza and illegal weapon selling"-Ritsuko said as Asuka grunted in anger
"What about a shower ?"-Asuka as Misato looked at the ground with Asuka's expression grew more and more angry
"So we cannot wash LCL away from our bodies ?!"-Asuka asked rhetorically as Shinji took a look across Tsukijicho 2 to localize his warehouse
"There is one place , follow me"-Shinji said as he began to make his way with Asuka , Rei and Misato towards his temple , hideout and fortress of solitude all in one . Another few minutes passed as the quartet reached the warehouse
"Oh , its one of few that we couldn't use due to the owner being some kind of a big fish around here"-Misato said as Shinji smirked and looked for the keys to the gate in his sports bag
"A ha ! You were sitting here for the last couple months , now you can come back to the hole you were meant for"-Shinji said as he opened the gate as Misato's jaw went on the ground
"Wait , I know you said you have a workshop , BUT YOU DIDN'T SAY IT WAS AN ENTIRE WAREHOUSE ?!"-Misato said surprised as Shinji used the remote connected to the keys and opened up the main gate and lit up the lights to reveal the concrete floor and white walls alongside all of Shinji's equipment and the back room full of spare parts all perfectly cleaned up and sorted as Shinji left them . 'Kaneda cleaning after himself ? That's new . Probably Kei forced him to clean it up '-Shinji thought as he walked inside as Misato was marvelously looking with a mix confusement and jealousy
"Is everything here yours ?"-Misato asked as Shinji nodded
"Yep , like Batman has his batcave , Avengers have their avengers tower . And I have this place . I still don't have a cool name for this place , anyways i have a shower here , i'm gonna go first so i can go unpack the HS finale , follow me"-Shinji said as he grabbed his sports bag with Asuka and Rei following him to a tiny utility room with a shower and a toilet . Shinji closed the door and stripped from his plug suit and got inside the shower cabin and felt the familiar scent that only the water coming from a Neogoyan sewage treatment plant could be emanating. After Shinji finished his shower he wiped himself off with a towel he left behind since the last work marathon that was filled with fixing not only the HS but also other bikes to pay for his bills and food. After that he took out his clothes and put them on before he finally looked at the mirror he had put in a few years ago , as he looked at himself he felt that he was truly back . He touched his scar as his main task for tonight was to get involved in some fights between the clowns . And with excitement he opened the door to see Asuka and Rei in their plug suits
"Watch out Neogoya ! Here comes the Highway Star ! he is back and he is ready for trouble !"-Shinji loudly exclaimed while completely ignoring Asuka and Rei
"Ok , now get the HS Finale ready while we are gonna wash ourselves"-Asuka said as she walked inside the utility room
"Ok Rei , no i will get the HS finale . I'll be back for you and Asuka"-Shinji said as he stroked Rei's hair and walked away towards the main gate before being grabbed by his collar by Misato
"Hold on mister , my car"-Misato said as Shinji showed a frown while Misato had a distressed expression
"Well , you're still as pushy as you were in college"-Kaji's voice echoed across the warehouse as both Shinji and Misato turned their heads to see the ponytailed man with a cage containing Pen-Pen who was drinking a beer can inside. Misato's expresion changed from distressed to a frown
"What are you doing here ?"-Misato asked as she quickly jolted towards Kaji and grabbed Pen-Pen's cage before coming back to Shinji
"Work related trips , besides I just want to grab a drink with my college friends to celebrate your promotion . I know a decent bar here , also you've made a nice Sanctum of speed "-Kaji said as Shinji stared at him, knowing that it's something related to the things he heard a couple months ago. 'Really ? After I come back home I get involved again with a conspiracy ? SELLE , Unit 05 , Makinami ? I'm sure there are thousands of Makinami's in Japan . Hell, my late godmother Mari had the surname Makinami . Looks like this vacation will be filled with sweeping '-Shinji thought as he was snapped back to reality by Misato's hand in front of his eyes
"Shinji ! You said you had a car for me"-Misato said as Shinji walked up to his work desk and took out a car key out and a racing steering wheel of one of the drawers
"Come on , behind me"-Shinji said as Misato and Kaji followed him before they walked to the side of the warehouse to see a car under a canvas , Shinji took off the Canvas to reveal a black modified Mazda RX7 FC3S
"Wow Shinji , that's a really nice car"-Misato said as she took a look inside to see bucket seats and a hydraulic handbrake
"It was my uncle's car. I modified it a bit , it served as a service car or when i couldn't use the HS for some other things , like transport"-Shinji said as gave Misato the keys and the steering wheel as she got inside the car and put on the steering wheel and sat Pen-Pen's cage on the passenger seat before she finally started the car up before driving out of the gate with Shinji running beside her
"Good Good , i think we will be good friends"-Misato said as she turned off the engine just as Shinji opened the passenger door
"Now remember Misato , no abusing the clutch , turning around on the handbrake and racing from stop lights. And we will have stop at a gas station since the low level signal was lighting up before i put it under the canvas , now i'll go to get out the HS finale while you get cozy inside the Mazda"-Shinji said as he made his way towards the transport trucks that were unloading the NERV equipment , as he walked pass numerous trucks he finally found the one that was carrying the HS finale
"Hey ! Help me unload the bike"-Shinji said as during the next few minutes the four NERV crewmen and Shinji managed to unload it. After they finished, Shinji looked at the HS finale standing in front of the panorama of neon-lit sky in its twin rocket engine glory. 'Yeah , this is where you truly belong'-he thought as started the bike and swiftly made his way back to the warehouse where he found Asuka and Rei in their school uniforms and holding their bags waiting for him
"They didn't dent it ?"-Asuka asked as Shinji searched for dents and found nothing
"For an inhumane company NERV knows how to secure packages"-Shinji said as he got off it
"So now we're going to the city ?"-Asuka asked as Shinji chuckled
"Are you crazy ? In a skirt ? If you don't want some 50-year old drunk to get under your skirt ,you should wear pants, you brought other clothes right ?"-Shinji asked as Asuka nodded .
"Wait up you three ! Before you can leave you have to give a battle briefing !"-Maya said as she runned over to them holding a notebook , Shinji looked at Maya with confusement before nodding
"Ok , we runned over to the angel and catched it. We could've catched it earlier but One-Chan doesn't have enough air maneuverability, we're gonna need to work on it . Also physical strength , without the boosters she wouldn't be able push it, that's it"-Shinji said as Maya looked at him and than at the girls
"What do you expect ? It's literally what he said , there is really nothing to say"-Asuka said as Rei nodded in agreement
"Fine , if you have some ideas just call me"-Maya said as she walked away
"Stupid procedures , we just came here. Can't they just leave us alone for now ?"-Asuka asked as Shinji unfolded his arms
"Hey Shinji ! Can we go to that apartment now ? I really need some sleep , and beer"-Misato said as she screamed at them from the car window
"Fine ! Girls , go with Misato while i will lead the way"-Shinji said as he put on a pair of Goggles
"Wait , what about using a helmet ?"-Asuka asked as Shinji laughed
"Are you crazy ! The Capsules have a no helmet rule and as the vice leader I cannot break the rules ! So I left it in the warehouse"-Shinji said as he started the motorcycle while Asuka and Rei got Inside the Mazda and the two vehicles were on their way towards the main city as section 2 was trying to make a corridor to seperate them . Shinji marvelously looked at the protesters as he waved to them while he was listening to the praise he got from his local people . After they left Shinji navigated them across Neogoya as he gazed at the tall glass skyscrapers and neons of the first district as he grinned. Meanwhile in the Mazda the three girls and Pen-Pen were looking at the city while looking like they were on a school trip
"Maybe it won't be so bad ? Maybe Shinji was exaggerating ?"-Misato asked as Asuka knew that they were only entering on the outside of the city
"No , look , we're going on the highway"-Asuka said as they looked at Shinji going up on the highway before both of them speeded up. Another few minutes passed as Shinji looked at the sign that said "8TH DISTRICT EXIT SOUTH 200 METERS NATIONAL ROAD 22" and prepared to switch lanes as Misato followed him though the exit to the 8th district. As they left Shinji began to grin even more as he looked at obscure buildings and flats alongside tons of Neons that made the use of lights unneeded and only wasted the battery , Misato meanwhile looked at gang graffiti , poverty , homeless people and teenage hookers and occasionally Murals of Shinji with Televideo booths and MCS train tracks adding to the panorama of a cyberpunk dystopia
"No , he was right , it's truly terrible around here . Oh, we're parking !"-Misato said as she stopped the Mazda behind the HS Finale while Shinji got off and walked up to the parking panel
"Ok , so 250287"-Shinji said as he put the code and a door opened to reveal a car elevator as he parked the HS finale he again went to the panel as Shinji began to insert another number
"Misato ! You and girls get out of the car , i'll park the Mazda Shinji said as Misato and the girls unloaded their stuff as Shinji finally inserted the number 030284 as another car elevator appeared before Shinji jumped inside the Mazda and parked it on the elevator before jumping off and grabbing his sports bag out of the trunk before leaving the elevator and door closing as Shinji jumped out
"Ok , lead us to your apartment then !"-Misato said as Shinji nodded and the quartet plus Pen-Pen made their way to Shinji's flat , as they walked Misato and the girls were looking at numerous shops , Neons , and numerous people passing them , from tired office workers trying to meet their ends meet , to "Gaijin" Immigrants talking either about what they stole from work today or what homemade alcohol their cousin brought from their country. Also people living just an itch before going down under poverty line while the corridor was filled with trash and graffiti on the walls
"Oh look , the elevator was finally fixed"-Shinji said as they walked inside and Shinji pressed the button that was leading to the 16th floor.
"Wow , for such a shitty flat you have a tv inside an elevator"-Asuka said as the Quartet and Pen-Pen looked at the tiny screen
"GOOD EVENING NEOGOYA ! OR SHOULD I SAY GOOD MORNING AS OUR CITY NEVER SLEEPS ! THE CRIME REPORTS ARE SPIKING AS TECHNO-BOSOZOKU GANGS ARE TAKING OUR CITY LIKE A DUST STORM , HONG KONG CAN SUCK OUR DICKS IN TERMS OF CRIME RATES, TODAY YET THE MAIN THING ON THE MOUTHS OF NOT ONLY THE BIKERS BUT ALSO THE TYPICAL OFFICEMEN AND YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD IMMIGRANT YOUTH THAT WILL POLITELY ASK FOR YOUR PHONE AND WALLET . THAT OF COURSE IS THE ANGEL ATTACK ! PROBABLY THEY GOT BORED OF TOKYO 3 AND DECIDED TO ATTACK HERE !"-the speaker finished his monologue as the studio was switched for the recording of Unit 01 pushing Sahaquiel away as Misato opened her mouth in shock
"How the hell did they get footage of the battle ?! Besides if we are supposed to be recorded at least do it with a good camera and not with a 144p camera ?"-Misato said as Shinji sighed
"Welcome to Neogoya Misato , you can get everything around here ! Even leaked military footage"-Shinji said as they continued watching
"AND THANKS TO THE LOCAL PILOTING ONE OF THE EVANGELIONS THE CRISIS WAS STOPPED , AND THAT OF COURSE BEING THE HIGHWAY STAR ! WHILE THE HERO OF THE UNDERGROUND AND LOCAL FUTABA AND 4CHAN IMAGEBOARDS SOMEHOW GETTING INSIDE A MILITARY MECHA IS SURPRISING , YET THE RESIDENTS ASIDE FROM THOSE THAT DONT WEAR CLOWN MAKEUP SEEM UNITED IN THEIR SUPPORT FOR OUR LOCAL HERO , WE WILL TALK ABOUT THAT LATER AFTER THIS LITTLE AD BREAK WE WILL BE BACK AT NIGHT NEOGOYA 1 , FOR THOSE THAT WON'T SURVIVE TO THE NEXT DAY , GOOD LUCK ON THE OTHER SIDE AND GOODBYE"-the speaker finished as the ad break started and the elevator reached the 16th floor as the quartet and Pen-Pen made their way towards Shinji's apartment , another couple minutes of walking and staring at Grifiti before the group reached the apartment 279 with the name "Ikari"-printed in both Kanji and normal letters , the owner of the said apartment reached out of the key and opened the western door to reveal his small apartment. Shinji smiled as he and the rest of the quartet plus Pen-Pen went inside
"Im home"-Shinji said as he closed the door and took off his shoes while with excitement taking a walk across his apartment while Misato and the rest took a look across the small apartment , compared to it Misato's one looked like a villa, next to the main door there was a big wardrobe filled with Shinji's clothes and few weapons he "adopted" from numerous enemies he took out . After walking out of the tiny corridor they saw the living room area with a couch , a coffee table and a tv inside a wall unit with numerous stereo systems and main technology hub with a TV decoder , a DVD/blu-ray player , a Laserdisc player , and a VHS/Betamax player alongside the Vinyl player and few vinyl records containing numerous City Pop hits, as they looked next to the living room area they saw two doors , one that lead to Shinji's room , the other to his uncle's room or the bedroom , and on the left wall there was another door that lead to the bathroom , as they looked to the right they saw a small kitchen and a dinner table. Misato opened the cage and let Pen-Pen out before finally taking their shoes off and the trio sat on the couch
"This is a nice apartment , a little small but not too small . Now where can I unpack and change to more comfy clothes ?"-Misato asked as Shinji finished his inspection and pointed at the door that lead to the bedroom
"here , and relax . Beer is in the fridge"-Shinji said as Misato grinned and rushed with her things to the bedroom.
"Wanna see my childhood room ?"-Shinji asked as Asuka and Rei got up from the couch and the duo for the first time experienced Shinji's childhood room , as Asuka walked in she gazed at the things that made Shinji the man she is. Everything was there as Shinji told her , the tiny Trinitron tv alongside the PS2 and the wifi router with VHS/DVD player standing next to them, the cassette/DAT tape deck , the clumsy old drawings of first mods and stickers sticked on the walls , the VHS and DVD anime collection alongside PS2 and PS1 games , the numerous City Pop , Eurobeat and rock cassettes , tons of Bubblegum Crisis and other anime and music posters hanging on the walls and ceiling with Gunpla and motorcycle model kits on window sill and shelves sharing space with numerous manga and light novels with numbers of Shonen Jump sitting under the tiny futon that Shinji inhabited. It was everything that Asuka never had , even in her childhood room in Germany it was always plain , even with her numerous quarters in EURONERV it was always plain . For her , this tiny room sparked more than in any other she ever visited
"It's amazing , no wonder you missed it so much"-Asuka said as Shinji smiled at her while Rei sat on Shinji's futon
"This futon is surprisingly comfortable"-Rei said as the doorbell echoed across the apartment , Shinji got out of his room and made his way to the door , as he opened it revealed Kaneda and Tetsuo
"Guys ?"-Shinji asked as Kaneda hugged him before letting him go
"It's good to have you back , at least for a week . All right there is no time for the more catching up to do , take the keys for the Highway Star and we're moving out ! Clowns are on the move and they know you are back so we need are number 2 back"-Kaneda said as Shinji grinned and took out his jacket out of his wardrobe and put it on before taking out the pair of goggles out off one of the drawers
"IM LEAVING !"-Shinji announced as he closed the door and the trio of Capsules made their way down the staircase before leaving the flat as Shinji jolted towards the car elevator to type in the number for the HS finale. As he waited he looked at Kaneda's bike
"Oh , you really made a good work with it"-Shinji said as he looked at the red cruiser/superbike BMW hybrid
"You see ? The fastest bike in the gang , i worked my ass off with my shitty education to made it faster than the HS"-Kaneda announced as Shinji chuckled as the HS finale revealed itself as Shinji got on it and as quickly as he could he finished the ignition sequence before the motorcycle started up giving a thunderous roar from its three engines as Kaneda and Tetsuo covered their ears as Shinji put the bike on reverse and moved it next to the rest of the trio. Kaneda and Tetsuo looked at the HS finally and its rocket engines and their jaws went to the ground
"Is that the Highway Star , strapped to rocket engines ?"-Tetsuo asked as Shinji nodded
"Technically they are called Priss Enhancers but yes they are , 720 kilometers per hour on straight . Yep i tested it"-Shinji said as he put on his goggles while Kaneda facepalmed. 'Really , when he left it was just a motorcycle modified with scrap parts and stolen parts , and now this . Shin is still the number 1 in terms of speed'-He finished his train of thought as he closed the fairing and lit up the lights
"All right , since you are back i'll give you the privilege to start"-Kaneda said to Shinji as he grinned and revved the HS finale again giving the thunderous roar as he looked at the street in front of it
"MOVE OUT !"-Shinji screamed as they speeded off towards the battle zone as Asuka and Rei looked at the scene from the window in Shinji's room
"Well , he truly got back to his persona , plus he will spend some time with his friends. He needed it"-Asuka said as Rei nodded in agreement
"I just hope that he will come back safe and sound"-Rei said as both of them made their way towards the living room to watch something on tv while the Highway Star went hunting
A/N : We shift the theater of events as we come back to Neogoya , lets just say that Next chapters will get more interesting. And for those that know the few references i put i here you have my OK
NEXT TIME ON HIGHWAY STAR : catching up with old friends and getting tied into conspiracies