Standard Disclaimer: "Neon Genesis Evangelion" and "Bio-booster Armor Guyver" are the creative property of Hideaki Anno and Yoshiki Takaya respectively. Though I don't own either series, the characters within are still my puppets, and I their puppeteer. So dance, my puppets, dance! MUWAHAHAHAHA!

Other Standard Disclaimer: This fanfic is rated PG-13 (or T) for violence, swearing, and mild sexual references.

Introductory Author's Note: Thanks go out to our friendly neighborhood J-Easy for his welcome pre-read of this chapter.

KEY
"spoken"
'thoughts'

Out of Control
A Neon Genesis Evangelion/
Bio-booster Armor Guyver Fusion
By: Mares Guyver

Chapter 7: Secrets From Within

"The subject for today's briefing is my examination of Shinji Ikari, designated Third Child and pilot of Evangelion Unit-01. In addition to his Post-Operational Status, I feel it's necessary to bring to light a number of crucial findings which—"

"Doctor Akagi . . ." a voice cold as steel cut in, "You have been allowed a very generous amount of time to complete the Third Child's POS report. Are these other . . . details, really necessary?"

Sagging emerald eyes flashed with anger, but closed before they could glare at the amber-colored lenses just across the room.

Taking a deep breath, NERV's Chief Scientist took a moment to gather her composure before answering. "Tired" was too small a word to describe her current state of being. For the last several days, Ritsuko Akagi had been working nonstop to analyze and understand the colossal amount of data she had accumulated on the Third Child. Examinations of Shinji had been equally as constant over that time—with test results raising more questions than delivering answers. Now, nearly a week since the Third Angel attacked, Ritsuko was sleep-deprived, brain-drained over-caffeinated, barely showered, unbleached, and just about ready to snap at anybody who even looked at her funny.

Unless, of course, that person happened to be Supreme Commander Gendo Ikari.

Clearing her throat, the platinum blonde gazed calmly at the two individuals across from her, "I feel it is necessary, sir. My additional research not only presents a possible explanation to the Third Child's unusual synchronization ability, but also raises the critical issue about whether or not it is safe to keep him as the pilot of Unit-01." This statement caused the eyebrow of Gendo Ikari to pique with curiosity, and behind his folded white gloves, the man nodded for Ritsuko to continue.

Nodding in reply, Ritsuko turned to the screen beside her, which displayed numerous graphs and numerical information, "In my first physical examination of Pilot Ikari, I was able to confirm that he suffered no major neurological or physiological damage post-synchronization."

"The only exception was a high residual nerve echo due to his elevated synchronization and the heavy damage sustained by the EVA. Psychologically, he seemed sound though shaken by the experience. In addition, I was able to confirm several preliminary readings which were received from the entry plug in regards to the pilot's metabolic and physical capabilities." The doctor paused for a moment to allow this initial information to sink in.

Standing beside the seated Supreme Commander, Kouzou Fuyutski tapped a finger by his chin, "Was there anything unusual about these readings?"

Ritusko smiled thinly as she thought, 'Only that his superior total physiology nearly falls into the realm of impossibility.' Out loud, she stated, "The numbers show that the Third Child is in atypically good shape for a fourteen-year old boy, with greater respiration, metabolism, neural, muscular, and recuperative capabilities than we previously anticipated. His biological systems all function normally and efficiently—in sum, he's the perfect pilot specimen."

Unseen, Gendo allowed the ghost of a smile to flicker on his face before stating, "Continue with your briefing, Doctor."

Behind the lab-coated woman, the screen shifted to a nude silhouette of the Third Child, which Ritusko turned to before saying, "The only major abnormality I discovered was the presence of two tumors or lesions near the base of his neck, here." As she pointed a laser pen at the screen, the appropriate area lit up and displayed a photo of the twin red lumps, "It was determined that the swellings are not cancerous in any way, and reviewing the boy's medical history confirmed that they were acquired in an accident roughly two years ago—some sort of forest fire.

"It was initially concluded that these were simply a variant of scar tissue left by the incident, but this is now known not to be the case, which I will explain momentarily." A new picture came up on the screen, this time a line chart that initially rose up at a consistent incline, but then abruptly stopped and became a horizontal line.

Turning to her two superiors, Ritsuko continued, "Following the initial examination of the Third Child, I consulted his medical history to weigh the validity of the current data against previous results. It was in doing this that I discovered the first . . . peculiarity." Folding her arms, the faux blond turned her head back to the screen for a moment, then tilted her emerald eyes back forward, "This chart shows the progress of Pilot Ikari's physical growth over the course of his lifetime. Notice anything odd?"

Frowning, Fuyutski said, "It stops."

Nodding, Ritsuko turned her head back to the chart, "Exactly. Starting at a point over two years ago, coinciding exactly with the accident I mentioned before, the Third Child's physical growth halts entirely."

Turning one eye quickly to his silent companion, Fuyutski began stroking his chin, "Most peculiar. One would expect that, being a teenager, Shinji would be sprouting like a weed."

"Or at least growing," Ritsuko said with a sigh, "But for the last two years he hasn't even grown a millimeter." Shaking her short dyed locks, Ritsuko stated, "Regardless, it was at this point that I felt additional examination was required."

Behind her, the screen changed to show several different pictures of the Third Child, from X-ray photographs to MRI scans and microscope slides. "Macroscopic external and internal examination revealed no cause for the growth deficit, though it did provide new insights into the nature of the Third Child's tumors."

The picture behind Ritsuko changed to a close-up cross-section of Shinji's profile, "Using the latest scanning methods, I was able to determine that these growths are in fact separate organ systems, with their own blood supply and direct neural connections to Pilot Ikari's central nervous system. Though the function or inner workings of these 'organisms' is still unclear, sensors were able to detect from both clusters the emission of minute amounts of electromagnetic radiation."

Behind his folded hands, Gendo's deep voice rumbled out, "Is this radiation dangerous?" Across from the large, black desk, Ritsuko shook her head.

"No, the radiation is given off in such small doses that it barely registers—it was only discovered by chance," the blond stated, "What is unusual is that the radiation seems to be emitting in the form of two distinct patterns. The first widely disperses in a field that completely surrounds the pilot, extending outward roughly half a meter before dissipating completely. The second though is more focused, and most importantly, has a responding terminus within EVA Unit-01."

Grinning internally at the now visibly shocked Commander and Sub-Commander, Ritsuko continued, "It is the presence of this signal, which has the exact same modulation, frequency, and wavelength as the A-10 connection we use in the EVAs, that has led to my current conclusion. I am now certain that it these organisms which are responsible for the Third Child's increased synchronization ability. They are also the source of our earlier difficulty in establishing said synchronization." Finally allowing the hint of a smirk to grace her lips, Ritsuko leaned back with her arms folded, waiting for her audience to react.

For several minutes, the blond doctor's statement just hung in the clammy air of Gendo's office. Three minds simultaneously whirred at the ramifications of the discovery—oh, the possibilities! If the workings of Shinji's organisms could be broken down and analyzed, perhaps they could create an artificial device that functioned in the same manner, improving on the current synchronization method ten, maybe twenty-fold! Maybe the technology could even be used on people other than those born after Second Impact, allowing for less impetuous and erratic EVA pilots than the current stock available. Or even better, do away with human pilots entirely by improving the abilities of the still experimental Dummy Plug system.

For the first time since the meeting began, Gendo lowered his hands so that they rested atop his desk. "I congratulate you on this discovery, Doctor Akagi—certainly, it will be most beneficial to Project E and related research," he began calmly, "However, your evidence raises an interesting question regarding the Third. Since these organisms he possesses are constantly emitting a synchronization signal, it stands to reason that he is also in constant synchronization with EVA Unit-01. Does the possibility then exist that the pilot could command EVA remotely?" Internally, Ritsuko laughed like a banshee at the hidden question behind the question.

'What Gendo, you think Shinji-kun will take Unit-01 for a joyride? Or better yet, convince her to go berserker and come gunning for you?' the blond scientist thought, but out-loud stated, "The possibility occurred to me as well, sir. However, my tests have shown that Pilot Ikari's synchronization ratio remains steady whether he's trying to synch with EVA externally or not—somewhere in the degree of 0.00001 percent. The only time the Third Child was able to achieve true synchronization was when put in an Entry Plug, AND only when that plug was fully inserted into Unit-01. He can't even synchronize with the practice plugs—it has to be the real deal."

At his desk, Gendo quietly settled more comfortably into his chair, much to Sub-Commander Fuyutski's amusement, and refolded his hands beneath his nose. "Is there anything else, Doctor?" he asked pointedly.

"Yes, sir," Ritsuko said evenly, and behind her the screen changed to show a computer-rendered image of a human cell, as well as several base-pair sequences of double-stranded DNA. "Since macroscopic examination did not determine the cause of the Third Child's arrested growth, I began a thorough microscopic examination of all cellular tissues. Within every type of cell, I found an unusual collection of proteins and chemical compounds previously unrecorded in human body structure. More importantly, I found a total lack of the process of genetic degradation—the microscopic signs of aging."

The screen once again changed to a close-up display of the DNA helix, and Ritsuko turned around to face the image, "As you know, as the body ages, certain portions of the genetic code decay—sort of like a clock winding down. The current theory is that when these portions break down entirely, well, that person's time is up. However, with Pilot Ikari, this simply is not the case."

Pivoting quickly, Ritusko looked straight into the cold eyes of NERV's Commander, "The Third Child shows absolutely no signs of this degenerative process, and when factors are introduced to induce the aging cycle, his body fights it off, maintaining homeostasis. In other words, Pilot Ikari's biological clock is fixed—he simply does not age." Across the room, Gendo made no visible sign of being affected by this statement, but Fuyutski gasped audibly.

"What are saying, woman?" he stammered, "Are you telling us that the Third is immortal?" The lab-coated Chief of Development just sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"By some definitions, yes, he is . . ." she stated, looking up at the slack-jawed Sub-Commander, "But if you're worried about security, don't be—Pilot Ikari is not invulnerable. He's at least human in that regard." Unnoticed by all, Gendo's hands clenched just a hair tighter.

"Are you implying, Doctor, that the Third Child is inhuman in every other regard?" NERV's Supreme Commander asked evenly, though with an audible edge. That edge was sharp enough to finally cut through the last of Ritsuko's restraints.

"Yes! That's exactly what I'm saying, Commander! Shinji-kun is beyond every norm for what we define as human, in addition to his other extraordinary characteristics! He's almost as alien as the Angel he fought last week!" she exclaimed with exhaustive exasperation. If the bottle blonde expected a reaction from the infamous "Poker Face" Ikari, she was sorely disappointed, for all he did was stare at her behind his flashing orange-red lenses.

After a pause, Gendo spoke, "You will deliver all files and backup disks of this information to me, to be sealed under Omega-level security clearance. I will place all data pertinent to Project-E under Gamma-level, but all facts regarding its origins will be erased." Across the room, Ritsuko's face reddened to the tips of her dark roots.

"You . . . you can't do that! That's my research!" she shrieked angrily. Behind his folded hands, the Almighty Bastard King smirked freely.

"Incorrect. 'Your' research, Doctor, is the property of NERV, and is by extension, mine," Gendo stated, amused by his sometime lover's antics. The scientist is question looked fit to pop, but then suddenly became eerily calm and composed. Turning, she gathered her notes and laptop, and promptly proceeded to the door. But just as she entered the threshold, Ritsuko paused, and then rotated her head back to look at her two superiors.

"Oh, I forgot to mention . . ." the blonde stated, her jade eyes glinting dangerously, "Did you know that your son has 24 chromosome pairs?" Fuyutski gaped once again, and even Gendo seemed to falter a little.

"Homo sapiens only have 23 pairs," the Commander stated. Smirking, Ritsuko nodded, reentering the cavernous office with an ambling gait.

"Indeed they do, but sometime between when Shinji-kun had his blood drawn here as a child, and a few days ago, he magically acquired a new pair," she stated sarcastically, shrugging her shoulders once, "I guess it was just one of those freak occurrences."

Gendo's eyes narrowed faintly behind his glasses, "You are dismissed, Doctor Akagi."

Unheedingly, Ritsuko continued her strut to Gendo's desk, "Oh, and you should see how Pilot Ikari's cells react to just the right degree of electromagnetic stimulation. They go wild! Especially the 24th chromosome pair—they start transcribing proteins like seamstresses in a Hong Kong sweatshop . . ."

Gendo's eyes narrowed further to mere slits, and his teeth ground together as he hissed, "You are dismissed."

Shaking her head, and reaching the edge of the mammoth desk, Ritsuko leaned over so that her face was centimeters away from the Commander's. At their side, Fuyutski stood with his mouth agape, too shocked by the doctor's careless behavior to do anything. Eyes glinting with a twinge of inherited madness, Ritsuko drawled, "Pity that the metabolic changes only last a few seconds, and it's true that the MAGI gives an '09 System' as the probability of the required stimulation occurring naturally. Still . . ." she grinned wickedly, "A normal human wouldn't have to worry about such things, would they?"

For many people, there are several words that could be used to describe Supreme Commander Gendo Ikari. "Cold", "callous", "frigid", and "quiet" are a few of the nicer ones. To many, he is like a silent mountain—an iceberg floating in the vast, dark ocean of his titanic office. Few have seen him express emotion, and those to see him angered are even fewer and farther between, as the vast majority cease to exist shortly after witnessing the event. Ritsuko may have thought she had seen Gendo's fury before, his passion released only twice in recent memory—the first being the activation test of Unit-00, and the second occurring during the rare occasions that they shared the same bed. However, the blond scientist was greatly mistaken in her estimate of Gendo's hidden rage, and thus could not have anticipated the effect her words would have on him.

Rising rapidly from his seated position, his face contorted grotesquely with a crimson haze, Gendo bellowed at the top of his lungs, "GET OUT!" Due to their previous proximity, Ritusko tumbled backwards onto to her rear, her dark green eyes wide with absolute terror at the furious apparition before her. Scrambling to her feet, tearing the hem of her white lab coat in the process, the blond women grabbed her materials and ran as fast as she could to the door, pausing only to let them open before disappearing into the hall.

Wheezing heavily, head red and bright with sweat, Gendo slowly lowered himself back into his chair, slouching as he placed one elbow one the surface and lightly held his face in his hand. Snapping back to awareness, Fuyutski drifted over to his former student's side, but Gendo raised his free arm and weakly waved the elderly man off. Sensing that the younger man wished to have some privacy, Fuyutski quietly exited the room through a hidden side door that led to his own office.

Alone in the colossal office, with only the illuminated Tree of Sephiroth as company, Gendo allowed his head to lower to the smooth, cool surface of his desk, resting it in his arms in an unconscious imitation of another Tokyo-3 resident. For several minutes he remained like this, but then slowly, and shaking, reached beneath to a slotted compartment he had personally installed. Sitting back up in his chair, he carefully pulled out the compartment's precious content—a simple black metal and glass picture frame.

Tilting the frame up so that it was visible in the dim office light, Gendo took off his glasses and stared as he often had so many times before. Within the frame was housed a faded and faintly worn photograph. It displayed a much younger Gendo Ikari, standing tall and proud, his dark skin clean-shaven and his large, bug-like eyes staring out unaided by the glasses his older counterpart now coveted. The ghost of a smile showed on the younger man's face, the reason behind his cheer sitting serenely just below him. Both adults were dressed in identical lab coats and turtlenecks, but while the overly large coat and drooping sweater gave the lean, standing man a malicious air, the same garments seemed warm and inviting on the slender, sitting woman.

Removing the glove from his right hand, Gendo used the rough, scarred tip of his thumb to stroke the glass-enclosed paper cheek of the pale, gently smiling brown-haired women, her laughing, bright-green eyes burning into his own dark-blue ones as they always had. "Yui . . ." he murmured quietly, and the man would have wept had the tears of grief not dried up a seeming eternity ago. As the memories of past and vanished happiness flashed across the Commander's face, he used his eyes to follow the curve of his love's arms to the bottom of the picture.

Sleeping peacefully, one small thumb tucked comfortingly in his mouth, a brown-haired boy no older than a year old lay securely in the woman's tender embrace. The child was tilted outward just enough so that his face was clearly visible, along with the sweet, innocent smile that graced his tiny lips. Unbidden, Gendo's mind rushed backwards to the memory of the park where the photo was taken, his own past words booming within the temple of his consciousness.

"If it's a girl, then we'll call her Rei. If it's a boy . . ."

"Shinji."

END CHAPTER SEVEN

TRANSLATION GUIDE
-kun: Used in causal/friendly relationships, typically with males, and most often as a sign of light affection from a superior to a subordinate. Also used between people of the same age who share friendly relations.