"= Spoken Dialogue
'= Internal Dialogue
Ch 4 What Are You, Chicken?
The civilian shelters built by NERV were completely utilitarian in design with rooms made to hold the maximum number of people and in theory protect them. The class of 2-A was quickly being escorted inside with section two in plainclothes blended in with the crowd surrounding them.
"Class rep we gotta use the bathroom" Toji spoke with an annoyed voice dragging the form of Kensuke behind him.
"You should have gone earlier" her voice's authoritarian edge softened as she turned and looked at Suzuhara.
"But I didn't have to go then!"
"Whatever, fine, fine, just hurry up, okay?"
The pair then quickly walked entering and checked for anyone else coming in before they started to speak.
"I'm going to try and tape the fight going on up there, wanna come with?"
"What are you crazy? The only thing you'll record is your final moments"
To emphasize his point he knocked on the stone wall next to him, "Do you think concrete is gonna stop an Angel? If I'm gonna die, I wanna see the thing that does it at least"
"You're really set on this aren't you?"
Kensuke ignored this question and continued "Plus imagine how much money a recording of an Evangelion battle is worth, somebody's gonna wanna buy it"
"Is there anything that'll change your mind?" Kensuke only replied by smiling and exiting the bathroom.
Toji began to reluctantly walk after him before grabbing his shoulder and looking him in the eye, "I'll come to make sure you don't end up as a grass stain somewhere, but this is really dumb, I've seen an Angel fight up close, It's not nearly as cool as you think it, try terrifying instead".
"We're not even gonna be close to the fight, Is the brave and mighty Suzuhara chickening out?" Kensuke emphasized this point by making chicken noises and doing a rhythmless chicken dance around Toji.
"Whatever, don't say I didn't warn you" , almost knocking over the smaller boy with a well placed flick to the forehead.
"Alright Shinji just do as we practiced neutral it's AT field then fire your rifle at the Angel" Shinji nodded in response to Misato's order's and mentally ran through the steps.
Unit-01 exited the launch pad at lightning speed, hopping out and pivoting to grab the nearby pallet rifle and waiting for the targeting computer to lock.
"AT Field Maximum!"
The Angel's head was the first to crest the hill in front of him. First he saw the whites of its massive open eyes that seemed to look right through the Eva and right at him. Then it's large blackened beak twice the size of its own head which extended into an unnaturally long and slender neck. It had a column of triangular spikes along the top of its head and there was a red orb pulsing in its throat partially obscured by armor plates hanging down from its chin.
Its entire body was covered in scales, except for its long birdlike legs that ended in several sharp talons on each foot. Its rotund body extended into a long, fat reptilian tail that ended in a sharp jagged edge of bone. Its leathery wings were folded at its side and they seemed too small to allow the creature to fly.
Unit-01 opened fire with a controlled volley of rifle fire, shooting in successive 3 round bursts to prevent the weapon from overheating.
"Aim the target in the center and pull the switch" Shinji repeated with each shot, his eyes glazing over as he robotically ran through the steps.
The first shots nailed its chin armor protecting the core, the second shots poked three bloody holes in its torso, the third shots ricocheted as they smashed into the hard scales guarding its throat. It never stopped looking at Shinji.
After firing the fourth round the Angel's neck bulged and its beak snapped open as it vomited a torrent of black bile at him. He barely dodged in time dropping his rifle as the liquid devoured it in seconds. He quickly dodged over to a nearby building for cover, staring at his hands as they began to shake harder and harder.
'I mustn't run away', 'I mustn't run away', ' I mustn't run away', the words did not slow the shaking and Shinji was unaware of it when he started panting.
He nearly jumped out his seat when he heard Misato over the comms "Shinji we're sending you another rifle, retrieve it and continue firing at the Angel while using the blast shields to protect from its spit.
Shinji only nodded his head in response, his fists were clenched together with a death grip on the controls. His heart was beating out of his chest and he could feel his sweat dissolving into the LCL around him.
'That stuff could eat through my Eva's armor like paper!'
'Correct'
'Well, any tips for what I should do?'
'My advice is to avoid contact with that substance at all costs and focus on breathing'
'Gee, thanks' Shinji took a few deep breaths but the panic was constantly coming in waves as soon as he felt calm again it returned.
'You have everything you need to defeat the Angel as long as you remember your training'
'Right, sorry'
Unit-01 ran out from its cover to the nearby weapons depot and grabbed the new rifle, aiming it quickly at the Angel.
As Shinji locked eyes with the Angel he held down the trigger like it was the only thing holding him together. Abandoning any sense of discipline, an imprecise volley of machine fire hit the Angel, most shots missing but a few shots hitting their target.
"Shinji, you Idiot! What are you doing?" Misato's commanding voice helped somewhat to snap him out of his daze as his gun overheated and stopped firing.
He couldn't see the results as the smoke from the barrage of gunfire combined with the steam coming off the Angel's regenerating wounds hid it from sight. He was breathing even faster than before and he waited for the barrage of acid gunk that would turn him into goop.
"Shinji, Look up!"
As he was clenching his controls with all his might and desperately looking through the smoke he barely had time to react to the warning. Soon he felt a pressure on his head and something stabbing him in the stomach as he was slammed into the ground with considerable force.
The Angel stood above him pinning his head with one foot and the other had its talons deep in Unit-01's chest. All Shinji could see was darkness as it felt like someone was slowly stacking bricks on his head. As it began to twist its right foot Shinji screamed in agony as it felt like someone was trying to cut his stomach open.
'GET UP NOW' "GET UP NOW" the twin voices of his father and Misato snapped him out of his stupor and he reflexively recoiled his legs and slammed both of them into the Angel's torso. The force of the kick sent the Angel flying across the street into a large office building.
The entire time Shinji had fought the Angel it never made a sound, all it did was stare at him with it's huge white eyes and black retina's. The eye's stayed in his head even when the creature was trying to remove its head from the rubble. He reached for his progressive knife on his left shoulder and quickly pulled it out.
"I mustn't run away!" Shinji charged at the Angel, immune to the warnings from the radio as all he could hear was the blood rushing in his ears.
Still trapped within the building but managing to untangle its legs, The Angel returned Unit-01's previous treatment with twice the gusto. Delivering a powerful kick that sent the Evangelion flying through the air and cratering into a nearby hill.
Sitting nearby to the now flattened area where the machine had landed was two boys. One holding a camera with his mouth completely slack jawed, the other who previously had been playing cool matched his friends face for a different reason. They both stared at the unmoving form of the purple giant wondering what it would do next.
"Shinji! Are you okay!?" Misato's yell over the comlink forced him to snap his eyes open as he grabbed back onto the control sticks.
He nodded his head as he quickly moved his body around to check for damages and felt fine except for a throbbing pain in his stomach. He then finally saw the two boys next to him and stared, craning the robot's head as he couldn't comprehend why his two friends were HERE of all places.
"What are they doing here!" He overheard the argument going on in the command center but was distracted by the sound of footsteps. He turned to see the Angel approaching looking like a mirage as the mist surrounding its wounds surrounded the entire creature's body. His body began shaking again he began to desperately look between the Angel and his friends trying to think of something to do.
"Shinji eject your entry plug and let them inside, then retreat to the nearby power station". The shadow of a smile appeared on his face as he nodded and quickly began to reach for the pilot ejection switch..
"What makes you think that unauthorized civilians are allowed into the entry plug!" The harsh tone of Dr Akagi caused Shinji to pause as he reached to eject the plug.
''Disregard those orders, The Angel will attack while you're vulnerable, DESTROY THE ENEMY!
'Those are my friends, father!' Shinji whined to the mental voice of his father.
'They knew the risks of leaving the shelter' his voice held no emotion; he spoke as if he were reading definitions from a dictionary.
'I thought the whole point of piloting Eva was to stop people from dying!'
'A whole lot more than those two will die if the Angel defeats you'
"I don't care! They're my friends! I can't let them die!" Shinji quickly snapped his mouth shut as he realized his last argument was out loud.
Though Shinji didn't see it, his outburst caused nearly everyone in the command room to stop talking and turn their gaze to the screen dominating the room. Misato finally broke the silence that hung over the command center after "I'm authorizing it".
"You're exceeding your authority captain"
"Eva has 3 minutes of activation time left!" Dr. Akagi's assistant almost yelled as politely as a person could at the two arguing women.
"Shinji resume your current orders and eject the entry plug, now!'
The entry plug popped open with a long hiss and the Eva's onboard speakers boomed out a message "YOU TWO, GET IN, NOW!". The two terrified boys quickly obeyed, running towards the open door.
"Wait! my camera's gonna get wet and ruined!" Kensuke loudly complained as Toji quickly submerged himself in the liquid after being told it was breathable.
"Your Camera or your life" Toji plainly responded before grabbing the boy's collar and yanking the complaining boy into the liquid.
The door closed quickly as the Angel was close enough to shoot another jet of black liquid at Unit-01. Shinji dodged the main force of the attack but his Eva was more sluggish and a stream of acid splashed across his back. He felt the armor on the Eva bubbling and cracking and screamed in torment as he felt the skin on his own back blister.
"Abnormal conditions in the nerve impulse system"
"Of course, You've allowed two foreign bodies into the entry plug! They're noise in the nerve impulse system!"
The two boys who previously were gazing around in amazement at the marvel of technology surrounding them. Now looked on in horror at their friends' suffering before them.
"Shinji retreat! Get out of there!"
Unit-01 instinctively leaped out of the way as another spray almost hit it again. Stopping his momentum he dug one of the robot's feet deep into the earth as he pivoted the entire machine directly to face the Angel.
"Hey Shinji, I think she said to retreat man" Toji's voice sounded much softer than its usual tone. He tried to reach out to his friend then removed his hand as Kensuke grabbed it and shook his head at him but Shinji didn't notice this exchange. His entire nervous system was screaming in pain and the only other sensation he could feel was the utter pit of terror in his stomach.
He felt trapped, he could sense the forms of his friends behind him and gazing behind towards where he was supposed to retreat he saw no cover. He'd be a sitting duck to get melted alive together with his friends.
'I mustn't run away', 'I mustn't run away', ' I mustn't run away' Shinji let out a defiant scream as he began his charge at the Angel.
"SHINJI! RETREAT! NOW!"
"Eva has a minute and a half of internal battery pow…"
He reached and shut off his Unit's communications as he picked up speed heading towards the Angel with a leap. Sprinting with reckless abandon and incredible speed he pulled out his right progressive knife and tossed it into his dominant left hand.
The creature's throat bulged again and at this range with his reduced sync rate his efforts to avoid it barely helped. A rush of acid struck Unit-01 directly on its face destroying its horn and eating away through the layers of armor protecting its head. It revealed a fleshy spongy flesh now blistered face and a pair of brilliant green eyes that snapped shut as its eyelids vanished.
Shinji's scream warped into a tortured cry that matched the Eva's own as its jaw was freed from its bindings. As he approached the Angel it swung its beak with incredible force bearing towards Shinji's chest.
Shinji could only see darkness, it felt as if he slipped face first into an open fire and couldn't move from it. He didn't remember dropping the progressive knife but as he felt around the Angel's neck for its core, both his hands were empty.
He encountered the dangling piece of chin armor that had earlier thwarted him and brutally ripped it off. His efforts created a downpour of blood from the lower half of the creature's face. He then extricated the Angel's beak from his chest with both his hands and crushed the hardened chitin like appendage.
The Angel feebly tried to kick at him but with his deathgrip on its neck he used his position to hoist up the creature and slam it into the ground. Imitating a similar move his father had taught him during his training. Still holding onto the creature's throat Shinji awkwardly straddled it and brought up his left fist and slammed it into where he remembered the core being.
Feeling the orb crack and give way slightly at the force of his blow he grinned viciously letting out a final roar as he brought both his fists together and brought them down with all his might. He then felt the sphere shatter into shards as the lights in the cockpit went dark and the Eva's arms limply fell to its side.
The only sound in the entry plug for the next few hours as the recovery team made their way over to extract the three children was gentle sobbing. Shinji sat curled up in a ball in the pilot's seat whispering incoherently to himself as tears fell down his face.
Both Toji and Kensuke looked on with mixed looks of concern and fear at their friend still processing what they just saw. Not only were they shocked by how brutal the realities of Evangelion piloting were. They had never seen that side of Shinji before and it seemed so at odds with the Shinji they knew.
Shinji sat alone in a NERV detainment cell, sitting on top of a dimly lit cot with his hands folded neatly on his lap. He was still dripping LCL onto the cold floor as he prepared for Misato to lecture him.
'You deserve punishment for insubordination, you almost lost the battle in your barely successful suicide charge'
'You could've said something you know'
'Would you have listened?
"I'm sorry"
"If you're sorry then why did you DISOBEY MY ORDERS!" Misato yelled with barely contained fury at her young charge, catching him completely off guard with her entrance.
"I apologize, but we won didn't we?"
"You almost got you and your friends killed and lost the mission!"
Shinji's face darkened as the reality of her words hit him "I'm so sorry Misato".
"I am the director of operations! You will obey my orders from now on! Am I clear!?"
"Yes Ma'am"
Misato then took a long inhale, held it for a moment then exhaled loudly with her eyes closed and her fingers massaging her forehead. "Get out of here and get showered, I'll be late tonight so order some takeout".
Shinji wordlessly followed her out of the cell gaze locked onto the floor. He was still lost in guilt over his actions and trying to hold back tears as he entered the locker room and stripped off his plugsuit. He let out a pained hiss as the fabric disconnected from his back tentatively poking it he found the upper half of his back to bright red.
He was only able to take a cold shower for a few minutes as he shivered and scrubbed the LCL from his hair.
Shinji dragged his feet and limply walked towards the last stretch of hallway towards Misato's apartment, his mind filled with images of his bed. As he opened the door he was surprised to see Pen Pen quickly waddling up to him and wrapping his flippers around his leg.
"Hey, Pen Pen, I guess you're pretty hungry, I'll make you something don't worry". Shinji then dragged his tired body over to the kitchen where he quickly thawed out some Tuna for the starving bird. The turmoil and guilt that hung over him dissipated as he temporarily got lost in his cooking and the sense of purpose it gave him.
Not making anything for himself Shinji waltzed over to his bed and collapsed not even bothering to get under the covers as he entered unconsciousness.
Shinji was adding the finishing touches to his stew, adding seasoning and stirring it until it was up to his standards.
"This is delicious Shinji, I didn't know you could cook this well"
"Thank you D-Dr. Akagi, I'm glad you liked it" Shinji smiled softly and blushed into his food.
"We're off work Shinji, you can call me Ritsuko".
"Right, sorry, Ms. Ritsuko"
"He can cook, He can clean, and he's well mannered, I bet he's beating the ladies back with a stick" Misato drunkenly elbowed Shinji to emphasize the point, almost knocking over his bowl.
"Well, I don't know Misato, you might've scared him off women for the next few years".
"What's THAT supposed to mean!?"
"I wouldn't say that" Shinji mumbled into another bite of his stew.
"Oooooh I shee how it is, you only have eyes for one girl, I see the way you look at Rei, Shinji". Misato then downed the can of beer she held, shaking it and asking him in a slurred sing-song voice "Shinji-kun could you get me another".
"I-It's not like that Misato '' Shinji then pauses for a moment planning his words carefully "I just think it's weird I know so little about her and we're both Eva pilots".
Ritsuko decided to give Shinji a more coherent answer to his question "Rei's a nice girl, but she's like your father….
"Like my father, how?
"They're both not really good at well… living , I guess".
'What does she mean by that?' Shinji didn't understand and was genuinely curious if his father knew what she meant.
'I don't know' he felt he should ask more but was taken aback by the pensiveness in his fathers voice.
"Oh and that reminds me, I almost forgot, Shinji. Could you give this to Rei before you go to headquarters?" She then reached into her purse and handed him a small card with Rei's picture.
"Yeah, sure" Shinji mumbled his agreement as he stared at the picture completely lost in his own thoughts.
"Now you have an excuse to go see Rei at her house" Misato's face had a grin like a cat as she slid over and wrapped an arm around Ritsuko.
"Hey! Get off me you drunk!"
Shinji took this opportunity to quietly excuse himself and collect the dishes off the table and collect his leftover cooking dishes. Retrieving his SDAT from his pocket and putting on the ear buds. He ignored the impromptu wrestling match in his living room as he began scrubbing.
It was raining when he went to see Rei, he had been caught by surprise by the storm without a coat or umbrella. He thought about going back to Misato's to grab them but shrugged as he realized he didn't care.
He arrived dripping at her doorstep, noticing that the mailbox was crammed way beyond capacity with various notes and letters. After knocking several times he began to call out her name then hesitantly turned the knob as it gave way.
Rei's apartment was completely bare except for a bed, a hamper and a nightstand with a pair of glasses sitting on it. The room looked sterile, almost like a hospital room with all the bloody bandages and pill bottles strewn across the place.
'Why does she live in a place like this?' He examined the room with a look of horror, the room had cracked concrete walls and trash splattered across the floor. It felt so….. cold.
'She never asked to change accommodation or complained'
'That's not the point! You know this isn't how you should treat your family!'
Shinji's anger stopped in his tracks as he was fully caught off guard by what his father said next.
'Captain Katsuragi does not have the authority to move Rei. It would have to be either Dr. Akagi or the commander, if you had something to bargain you could probably convince the commander to move her into your apartment complex, IF you don't fail'
'And what do I have to use to bargain with 'the commander'? Is it something from the future?' Shinji's internal voice betrayed a lack of patience with his fathers continued antics.
'Nothing, yet, you'll have to wait until the time is right, but I believe I can get you what you desire'.
'So until then Rei is trapped in this dump!?' to further emphasize he pointedly gazed at the far right corner of the room where a slight drizzle of water was leaking.
'Yes, with the Angel's being different from my memories, I can only give you so much useful information, I also feel I should remind you that defeating the Angels should be your only priority'.
Shinji only huffed in irritation as he turned to the sound wrestling fabric behind him. He almost tripped over himself as he quickly backed away from the half naked girl getting dressed in front of him. She didn't initially react to his gaze or sudden movements, only cocking her head quizzically at him.
"I'm sorry, Ayanami." Shinji collected himself as the blue haired girl finished dressing, still treating the entire situation casually.
"For what?"
"F-For uhh….you know….barging in and seeing you…uhhh…I'm sorry".
"I do not see the reason for it, but I'll accept the apology, did you have a reason for visiting?"
Shinji quickly reached into his pocket as he finally remembered why he did actually come here in the first place. "Here, Dr. Akagi wanted me to give this to you" Rei took the card, nodded and quickly exited the door leaving Shinji alone in the apartment.
As he opened the door to give chase he noticed the rain had stopped sometime while he was in Rei's apartment.
She was much faster than him; he didn't catch up to her until they were already inside the entrance to headquarters.
"Ayanami!" Shinji was completely out of breath and walked beside the girl whilst panting like a dog.
"Was there something else you needed Pilot Ikari?"
"N-No?...I mean yes" Shinji took a quick breath to steady himself and continued "Don't you have a reactivation test today?".
"Correct"
""I heard about what happened with the last test" Shinji hoped she would fill the awkward silence but she just continued marching through the long winding hallways.
"I see" Shinji scanned every inch of her face for some shift of indicator of emotion but saw none.
"Aren't you scared that something might happen again?"
"You are commander Ikari's son, Do you not have faith in his work?"
Why should I? You could get hurt, you could die!"
"If I die I can be replaced, all that matters is defeating the enemy"
"DON'T SAY THAT"! Both Shinji and Ayanami stopped as they were both startled by the raw emotion in his voice. "I-I'm sorry, but you're not replaceable, no matter what my father says" his tone hardened as he finished his words.
"Why?" Shinji stared at her perplexed as he tried to string together a reason for his outburst.
"B-Because you're you, if someone looked like you and acted like you, they still wouldn't be you, it would just be someone imitating you, I'm sorry, that doesn't make any sense".
"I believe I have understood your meaning" Rei's brow was furrowed in concentration and her lips pursed betraying more emotion than Shinji had ever seen her express.
Rei mutely walked into the female changing room and Shinji wandered over to the observation deck, deciding he should watch the test if he's already here.
The test seemed to go well, he didn't want to bother Ritsuko or any of the technicians working to ask what the numbers meant but he assumed green meant it was successful. Despite his original intentions, seeing this did nothing to quell the pit of dread in his stomach.
It had been five days since the Angel battle. Shinji still had phantom pains covering his face and chest, seeming healed during the day only becoming noticeable when he tried to sleep. His nightmares too had taken to a new form of torment; they disappeared from his mind upon waking but left him with the same primal terror. He had taken to sleeping with a pillow covering his mouth so Misato wouldn't hear him when he woke up with a distressed yell or scream.
He only hoped he could get a brief respite from this camping trip but his pessimistic brain kept coming up with dozens of worst case scenarios.
Shaking his dark thoughts from his head he lugged his hiking backpack onto his back noticing it was lighter, he surmised his NERV training must've been doing something. He gave a quick pet and goodbye to Pen Pen before heading out the door.
His father had continued to harrang him about the potentiality of an Angel attack and his 'desperate need' for more combat training. To compromise he got section 2 to agree to drive him and his friends to and from the campsite, which Kensuke eagerly supported.
He quickly hopped into the black van being surprised by his friends and guessing he was the last one picked up.
"Hey Shin-man, not exactly a limo but these heated seats are nice" Toji was lazily splayed across the seat from him and Kensuke.
Kensuke was bouncing both his legs as he knocked on the walls of the van "This is a military transport vehicle, these walls could survive an RPG at close range"!
Shinji only smiled as he sank into the cushion of his seat, throwing his backpack onto the stack with his friends.
"Say Ken, why did we bring this much stuff if we're only gone for a couple days?"
"Because your pack is just stuffed with snacks, Shinji is carrying the tents, and I have everything else"
"Hey! Mine is not JUST filled with snacks".
"Oh really? Then what else is in there?
"My sleeping bag!"
"And?"
"Whatever, where's this camping site at again, I forgot"
"It's in the mountains, we'll have a great view of Lake Ashi too from where we set up camp, it's pretty close to the city, just off the beaten path a little".
"Good, the sooner we get our camp set up the sooner we can relax" . Unbeknownst to Shinji his friends had been peeking worried glances at him the entire ride.
When they got to the campsite the ground was still damp from the early morning dew. The three made short work of setting up the tents and Toji handed each of them a bag of chips from his bag.
After voting 2-1 against playing 'War games' the three boys decided at Shinji's suggestion to explore the woods around their camp. Once the sun began to set, they felt they had seen all they needed too and returned to their camp, with Shinji offering to prepare some of the meats Toji had brought.
As the fire roared to life and Shinji began roasting, Kensuke decided to interrupt his silent concentration. "You've been quieter than usual today Shinji, something on your mind?".
"It's nothing" Shinji almost dropped the kebabs and did a poor job of convincing his friend as his face betrayed his emotions.
"Listen Shin-man, there's a reason we decided to take you out camping, we're worried about you, that last battle was pretty rough…." Toji let his words hang in the air hoping his friend would fill the silence.
"I'm fine, don't worry about me" he handed each boy a Kebab and kept the smallest one for himself, giving both his friends a smile they could easily see was forced.
Shinji chose to focus on eating and silently prayed his friends would drop the subject because he really didn't feel like troubling them.
"Look you don't have to tell us if you don't want to, BUT we do want you to know we are willing to listen"
"Yeah what he said Shin-man, you're not in this alone, we owe you like a hundred favors after saving our hides in that battle".
Shinji finally gave a real smile to his friend's kind words but it was quickly taken away as a storm of dark thoughts came over him. "I'm not who you think, I am" his voice was now deadly serious.
"What?" both boys said in unison with crooked eyebrows clearly not expecting him to say something like that.
"I'm not a brave action hero, I'm just a coward and a crybaby and a dishonest lying wimp!" he choked out the last words as tears involuntarily forced themselves down his face.
As he looked up through his tear-stained eyelids he saw Toji looking offended by his words. "What does that even mean!? Find me a person who says they wouldn't be terrified sitting in your shoes and I'll show you a damn good liar".
"He's right, I'll admit I do still think it's really really really…" Toji slapped him in the back with considerable force, almost knocking off his glasses. "While I do think being an Eva pilot would be cool, even I gotta admit it was terrifying when we were fighting in that entry plug".
"Just because you're scared doesn't make you a coward Shinji it just makes you a human"
"Thanks you guys, I really appreciate it" Shinji spoke through a yawn as the day's fatigue caught up with him. They watched the stars as their campfire burned itself to embers, pointing out the few constellations not hidden by pollution.
With the light of the moon hanging over them, the boys decide to call it a night and the three boys retired to their tents for the night.
Shinji was awoken by the sound of footsteps and the strange tripwire alarm system that Kensuke had set up after they arrived yesterday. Peeking out his head to try and find out the source of the sound Shinji was stunned by a roughed up looking section 2 agent covered in leaves.
"Pilot Ikari, Come with us, An Angel has been spotted headed for Tokyo-3".
Shinji audibly gulped, nodded his head, and gave a quick goodbye to his still sleepy friends as he followed the man towards the waiting ATV.
He felt his heart beating faster with every second he got closer to NERV, his palms were now soaked in sweat. His breathing was shallow and his eyes were darting around the interior of the small vehicle.
It took all his concentration to not collapse as he got out of the car. His entire body was wracked with shakes, every cell in his body was screaming for him to turn in the opposite direction and run.
Sliding his card through the reader with shaky hands, almost running to the Eva cages without a word, his eyes only watching the floor. By now he already knew the way by memory.
He rapidly pushed the button on his wrist to activate his plugsuit and threw his neural connectors as he walked out of the locker room towards Unit-01.
'I was expecting an I told you so' Shinji decided to talk to his father as a distraction and to see why he had been so quiet.
'That serves no purpose now, you should only focus on the coming battle, do not let anything distract you, I believe you are more than prepared to face this enemy'.
'Did you know when this Angel was gonna come? Is that why you've been harassing me about training and not going on that trip?'
'So far the Angels have arrived at the same time as in my time'
'Then why didn't you warn me!'
'I had no way of knowing if the fourth Angel's arrival wasn't a coincidence, the Angels could still surprise us in the future'.
'What else are you hiding!?'
'Nothing important, As I said before focus on this coming fight with the Angel, you do not need any distractions'
'Nothing important!? Like when the Angels are gonna show up!? That was nothing important!?'
His Father went silent after that, only further irritating him. His hands stopped shaking as he climbed into the entry plug. The constant pressing weight of his anxiety seemed to lessen and was replaced by a dull burning sensation.
The lights flicked on in the entry plug and a kaleidoscope of colors assaulted his senses. He reached out to the strangely familiar presence and felt the LCL grow warm around him.
"Shinji this thing appeared out of nowhere and slipped past nearly all our detection systems, we're just gonna have you do recon in force until we can formulate a strategy, you'll be taking point in Unit-01 and Unit-00 will be providing long range covering fire"
The pair of pilots nodded in confirmation and Shinji prepared his stomach for the launch catapult, being incredibly thankful that he hadn't had time to eat before.
"Give em hell Shinji, Eva Unit-01 Launch!"
Stepping off the launch platform with a jumping start and heading over to the nearby weapons platform and grabbing the weapon provided for him. He quickly examined the cylindrical firing tube and took note of its four rocket magazine.
He propped the rocket launcher on his left shoulder. Turning his head to steal a glance behind him to see the prone form of Unit-00 mostly obscured by the large positron rifle coiled around her.
Turning back around to move into position he finally got a good look at the Angel, blinking his eyes and rubbing them with his hand to make sure he was really seeing it. It looked to be made of gold shimmering with a reflective glow in the bright sun.
It looked like several different shapes layered overtop each other, with the only ones he was able to make out being a star and a hexagram. He counted 16 spheres in total slowly rotating as the Angel hovered towards NERV and the waiting Unit-01. It also had 6 black spherical growths on the outermost layer, spikes were slowly jutting out of them making a sickening sound of flesh tearing echo around Shinji.
'I believe it's core is located directly at the center mass'
His face turned into a frown and he felt the previous burning in his chest to have returned, looking at the Angel he saw a glowing red cube rotating in the center of the Angel's body.
Not wishing to speak with his father he simply aimed the cube with his crosshairs and pulled the trigger; he almost fell over from the kickback as he forgot to brace his legs.
Shinji watched the specially designed and engineered Anti Angel Rocket by NERV soar through the air and impact the angel; making a resounding clang as it struck it's metallic structure.
His spirits went from high to low as a massive fireball exploded around the midsection of the Angel and as soon as it appeared it disappeared leaving the Angel unharmed.
"What!? That was a direct hit! We didn't detect an AT field right Ritz?" Misato's confusion completely mirrored Shinji's own and everyone else in the command center who stared at the screen in shock.
Ritsuko leaned over her assistant staring intently at her computer and typing, "There was the momentary blip of an AT field when the missile hit but I'm not yet sure why the explosion just vanished".
"S-Should I shoot it again?" The thing in front of him seemed to defy all understanding, looking like some strange error in the universe.
"Yes, we're gonna have Rei sync her shot with yours and see if that does some damage and if not then we'll get closer to figure it out'
Shinji nodded with grim determination at the plan and quickly readied himself for another shot, this time remembering to brace his legs properly as he lined up his sights.
The rocket again collided with the Angel and a beam of searing light flew directly into the fireball it created, Shinji briefly smiled at the success then his mouth gaped open again. Once again the fireball exploded out then immediately shrank into nothing and the Angel continued to hover unharmed slowly towards Unit-01.
"I believe it's somehow using its AT field to somehow nullify the damage from our attacks. Maybe if we combine the Eva's fields with overwhelming firepower we could potentially overwhelm the field and destroy the target".
"Alright, Shinji, we're gonna have you unload the rest of your clip into the Angel and Rei time up your shot same as before, and get ready for the fireworks"
"Roger"
"I'll do my best Misato"
Shinji had to shield his eyes as the static defensives of Tokyo-3 all fired on a single point creating a massive explosion that left a smoking crater obscuring the Angel from sight.
"No…." He couldn't hear or feel himself speak, his tongue grew heavy and his breathing started to grow more and more frantic, gripping the control rods with wide eyed terror.
The Angel wasn't sure if it was the contrast with the carnage surrounding it but he could swear it was growing even brighter than before. It looked completely unblemished after the hellstorm that just fell on top of it.
'I don't like this, something's wrong about this Angel, I just don't know what' His father sounded deep in thought. He realized that even he was completely stumped as to this thing's nature as well, only adding to his building sense of panic.
He was drawn out of his staring match with the slowly hovering form of the Angel by Misato telling him the one thing he didn't want to hear.
"Shinji you're gonna have to engage the Angel in close combat, try and neutralize it's AT field as you pierce it's core so the attack lands, we're still in the dark about what else this thing might be capable of so be careful on your approach"
"I-I Understand, I'll do it", Shinji gripped the control rods with his knuckles whitening from the amount of force he was using.
'I mustn't run away', 'I mustn't run away', ' I mustn't run away' With each step he spoke the words to himself. Slowly walking towards the Angel then building up to a jog, accelerating as he reached for his progressive knife and quickly pulled it into his left hand.
As he reached the Angel he lunged with all his might and used every ounce of willpower to force his AT field outwards.
Then as his knife contacted the central mass of spheres reaching for the core at its center his vision lit up with a blinding light then went completely dark.
A gigantic cross shaped explosion lit up the skies of Tokyo-3 as a deathly silence fell over the previously raucous battlefield. It was broken only by the sound of a sickening roar and the sound of flesh being shredded and devoured.
AN: Phew, that was a bitch to write, I hope it's good, I think some pretty interesting stuff happens and it seems Gendo and Shinji are getting along as famously as ever. If you think it's not going anywhere just remember the old saying "It gets worse before it gets better"
Next Chapter brings us the one the only Japan's (and my personal) favorite bitch Asuka Langely Sohyru and just remember the rule of 3
Reviewing is cool and makes you cool by doing it, also follow and favorite so I can get dopamine when I see the notification on my email.
See ya on the next one