Chapter 37: A New Leader

Is there enough words to say how frustrating it is to not update? How about how to say sorry?

Here's a gift for for you all who were patiently waiting for this chapter to come out. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas of '07

Disclaimer: I do not own NGE, it is the property of Gainax. Any characters in this fiction are mine, and if they bear any resemblence to characters of other fictions or real people, it is coincidental

Preread by YouarenotasrandomasI

Now, (finally) on with the show!

The morning after the Angel attack, all personnel were hard at work with the cleanup of the mess from the battle. The remains of the Angel was being wiped away, and they were cautiously moving Eva 01 to the hangars where it was frozen in case it activated on its own again

Misato was watching the proceedings with a grim look. The monster was silent as the crew began to wrap the exposed parts and clean of the blood on the armor that was left. She was not in a particularly good mood as many people noticed. She turned to see that a Section 2 agent was waiting

"Ma'am," he said respectfully, "The Commander wishes to speak with you"

The woman was in no mood to talk to anyone, especially the bastard that caused so much pain and suffering for the pilots, who were little more than children. Yet, Misato knew that to refuse could get her fired and someone incompetent to watch over the children

"At least the children are fine," she muttered in a low tone as she walked toward the Commander's Office

Flashback

"Quickly, get me a visual of the entry plug!" Ritsuko demanded quickly when the Eva began to shut down

The tone in the doctor's voice made Misato ask, "What has happened to Shinji?"

Cringing, the doctor said, "There was only one other case of a pilot having a synch score greater than 100"

A sense of dread filling her to the core, the purple-haired woman asked, "What happened?"

"The pilot was absorbed into the Eva," the faux blonde said, not looking at Misato, "The body was broken down and turned into LCL"

Staggered by the news, she looked up to see the Eva kneeling in its kill, eyes no longer glowing with a predatory gleam. The dread that filled her increased as she thought of what had happened to Shinji.

Sai, meanwhile, was working through a few simulations, smiling at some of the results. He had overheard the doctor's statement, and knew some very good news. However, he would withhold that information until it was verified. Most likely he'd be killed, but he had health insurance.

A moment later, he heard a technician say, "We've got a connection, putting visual on screen now"

To Ritsuko's shock and Misato's joy, Shinji floated in the LCL of his entry plug, perfectly fine even though he was unconscious.

Sinking to her knees, the purple-haired woman had tears of relief sliding down her cheeks as she said, "Thank god, he's alright"

On the intercom, shouting in a loud voice, Asuka demanded, "Is Shinji alright?"

Snapping out of her daze, Ritsuko told her that he was unconscious and would be taken to the infirmary. After hearing this, the red-head demanded that someone get her out of her plug. Taking a deep breath, Misato got back to her feet.

"I want a full checkup on him," she said, "Even if was just a coincidence, I want to make sure that he wasn't affected by the high synch score"

The doctor nodded in agreement, desperate to find out how Shinji avoided the fate that took his mother away, "I will do the checkups myself"

As the doctor walked out of the command center, Misato turned to see that Sai was scratching his chin as he stared at his monitor. A sudden curiosity filled her as she walked over to the boy. Even though she didn't have a degree like Ritsuko, she still understood that the figures were involved in monitoring the vital signs of a person.

"Were you checking on the pilots?" Misato asked

Jerking his head at the sound of her voice, the tech Avatar replied, "Uh, yeah. It's our job, remember?"

Narrowing her eyes, the woman asked, "Did you know this would happen?"

Knowing she meant the abnormal synch score, he answered in the affirmative, "However, we were planning on having more than just Hunter out there to help"

"So what do you know about this high synch score?"

Shrugging, Sai replied, "Figured this might happen. I actually gave it a forty-eight percent chance of it actually happening"

Shaking her head, Misato asked, "And if Shinji had been absorbed?"

"We had a plan for that too," he replied smoothly, "Have some faith, we've got everything covered"

End Flashback

Standing in front of the door to the Commander's office, she took a deep breath before entering. Fuyutsuki was talking with Ritsuko and looked up when Misato entered.

"So, where's the commander?" Misato inquired

Fuyutsuki replied, "He will be along shortly. He just went out to check on something"

Sighing, the purple-haired woman walked further into the room and asked Ritsuko, "So how's Shinji doing?"

Looking up, the doctor replied, "He's awake, but he can't recall what happened when the Eva awakened"

She said the last word gingerly, a topic she still wasn't quite comfortable with. And truthfully, Misato wasn't all that well with it either

"What about the other pilots?"

"Touji is recovering well from his incident," the doctor replied, taking a look at the clipboard she carried, "He'll be out of bed by the end of the day. Rei has headaches, but they are receding and she should be okay, but will be confined to bed rest for some time. Hunter's being treated by Keevan, but he's in good condition"

"That's good to hear," Misato said with a sigh, "How's the kid doing? He's been working nonstop since the other day"

"He's ready to drop," Ritsuko replied, shaking her head, "but Keevan said that he was going to check up on the other pilots before he stopped. Honestly, he's just a kid"

"They're all children," Misato mumbled in a low tone, "why should this be any different"

Just then, the door opened and Gendo stepped into the room. Misato bristled a little at the man before noticing many distinct changes about him. The most prominent was the band of graying hair on the sides and back of his head.

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting," Gendo said, surprising the women. They had never so much as heard the Commander saying sorry before

The man walked quickly and quietly to his desk. Sitting down, he turned to face the group in front of him. Ritsuko knew that this couldn't be the commander, he was too different. Misato was wary of some trick the detestable man could pull.

"What I am about to tell you will be unbelievable," he said after a moment of silence, "But I can assure you that everything is true"

He then shocked the women by telling them, "I am the alternate version of the Gendo Ikari of this world. I was given the chance to amend my mistakes by the Avatars"

For the next hour, Gendo wove them a story that left the woman speechless

Nerv Infirmary

Staggering a little, Keevan marched out of Hunter's room, where he'd just helped Hunter heal faster. Yawning, the little boy's eyes drooped from a great deal of fatigue. He'd been working nonstop on helping everyone for more than twenty-four straight hours. On the verge of collapse, he stumbled on, determined to finish his rounds.

His balance slipped, and he began to tilt over. Before going completely horizontal, he was caught by a pair of slender arms. Looking up, he realized that his glasses had fallen off, but he could see a blue blur on the head of the person holding him.

"Rei," Keevan said wearily, "Aren't you supposed to be in bed?"

Pulling him upright, the girl replied, "I am well enough; it is you who should be resting"

His head nodding, Keevan didn't notice as Rei led him into her recently vacated room. He let himself be put into bed as he yawned

"I can't," the boy said, trying to sit up, "I still have to check the others"

Pushing him back down, Rei replied, "You will be unable to work if you're too tired to stand"

Unable to find fault to her logic, and because he was feeling so comfortable, Keevan made no attempts to argue, "Fine, I'll rest, but only for a few minutes"

Rei watched as Keevan closed his eyes. His chest began to rise and fall in the rhythm of deep sleep. Taking the chair, she sat down; setting the glasses he dropped on the table beside the bed. Rei stayed like that, sitting next to the bed Keevan was sleeping on. Upon hearing the door sliding open, the girl turned to see that Rikku was there, a small smile on her face.

"He's pretty stubborn at times, that boy," the Aerolan female said, walking to stand next to Rei, "I hope that he wasn't too bothersome"

Shaking her head, the blue-haired girl replied, "No, Keevan was far too weary to argue. He fell asleep quickly"

"Let him sleep," Rikku told her, "He's been working nonstop and deserves some peace and quiet"

Walking back to the door, she said, "When he wakes up, let him know that he doesn't need to work so much anymore. The others are recovering well enough and they don't want him to kill himself"

Nodding her understanding, Rei turned back to the boy lying on the bed. The blonde woman took one last look back and had a little smirk as she left.

Outside, she exchanged her smirk for a frown as she saw Iak limping with a crutch. Thanks to Keevan's hard work his body was recovering well. That didn't stop Rikku's glare of death

"What are you doing out of bed?"

Shrugging her glare off, the black-winged man replied, "I'm just checking on everyone else"

Grabbing him by the shoulders, Rikku spun Iak around and marched him off, "I don't think so; you need to rest. Even if Keevan fixed you up some, you need to let your body recover on its own"

Letting himself be pushed along, Iak responded, "How much sleep have you had?"

A light flush of embarrassment on her face, she responded, "That doesn't matter; I'm not the one who's body is wrapped like a mummy"

"You baka!"

Shinji ducked as Asuka threw another punch, "Ah, gomenasai!"

The two teens were in Shinji's hospital room, and the boy had just woken up to find his girlfriend in a very bad mood. Currently, he was trying to stay alive long enough to explain things

"I told you," he said, dodging behind a chair, "I was trying to protect you"

"And who said I needed protecting?" Asuka demanded, grabbing him and near strangling him

"Gomen," he choked, "Please, I didn't want you to get hurt"

Releasing the boy, the German pilot asked in a surprisingly subdued tone, "And if you had died? Do you realize how much that would hurt me?"

Rubbing his neck, Shinji dropped his eyes to the floor, unable to look at her. Reaching out, Asuka pulled him into a hug, face buried into the crook of his neck

"I love you," she said quietly, "If you weren't there, I don't know what I'd do"

Wrapping his arms around her shoulders, Shinji pulled her closer, "Gomenasai"

"Is that all you can say?" Asuka asked, in a subdued tone

"I did it because I don't know what I'd do without you," Shinji continued, "If I lost you…"

They were both quiet afterwards, holding each other closely. Gently stroking his girlfriend's back, the boy thought of what he could do to make it up to upsetting her.

"I love you so much," he said, voice filled with quiet passion, "I never want to see you hurt or sad. I'd rather die than go through that"

Looking up into his eyes, Asuka responded, "I know, I believe you. It's just, don't you ever do that again"

Kissing her tenderly, Shinji replied, "I promise"

Sighing, Asuka leaned back against his chest with a content smile as he gently stroked her hair. Breathing deeply, Shinji smelled the LCL that caked into her hair, but he wasn't as repulsed as he normally would.

"Do you know when they'll let out of here?"

"I think they want to do a few more tests," the red-head replied, "but you should be out before dinner"

"Good, I hate hospitals"

Chuckling a little, Asuka replied, "I know what you mean"

Their little moment together ended when a doctor entered along with a nurse, "Excuse the interruption, but I still have a few more tests to do on Shinji"

Sighing, Asuka reluctantly pulled away, pausing to give him another kiss and leaving, "I'll be waiting for you back home"

"He might be a little late," the doctor told her, "The Commander wished to speak with him when I've finished"

Frowning, Shinji wondered what his father would want with him, especially after what he had done. Nodding towards Asuka, who frowned before leaving, he relaxed and let the doctor finish his physical examination.

I wonder what he wants, he wondered to himself

Later

After the doctor had completed his tests, Shinji took a quick shower and changed into his standard school uniform. He took his time because he didn't really want to face his father, not right now, but since he was the commander, it wasn't really a choice. Then again, the Avatars might have something up their sleeves and could be of help.

He now stood before the door that led to the commander's large and imposing office. Taking a deep breath, Shinji opened the door and stepped inside. He was a little surprised to see that Misato and Ritsuko were there as well. Both of them had thoughtful looks on their faces when they turned to look at him.

"Hey Shinji," Misato said, "um, we've got some interesting things to tell you"

Looking around, Shinji noted that his father wasn't here, "Where's the Commander?"

"Er, about that," his guardian began, "I think the best way to put it is that the Avatars have dealt with the problem in their own way"

"What do you mean?" Shinji asked as he heard the door sliding open behind him

"It means, that there has been…change"

Turning, the boy saw his father, except that he had aged a great deal. Blinking in surprise, Shinji took a step back when he saw the old man smiling. He felt certain that Third Impact would occur at any moment as he began to feel a little light-headed.

"Relax," Gendo said, "take a seat. We have much to talk about"

Sitting down, Shinji asked, "Who are you?"

Sitting behind the desk, the older man replied, "Biologically speaking I'm your father. Although technically the same as the original, I have a few years more experience"

Letting it sink in, the boy turned to Misato, who told him, "We just found out ourselves not too long ago. Apparently he was our mysterious friend, 'Mr. Cloak', and he's been given a second chance"

"A second chance," Shinji muttered, turning towards Gendo, "What did you do?"

Looking down, he replied, "I've done so many terrible things. I will probably never be able to atone for them, but I only hope for your understanding if not your forgiveness"

He then explained what he had told his Second, Misato and Ritsuko. Shinji attentively listened to everything Gendo was saying. His face grew somber as he heard Gendo tell him the plans he and Seele had made in furthering human evolution. The committee had wanted to create a god-like being by merging every living human soul into one 'perfect' entity. He wanted to bring his wife, Shinji's mother, back and be a complete family in the oneness.

Then Gendo came to the part of the actual battle with Seele's Mass Produced Evas, Asuka's battle with them and subsequent loss. Then he told Shinji about the event called Third Impact, and how all humans were merged into one entity, in which the boy was its center. In the aftermath of the event, in which his alternate version rejected, the three, Gendo, Shinji, and Asuka, were left to fend for themselves in the new world.

Shinji sat there as he absorbed all the information that his father, or rather his alternate version, just told him, "I don't know what to say"

"You don't have to say anything," Gendo replied, "there is nothing I can do to gain your forgiveness, but I hope that we might be able to start anew"

"Excuse me," the teen said after a moment, "I need to think this through"

The adults all watched as Shinji left the conference room. Although the women had concerned looks on their faces, Gendo looked on with an impassive face, but was worried nonetheless.

Avatar Base

Asuka looked up as the door to the teens' shared room opened. Standing at the door, Shinji looked at the red-head with an odd expression on his face.

"What's wrong?" she asked

He didn't reply, and instead quickly closed the space between them and pulled her into a passionate kiss. Although shocked at first, Asuka melted into the kiss and put as much force as he did into the kiss. They finally separated from a lack of oxygen, and the red-head peered into Shinji's eyes

"While that was nice," she began, "I'd like to know what the occasion is"

"I love you Asuka," he told her, "no matter what, I will always love and protect you"

Flushing a little, she asked, "What brought this about?"

"Nothing special," Shinji replied, holding her close, "I just realized how bad things could have been"

Not entirely believing him, the red-head wanted to ask him what he meant. Seeing the look on his face, however, made her think twice. Deciding to wait another time to ask him, Asuka just leaned into his embrace and share in their combined warmth and love.

Finally, got this chapter out. I would like to again apologize for taking so in updating my fanfiction. I would also like to thank everyone who reviewed and were patient with me. Oh, while your at it, go check out my Christmas one-shot, a remake of the Twelve Days.

Thank you again, and remember to review. Happy Holidays!

Later!