SELFLESS ACTION
by Gunman
Disclaimer: I do not own anything in Eva because Asuka is mean.
dennisud: Let's just say that Rei isn't going to be as stoic as her third version should be.
shinji the good sharer: all things considered, I thought coping a feel was unexpected. Heck, Shinji may be stronger and more confident now, but he's not Kaji. He's got a ways to go before that.
Krimzonrayne: Chill, dude. Just because I only updated three stories the last time, only meant that I wasn't satisfied with the other updates for my stories.
Fifth Horseman: If you think Gendo's gonna have trouble controlling Shinji, you should read this new update.
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Chapter 3
This is just unbelievably lame! Shinji thought as he continued to crawl through the massive duct of the NERV facility.
The Third Child had reported in to check on Rei when he had been caught in a sudden blackout like everyone else in the facility. The emergency power lights were only in certain places in NERV, and did not give much light to over 80 of the underground Geofront.
As such, the boy had to meander through the darkened hallways of NERV until he came to the command center. When he arrived he noticed that only Ritsuko, Maya, Makoto, and Shigeru were there. Apparently his father and the sub-commander were away from the base, which left Misato in charge of the base, and she was nowhere to be found right now.
That and Makoto, who was late getting to NERV, had come in shouting about an Angel approaching the city.
At this, everyone in NERV worked long and hard to get Eva 01 to launch. Shinji had helped them the most, by using the purple biomechanical weapon to remove the cage platform after getting into the giant robot.
The next task, using a walkie-talkie that connected him to Ritsuko, was to get the Eva up to the surface where the Angel.
The only problem was that he was alone for this task, his Eva currently had only three minutes of power left, and he was at the bottom of a deep shaft that lead to the surface where the Angel was positioned and dumping acid into the facility.
You sure don't make this easy, do you? He thought as he quickly scanned and assessed the situation.
I'm at the bottom of a thousand meter shaft. The Angel is up top dumping acid into the shaft. I'm almost out of power and my AT-Field isn't close enough for me to neutralize it so that I can take out that thing. GOD I LOVE THIS!!! Shinji mentally screamed as he quickly got a rather makeshift idea.
He took note of where the acid was falling down, and quickly moved around it. The walls were fairly smooth and there were virtually no grooves for his Eva to grasp. Fortunately his Eva had been equipt with two weapons before he left: a rifle and rocket launcher.
Let's cause some damage. Shinji grinned as he hoisted his rocket launcher and rifle in both hands and started moving around the shaft to avoid the acid that was falling in virtually the center of it all. Firing both weapons simultaneously he started carving out the necessary grooves and holes that he would need to get him to the surface.
The rockets and bullets pounded the sides of the shaft until the rounds were completely spent. He dropped the weapons and looked at his power gauge.
1:40. Better start climbing. He thought as he ambled up the long gashed out vertical tunnel.
Like a giant purple monkey that was going spelunking, only in reverse, Eva 01 quickly climbed up towards it's enemy, avoiding the acid as best he could. Several drops pelted his shoulders and back as he continued his ascent, the intensity increasing with every meter he advanced. He was more that half-way up the shaft when the Angel noticed him climbing and shifted it's position to pour more acid on top of him.
Turning up the juice, are we? Shinji thought as he fought to keep the Angel's acid off him using his AT-Field as he continued to head to the top.
Shinji looked at the power gauge and noticed it only had 45 seconds left.
(Shinji! How are you doing?) Ritsuko called through to him on the radio.
"Kind of busy, right now, Ritsuko!" he shouted back. "I've got 350 meters to go and I'm taking an acid bath at the same time!"
(A what?)
"TELL YOU LATER!" he shouted and dropped the radio.
Staring at the shaft he came up with only one conclusion. Looks like I'm going to have to go extremely dangerous for this now. He thought as he leaped across the shaft empty space to a higher point across from him.
However, doing so meant that he had to pass through the acid waterfall and that meant that he had to increase his AT-Field with each jump.
Jump! Increase AT-Field strength! Twist in mid-air! Grab onto opposite wall several meters higher up! Repeat!
15 Seconds left! Come On! Shinji groaned as he pushed his Eva to make a stronger leap with each pushing off of the walls.
He was less than ten meters from the opening of the shaft and quickly pulled out his Prog Knife.
One chance! He thought as he looked up at the body of the multi-eyed Angel that was dripping acid from it's sockets.
The counter was down to five seconds when Shinji leaped straight up at the Angel, his head barreling through the down pouring acid, but brought his knife arm up at an outside angle and succeeded in plunging it into the upper part of the Angel. The knife went deep, the weight of the Eva bringing the energized Prog. Knife slicing down the side of the Angel. The Eva's power died as the Angel did, the knife succeeding in slicing at it's core as Shinji, his Eva, and the Angel dropped back into the deep shaft of NERV.
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So, are we going to have another discussion on the fragile life that belongs to Shinji Ikari? The familiar voice said.
What do you want? Shinji asked.
Ooooh. A little testy are we?
I have good reason to be.
Says the guy who accomplishes the impossible everyday.
You're not going to leave until we talk, are you?
No. But then again it's not like I can't find you wherever you go.
He sighed. I'm listening.
Months ago you were finally able to admit that what happened wasn't your fault in regards to your mother. But now I see that you're taking on danger headfirst, as if you have nothing to live for. Why all the crazy stunt work?
In case you haven't noticed we're fighting a war.
A war in which you are not a one-man army.
I'm the only Eva pilot here.
There's that cute Rei Ayanami, and NERV has been looking for the other Eva pilots...
I told them not to!
Because you think you're strong enough to fight this war alone?
No.
Because you believe yourself to be a hero?
No!
Because you believe that you deserve to suffer for the things that happened after you left, so you're throwing yourself into harms way as a way of paying penance?
Shinji paused. Did he think that what happened was his fault? Well... maybe I do feel a little guilty. I mean it was my job! I was the only one who could pilot, everyone said so!
They also threw you into an un-combat-tested robot you've never seen before to fight a giant monster you never knew existed. It's a miracle you didn't die.
I was lucky.
Luck or skill, it doesn't really matter now. You're not afraid to fight. Maybe not even afraid to die. And that's a problem.
Problem? I'm not afraid of death. Doesn't that mean I can face anything that comes across my path?
Yes. But if you don't fear dying, you don't care about living, and if you don't care about living you will get other people killed in time by your reckless actions.
Shinji took all of that in and bowed his head.
I'll... thanks. It was pretty reckless of me, wasn't it?
A little.
I guess I needed to hear that. Good kick to the head and all.
And I give them to you freely.
Shinji's expression turned sour.
Time to wake up, boy!
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Shinji awoke to the sight of the unfamiliar ceiling he had seen his first days when he arrived at the top-secret NERV facility.
He tried to move and turned his head to see the kind face of Ritsuko Akagi staring back at him.
"The hero awakens." the blond scientist smiled.
"And alive it seems." he grinned. "I won?"
"Yes. And judging from the mess you made I can guess how, but I'll wait to read all about it in your mission report."
"Ohhhhh boy!"
"What's wrong?"
"I hate doing paperwork."
"Join the club, Shinji-kun." she smiled.
"Well... at least I get a pretty doctor to look after me." he said.
Ritsuko smiled wider before leaning forward to kiss the boy on his forehead. "You're sweet Shinji."
"I mean it, Ritsuko. You are very pretty." he stated.
She blushed as her smile turned serious. "And that means more to me than you know."
"Hitting on other women now, Shinji-kun?" Misato's voice cut through the air as the purple-haired woman entered the room. "I'm hurt."
"Don't tease him, Misato." Ritsuko said. "Or I'll tell him about how we found you and Kaji in the elevator after the power was restored."
"What?" Misato gasped.
"Elevator?" Shinji asked.
"Ritsuko!!" the purple woman growled.
"OH! Help me Shinji! Save me from the mad woman!" the blond scientist teased as she hide on the other side of the bed from Misato.
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Shinji was out of the hospital in a few days and was walking through the hallways when he passed the one person he would rather have avoided.
"Hello, father." Shinji said with some disdain in his voice.
"Pilot." Gendo said solemnly as he walked steadily past the boy.
No. Not this time! Shinji groaned as he turned around and shouted. "FATHER!"
The volume was enough to get Gendo's attention.
"Did you want something?" Gendo asked as he actually turned around.
"Can I be honest about something?" Shinji asked.
Gendo cocked an eyebrow at the boy. "What exactly?"
"You're a hypocrite." he stated.
"What?"
"You say you need me, but you don't give me any respect. You say that our job is to prevent a Third Impact, but you don't tell us how or by what."
"The Angels. I thought that was obvious."
"And that's another thing. The Angels."
"What about them?"
"Why do they keep coming here, to Tokyo-3?"
Gendo froze, but didn't show any signs of reaction.
"Of all the places in the world, why here? Why Tokyo-3? Somehow I don't think it's just to fight the Eva's."
"That is not your concern." he stated.
"Wrong!" Shinji declared.
Gendo grimaced, even more so.
"What?"
"It's my neck on the line, and the world's fate on my shoulders. I'm out there face-to-face with those things before anyone else. I think I have a reason to be concerned and curious."
"You're job is to pilot the Eva and defeat the Angels." he reminded the boy.
"And then what?"
"Pardon?"
"After we're done fighting the Angels, defeated them all, then what?"
Gendo was silent.
"Haven't thought about it? Or maybe you have."
"Is this going somewhere, pilot?"
"Maybe we'll win, maybe we'll die. And we don't even know the reason behind it all. But if I had to guess, I'd say you're somehow involved."
"What makes you say that?" he said at the accusation.
"Because you're not this stupid."
He vaguely wondered if that was a compliment or a delayed statement for a deeper accusation.
"You may be cold, manipulative, heartless and ruthless, but I find it impossible that you could be so ignorant as to why the Angels are really coming here."
Shinji paused a few seconds to let Gendo absorb that.
"There's too much going on for you not to have figured this out. Humanity is in danger, and for some reason, I get this feeling... that you're behind it."
There was a small part of Gendo that was actually proud that his son had figured all this out. Still...
"This line of reasoning, could be construed as treasonous." he said.
Shinji smirked. "Something you've been accused of, I'm sure."
"You don't trust me."
Shinji looked at him as if he was kidding.
"You abandoned me when I was four. You called me back only because you have a need for me. Then you used an injured girl to goad me into the pilot seat of a robot I've never seen or heard of, to fight a monster I never knew existed. You threw me into path of the bullet, 'father'. Why should I believe you have humanities best interest at heart?"
Gendo said nothing, and Shinji, realizing that he was not going to get any answers out of the man, just turned around and walked off.
In the back of his mind, Gendo felt a small tinge of fear start to roll up as he realized that Shinji might be a potential threat to his scenario.
And the real problem was... he needed him!
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"Are we ready to go, Rei-chan?" Shinji asked as he stepped into the hospital room.
"Ikari-san." the blue-haired girl said as the boy pushed the wheelchair in.
"That's me!" he said with a smile. "Your chariot awaits madam."
"Uh... what is this for?"
"Misato made the arrangements for you to come live with me and her." he said as he handed her a change of address form.
Rei blinked as she read the official document. "I am... going to live with you?"
"Kind of have to. Your apartment building was demolished. The 9th Angel knocked it over when it was roaming through the city." Shinji explained.
"I see. Then... I thank you." she replied as she sat down in the chair, a pleasant feeling of warmth surging through her.
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"WELCOME REI!!!" Misato shouted as the blue-haired girl stepped through the door.
The girl involuntarily recoiled and pressed up against Shinji, as if in fear, or surprise.
"Don't worry. She's much better when you get to know her." Shinji joked.
Just then PenPen waddled through the apartment, looked at Rei, then hurried to his fridge.
"Was that..." the girl started to ask.
"PenPen. A warm-water penguin that Misato adopted a while back." Shinji explained.
"He is the Captain's pet?"
"Yes."
"And actually, it's Major now." Misato grinned.
"Huh?" the pair looked on in confusion.
"That's right, Shinji-kun! It's a double celebration! I got a promotion and a new roommate." the woman smiled as she displayed her new military insignia on her collar.
She got a promotion? For doing what?
"Confused, Shinji-kun?" a new voice from behind the pair said as the boy and the girl turned around to see Ritsuko Akagi in the doorway.
"Ritsuko-san!" he gasped.
"Misato's promotion came after she located and arrested the person responsible for shutting down NERV and putting the entire city, and quite frankly the world, in jeopardy." the blond exclaimed.
"That and my numerous military accomplishments as director of operations in the continuing fight against the Angels. A pretty difficult job especially considering I sent our best pilot away to begin with." she said with some sadness.
Sensing that sadness in her, Shinji went over and hugged the woman.
"And I came back better than before." Shinji grinned as she returned the hug.
"Yes, you did. Now... LET'S PARTY!!!" She cried as she pulled the boy tighter into her cleavage.
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Author's Notes:
I usually do my best work under pressure to get it done. As a result, I thought this chapter turned out rather well.
The whole thing with Shinji using the Eva to rebound off the shaft's walls until he got high up enough to take out the Angel was a last minute thing I just came up with. All things considered in how Shinji had to take this thing on alone, I thought it made the most sense.
Hope everyone enjoyed this little update, as well as the deeper insight into how Shinji got stronger. And yes, I did have Ritsuko kiss Shinji, but she's not going to be shacking up with him like Rei and Misato are.
And I hope everyone enjoyed the conversation between Shinji and Gendo. Yes, Shinji is going to be more of a problem for Gendo and his scenario, and I have to work that out more later.
And as always, read and review.