Chapter Two: Ascension
(Disclaimer: See Chapter One)
Shinji maneuvered the giant mecha into the holding docks, and stood completely still as the docking clamps were put into place. He then saw the ground rising up as he started the long descent down.
Once the Eva had been placed back in it's restraints, the entry plug was removed and Shinji was finally able to leave the confining space. Misato and Ritsuko were outside to meet him.
"Good job, Shinji," Ritsuko said with a small smile. Shinji gave her a small nod, before looking to see if they had moved the injured girl.
"Will the girl be alright?" he asked.
"Yes, Rei will be fine. She just needs time to let her bones heal," Ritsuko replied. "By the way, what did you do to her?"
"I gave her a small dose of sedative and pain reliever."
"Hmm," She said with a small nod.
"Where's the commander's office?" Shinji asked suddenly.
"Why, is there something you wished to discuss with him?" Ritsuko asked, her surprise barely audible.
"Yes, that's it exactly."
"Well, it's up on the next floor, down the corridor, and to the left. Misato can show you the way." With that, Ritsuko turned on her heals and staked off towards the exit.
(-V-)
"Well, here we are," Misato said as they got to a large door. To the side was a small plaque, which read, 'Commander of NERV: Ikari, Gendo'. "I'll be waiting outside, then," Misato said as the door opened and the young man walked inside.
The interior of the office was immense, with windows on all sides. At the far side of the room, Commander Ikari sat at his desk, his hands interlocked, and his head was placed just behind them. Behind him stood a tall, elderly man. According to his uniform, he was 'Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki'.
"What is this intrusion about?" the elder Ikari asked, his annoyance masked well.
"I'm asking you if I would be allowed to have another job here at NERV," Shinji said curtly.
"What kind of job?" the Sub-Commander asked curiously.
"Applied Tech caught my eye."
"That is acceptable. You will be paid 85,384 yen a week. Report to Lt. Ibuki tomorrow after your synch test. Dismissed."
Shinji turned on his heals and headed out the door. In his head, he thought, 'Well, I guess the spandex will work for one last night.'
Once he exited the office, Misato asked, "So, what did you ask your father?"
"I was asking for a job."
"Really?" Misato asked, a little shocked. "Where'd you get into?"
"Applied Tech. I'm making 85,384 yen a week."
"Hmm," Misato replied, a slight twitch in her eye. 'He certainly is making a lot quickly.'
(-V-)
"He'll be living alone?" Misato asked a tall Sector Two agent. She, the agent, and Shinji were standing on the bottom floor of one of the many buildings built into the ceiling of the GeoFront. The floor was transparent, so they could see NERV's command center.
"That's right. His apartment will be on the 6th block from this one. Will this be alright?"
"Yes, sir," came Shinji's reply.
"Shinji . . . " Misato started.
"It's fine, Misato," Shinji interrupted, "I've lived alone for most of my life."
Misato replied by just staring intently at him.
(-V-)
"What did you say?!"
"You heard me," Misato said into the phone. "I'm taking Shinji home to live at my place, O.K.? It's already been approved. And don't worry," she added with a sly smile on her face, "I won't make any passes on him."
"Of course you're not! How can you even think that?! You have no shame at all!" yelled the person on the other line (who sounded suspiciously like Ritsuko).
Misato quickly slammed the phone back into it's dock. "Some people have no sense of humor," she muttered to herself.
(-V-)
Shinji sat in Misato's beat up Renault, staring aimlessly out the window of the car. He Misato were driving through the long, dark tunnels through which they had entered earlier.
"Well, I guess this means we're gonna have to have a party!" Misato said with a smile on her face.
Shinji raised his eyebrow. "Why's that?"
"It's a welcoming party, in honor of my new roommate, of course," Misato replied with a wide smile.
(-V-)
The two roommates headed into a small store, and immediately headed for the frozen food isle. Misato's hand started to go to the instant food, but Shinji grabbed her arm.
"No way, Misato. I'll grab some stuff and cook up a meal tonight," Shinji said.
"But-"
"No but's," Shinji cut her off. "Is there anything in particular you want?"
After a few seconds of thought, Misato replied, "How about Teriyaki Chicken and Fried Rice?"
"Alright." Shinji headed to the multiple isles, picking up the needed ingredients. Soon, he and Misato were standing in the checkout line.
As they stood waiting, two women passed them, deep in conversation. ". . .yeah! We never thought that the city would become a battlefield."
"Mmm hmm. My husband's been saying that at least the kids and I can leave."
"Don't I know it. This city may be a fortress, but that's no guarantee of safety."
As they passed, Shinji's mouth slowly curved into a frown. Misato turned and looked sadly at him.
(-V-)
Shinji was once again staring aimlessly, when Misato asked, "I hope you don't mind if we make a stop on the way."
"No, it's fine," Shinji replied without much conviction. "Where are we headed?"
"Oh, it's a really cool place," Misato said with a very wide smile. Soon, the two were standing on a small ledge that overlooked the city.
"It looks deserted," Shinji commented as he stared at the flat landscape. The only things that weren't part of the rolling landscape were the mountains in the distance.
Misato seemed to act like she didn't hear him. "Here we go," she said suddenly, staring at her watch.
Suddenly, a loud siren went off. As Shinji looked down at the terrain, multiple doors were opening. Soon, the skyscrapers began to rise. When they had finished, Shinji stared at them, admiring the beauty of the buildings against the orange sunset.
"This city is a fortress, designed to stand up against the Angels," Misato said as she stared out at the landscape. "This is Tokyo-3. This is our city. And this is the city that you saved."
(-V-)
"Your things have probably been delivered. I just moved here myself," Misato admitted as reached an apartment, the door of which had the name, M. Katsuragi.
They walked inside, and Shinji almost fell over from the smell. The apartment was filled with dozens of beer cans, trash bags, and other junk.
"He-he, sorry, it's a little messy," Misato said sheepishly.
'If this is a little messy, I'd hate to see what she considers extremely messy,' Shinji thought to himself as he forced himself through the junk.
"Could you put the food in the refrigerator?" Misato yelled from her room.
"Alright," Shinji answered. He pushed his way to the fridge, and opened the first compartment, only to find it full of beer. Opening the second compartment, he found enough room for the stuff he needed to store.
After shutting the fridge, he turned to find a second fridge. "Hey, Misato? What's in the other fridge?" he asked out of curiosity.
"Oh, don't worry about that, he's probably still sleeping," was her reply.
Shinji raised an eyebrow in confusion. He decided to forget about it, and pulled out some pots and pans and began to cook.
A while later, Shinji announced, "Dinner's ready!"
Misato walked out of her room, and stared at the table. "How . . . ?"
"Never mind that, let's just eat!" Shinji said happily, before digging into his meal. Misato stared at hers a second, before taking a bite.
"Mmm! This is delicious!" she said with delight before ravaging at hers again. When they were done, they put their plates on the counter.
"Hey, Shinji!" Misato said suddenly. "Let's divide the chores up."
"And how do you propose we do that?"
"Why, with a game of 'Rock Paper Scissors', of course!" Misato said.
(-V-)
One Hour Later
"Dammit, why 'Rock Paper Scissors'?" Shinji muttered to himself as he looked at the calendar's markings. About 7/10 of the squares were marked with his name, and the other 3/10 with Misato's name.
"That was a really fair way to split up the chores, wasn't it?" Misato asked happily. Shinji just rolled his eyes. "Remember, this is your house two. Feel free to take advantage of everything here," Misato said. With a sly smile on her face, she added, "Everything except me, of course."
Catching onto what she was playing at, Shinji smirked and said, "You sure about that?" Misato's eye began to twitch.
"Why don't you go and take a bath?" Misato asked in a strained voice, a vein in her temple pulsing.
"Alright," Shinji said as he headed towards his new bedroom. Once inside, he undressed, and headed for the bathroom. Opening the door, Shinji found himself face-to-face with a peculiar looking penguin. After staring at it for a couple moments, Shinji moved to the side and said, "After you," motioning for the penguin to leave.
After the penguin had rounded the corner, Shinji walked into the bathroom, and filled the tub with warm water. He soon settled himself in the relaxing waters, laid his head on the back of the tub, and closed his eyes.
'I might as well get the most relaxation I can before tonight,' Shinji thought to himself.
(-V-)
Misato walked into her new charge's room, anxious to tell him a few words of encouragement and congratulation. Looking around the room, she wasn't able to see any sign of the young boy. "Shinji-ack!" Misato yelled, as she turned around to find Shinji standing behind her.
"Yes?" Shinji asked innocently.
"Don't do that! God!" Misato said, still breathing hard.
"Sorry about that," Shinji said sheepishly.
"Well, I just wanted to say goodnight. You did a noble thing today," Misato said with a smile on her face.
"Was anyone hurt?" Shinji asked suddenly.
"Well, there are a few people still missing, and a few with serious injuries, but it's not nearly as bad as it could have been," Misato said, ever the optimist.
Shinji's face only darkened.
Misato sighed. "Shinji, you helped insure that a whole lot of people were kept safe. You saved the city! You should be proud of yourself. Now goodnight," she said before leaving the room.
'Then why don't I feel it?' Shinji thought to himself before sitting down on the bed and pulling out his laptop. Opening a small connection, he proceeded to hack into the MAGI computer system that ran NERV. Setting up a continuous reel of footage to fool the cameras, Shinji shut the mini computer and opened his backpack. Inside was an onyx and black suit, black cape and cowl, tan combat utility belt, and a pair of black gloves and boots.
Shinji began to pull each article of clothing on. Soon, everything but the cowl had been placed on his body. Shinji stared at the cowl for a few seconds, before putting it on his head. Narrowing his eyes, Shinji thought to himself, 'Time to go to work,' before walking to the window, and leaping out into the night.
(-V-)
Mari Suzahara sat in complete darkness, her breathing beginning to shallow. She had been trapped under the ruins of her former apartment for a few hours, and had long ago lost hope of rescue.
Staring aimlessly in front of her, she suddenly heard a shuffling of cloth behind her. Turning her head, she saw a huge, dark shadow moving behind her.
"Who are you?" Mari asked weakly, but her fright still showing through. The figure suddenly stopped in front of her and began to move the rubble that had been pinning her down.
"A friend. I've come to get you out of here," the stranger growled out before he pulled out a small can. He sprayed it on her leg picked her up, a steady stream of foam coming out of the small opening at the top. As soon as it made contact with her skin, it began to harden.
She felt him put his arms around her as he picked her up, and they soon began to make their out of the ruins. Soon, Mari could see a pale light from the end of the tunnel through which they were traveling.
Once they got outside, Mari got her first good look at her savior. He was a tall, well-built man, dressed in what seemed to be gray tights. His chest was covered by a huge, stylized bat. He wore black boots and gloves, and was surrounded by a flowing, black cape. Upon his face was a horned cowl, and his eyes were covered by a one-way white covering.
"Don't move," the stranger said suddenly, pulling a small pressure injector from the belt that was sitting around his waist, "I'm going to give you a small dose of sedative and pain reliever."
Placing the end on the side of her exposed arm, he pulled the trigger and the liquid inside the small capsule located in the back, was injected into her body. Before she lost consciousness, she muttered, "Thank you."
The man gave her a small smile, and said in a softer voice, "Be carful, Ms. Suzahara."
(-V-)
Lt. Maya Ibuki was heading home after a long day. After monitoring the Eva, setting up the repair crew's schedule, and repair the damage to the MAGI supercomputers from the angel's assault on NERV, she was ready to have some well deserved rest.
Walking down the alleyway of her apartment, she suddenly heard a shuffling of feet. She stopped and listened for signs of the sound, but after waiting a few minutes, she shrugged it off as a few animals.
Suddenly, she heard a voice say tauntingly, "Hey, Mommy . . . " Maya turned to see a man, standing in a dark doorway. "Come in where it's warm," he said as he began to advance on her. "I need you, Mommy. Make me feel safe." The man suddenly lunged and grabbed Maya's hand and began to drag her away.
"Oh, no. Please . . . " Maya whispered in fear as she was being dragged off. "Please, God, no-!"
"Talk soft . . . " the man began as he pulled out a switchblade, before saw the light around him fade. Looking up, he saw a huge shape coming towards him. "What the-?!" he yelled before he was tackled by the figure.
Maya stared at the huge shape on the ground, as she heard the man who had been threatening her whimper and scream, as his bones cracked. Soon, the movement slowed, and the figure stood up. The man was lying on the ground, severely injured, and his arms and legs tied together.
The figure turned to Maya, and said, "Are you alright, Lt. Ibuki?"
"How do you know who I am?" Maya asked apprehensively.
"I know a great many things," he said cryptically. He turned his back to her, and pulled out a grappling hook, and threw it up, where it caught on the side of the buildings fire escape. He turned back to her, and said quietly, "Be carful," before he began to run up the wall, using the rope as an anchor.
Maya stared at the place his cape disappeared, long after he had gone. She finally started to head back to her apartment. She sat in her room, when she suddenly realized that she hadn't thanked him.
(-V-)
Shinji finally got back to Misato's apartment a few hours later, and sat down on his bed. Pulling off the cowl, he put his hand in his hands, and took a few cleansing breaths.
He then began to pull off the suit, and stuffed it back into is backpack. Pulling on a T-shirt and shorts, he laid on his bed, and pulled out his SDAT player, and pushed play. Closing his eyes, he soon fell asleep to the calming sounds of John Williams.
(-V-)
(A/N: Well, here's Chapter Two. I'm planning on taking a quick break on this story to update The Dark Knight. If anyone can give me any ideas for any of my stories, I'd appreciate it. And animefan29, I'll answer that in the next chapter. Enterprise-A)