4

AN: Be warned, things move quickly in the later parts of this chapter – may not make sense now, but it will, hopefully, in a chapter or two.

"Tell me again why I'm having yet ANOTHER physical less than twenty four hours after my last one, Doctor Akagi?"

Ritsuko arched an eyebrow – no 'Ritsuko'? Oh dear, "It is standard procedure, Shinji."

Shinji looked over at her as the scanners passed over him once again, "As I'm sure this hasn't happened to anyone else before, how in the hell can there be a 'standard procedure'?"

From over her shoulder, Misato leaned down and spoke into the microphone, "Just calm down, Shinji. The Commander asked for us to make sure that nothing was wrong with you, that's all."

"Like he gives a rat's ass," was grumbled by Shinji almost too low for anyone to hear, but not quite low enough.

Ritsuko was about to make a comment about the Commander when the door opened and Rei walked in, still in her plugsuit from an earlier Synch test, "Hello, Rei. What brings you here?"

"Pilot Ikari's well-being does, Dr. Akagi," came the monotone reply as Rei looked Shinji's medical gown-clad body over with her red eyes. A slight pink tinge filled her cheeks and she looked away, "Is he well?"

'Oh dear, I do believe Rei has a crush,' Ritsuko thought as she smiled slightly, "He's fine, Rei."

'Man-stealing little-' Misato snarled mentally before she caught herself. No, Rei was too young for Shinji now… at least physically. So, her anger forgotten due to a technicality, Misato grinned a little and slid next to Rei, "Do you like what you see, Miss Ayanami?"

The deepening blush of Rei's cheeks was all the answer that either female really needed as the scans ended and Shinji sat up. He looked over and saw the newest occupant of the medical booth and blinked, "Oh, hi, Rei. I didn't see you there."

Rei nodded slightly, "Pilot Ikari." Externally she was getting back into control of herself, but internally she felt the overwhelming need to fly through the glass, grab Shinji around his chest and proclaim him as hers for all the world, or at least NERV, to see. Good thing this was all internal, though, "I see that the rumors of your physical aging are true."

Shinji shrugged and slid off of the table, "Getting older isn't all it's cracked up to be. Sure, it's nice, but it's too different from what I knew."

Rei nodded, "Your sense of homeostasis has been disrupted, which leads to your being uncomfortable." She looked over at the doctor, who had a brown brow arched, "How are his synchronization scores, Doctor Akagi? Will he be able to pilot Unit-01?"

Ritsuko shrugged, not sure why Rei was asking instead of the Commander, "We will be testing him in Unit-01 later, so you can tell the Commander that if he is curious, he can come and check himself instead of sending you to ask for him."

Rei didn't bat an eye, knowing that the Commander's reputation within the base and the opinion of him was something of an open secret, "I shall tell him that, Doctor." She turned and paused, looking back over her shoulder, "I am glad to see you are well, Pilot Ikari." With that, Rei left.

Shinji blinked several times before he muttered, "What the hell was that about?" Girls – they were weird.

(Elsewhere, later)

Gendo arched an eyebrow, "She said WHAT?"

"Doctor Akagi said that if you wanted to know of the condition of the Third Child, you could ask her yourself instead of sending me to ask for you, sir," Rei said and he'd be damned if there wasn't a hint of a smirk in her voice.

Gendo growled and stood up, pressing the call button for his secretary, "Where is Doctor Akagi?"

The secretary came back a few moments later with, "She is with Major Katsuragi and Pilot Ikari in the fitting room getting Pilot Ikari his new plug suit. Should I summon her here, sir?"

"Summon all three of them," Gendo growled. Ten minutes later, Gendo growled, "Do you have any idea how close to insubordination you are coming to, Doctor Akagi? When I send Rei to get the information I require, it is as if I'm asking myself – you tell her everything, no questions asked." Both the Major and the Doctor blinked, not if to take him seriously, but Shinji, dressed in a pair of NERV-issue coveralls once again, snorted, "Is there something you want to say, Third Child?"

"Yeah, there is – stop treating people like they are tools."

Gendo, for a moment, felt like smiling but instead went with his more traditional first impulse – intimidation, "What did you just say, Third Child?" His son would not buck up against him. He was too soft, too much like his mother…

Shinji stepped forwards and put his hands on the desk, leaning down until his face was only an inch or two from Gendo's, "I said, 'stop treating people like they are tools'."

Gendo arched an eyebrow, "And why should I listen to you? You are not in command of this facility, I am, and add to that you are technically my subordinate. I can have you imprisoned for this."

"You could, but then you'd be up shit creek so far that not even a paddle could save your sorry ass," Shinji growled at him, fire spitting from his eyes. This shocked Gendo, especially given how emotionally repressed his son was and the total lack of spine.

"Shinji, calm down," Major Katsuragi said as she approached his force-grown son. There was a healthy dose of fear in her eyes and, unless he was mistaken, it wasn't directed towards his personal well-being, "He's not worth being put into the brig for, Shinji. Control yourself."

"I'm. Trying," his son growled, the fire still growing in his eyes. "Body changed but the mind didn't – not as easy to control the impulse to rip his throat out anymore."

Gendo blinked, frowned, and then brought his fingers together, "Have you told Dr. Akagi of this, Pilot? Or were you too busy having sex with her, Lt. Ibuki and Major Katsuragi to care to inform her?"

It happened too quickly for Gendo to stop – Shinji's hand flashed out and grabbed him by the front of the shirt and he found himself being hauled across his desk by his son, coming nose to nose with a very, VERY angry person. Shouts of alarm came from both Major Katsuragi and Dr. Akagi, but none of that mattered as Gendo saw his life flash before his eyes while the grip on his shirt continued to increase, an act that was starting to cut off blood flow to his brain and cause spots to form before his eyes.

Shinji's voice sounded rather distant when he spoke, "Die." Before Gendo could actually process what was being said, he found himself sailing through the air and, with a sudden impact and a flash of light, he felt nothing as unconsciousness claimed him.

Ritsuko, seeing the murderous intent in Shinji's eyes, shouted to Misato, "Stop him!" The Major did her best and threw herself onto Shinji's back, putting him into a choke hold that he appeared to completely ignore at first, but when she locked her legs in around his waist he appeared to slow somewhat.

Rei was the next to move as she stepped in front of the raging Third Child, her eyes flat. As he staggered towards her, Major Katsuragi on his back, Rei measured Shinji carefully before she spun and lashed out with a back kick into his chest. Air rushed out of the Third Child's lungs as he topped back, Major Katsuragi screeched slightly as they both fell, but it was enough as the Third Child turned in mid-fall and landed to where the Major wasn't hurt.

Several people rushed through the door and Doctor Akagi shouted out orders to check on the commander and to call medical teams while she produced a syringe from her pocket and a vial as well, "Hold him still, you two." Rei grabbed his legs, still clad in her plug suit, and Misato stayed right where she was while Shinji started to struggle, so Ritsuko jabbed the needle deeply into his ass and injected the contents of the hypodermic.

As Shinji's thrashing began to weaken, Misato managed to ask, "What was that, Ritsuko?"

"A sedative, Misato."

Misato gave her an incredulous look as the medical teams arrived, "You had that on you WHY?"

Ritsuko capped the needle and put it away, "I always have something like that on me, just in case." She looked up as a gurney approached, "I want him restrained and in the ICU stat. I don't know how long that dose is going to last, so let's plan for the worst."

"What about the Commander?"

Ritsuko growled under her breath and flipped her hand at the security people, "Let them deal with him – the Third Child is our priority right now."

(Later)

"It appears that Ikari hasn't been telling us everything." Pictures of Shinji Ikari, now looking rather grown up and dressed in a medical gown, flashed up on the screen before the pictures were replaced by medical tests that proved he was the Third Child.

"From the reports I get, his son is rather unstable, enough so that he attacked his father in open view of everyone present." The tests disappeared and video proof of the attack came up, showing the rather violent nature of the now-grown Third Child.

"This could indeed be a problem." The pictures vanished and large numbered slabs filled the monitors, "Have his condition carefully watched by our mole. Should the situation need it, have Ikari eliminated."

"Which Ikari, though?"

No answer came.

"Ah, I see."

AN: Next part, some explanations. Reviews, please.