Creation began on 08-26-16

Creation ended on 08-28-16

Neon Genesis Evangelion

Different from You: Synchronization Concerns

A/N: Ritsuko uncovers something that could hinder NERV's odds against the Angels.

"Oh…" Ritsuko sighs as she works on comparing the synchronization scores currently gathered with the ones previously evaluated. "Huh? What is this?"

She was looking at the scores belonging to the Third Child, and noticed a similar pattern that shouldn't have added up, but caused concerns for the faux-blond scientist. Rechecking the scores and then rechecking the systems associated with Unit-01, she was able to ascertain a matter that was likely serious for NERV to not overlook out of security priorities. She needed to inform Commander Ikari, immediately.

-x-

"…So, he's able to sync with the Eva," went Gendo to Ritsuko, who informed him of the matter, "but he's not synchronizing entirely with it?"

"To clarify," the faux-blond explained, "he's not connecting with the Eva's consciousness. He's able to make the Eva move, but beyond that and fighting the Angels, he's not getting any closer harmoniously with the Eva."

"Then what of the day with the Fourth Angel?" Fuyutsuki, who was also there in Gendo's office being informed, asked her. "His synchronization with the Eva kept rising as he bashed the Angel with his fists."

"That was just him. He…exerted his will over the Eva." Ritsuko elaborated. "He saw two people in place of the Angel that, in his mind, caused him more pain than anything the Angels might've done to him."

"In his mind, the worst monsters are the ones that look just like him."

"Exactly."

Gendo, however, was not impressed by this discovery. If the boy could synchronize with the Eva, but not with the spirit residing inside it, then his scenario could be compromised later on. It was a necessity for all the pilots to be able to synchronize with the souls inside the Evas. Why else have all the candidates in one location and with the same thing in common, being that none of them had their mothers involved in their lives?

"Could this just be a fluke?" He asked Ritsuko. "An error in the MAGI?"

"If only it were so," Ritsuko expressed, "but it isn't. This is an unusual case. Neither the First or Second Children have demonstrated a similar case like this."

"Could this have anything to do with what he went through five years ago?" Fuyutsuki suggested. "Something triggered by his trauma?"

"It's possible, but synchronization isn't affected by physical changes."

"He suffered from more than just a physical change."

-x-

Standing in front of Unit-01, Gendo pondered on what to do with the Third Child. It seemed like every time something went wrong with something, the teen was involved in some way. First, it was the fact that he had a illegitimate child conceived through rape by a woman that snatched him one day, and now it's this hindrance that he himself was causing.

"He's not reaching out to you, Yui," he said to the Eva. "This will cause us problems later if this is not resolved."

Naturally, the Eva didn't respond, but Gendo had the feeling that his wife heard him.

"He is, without a doubt, almost incapable of helping us realize our goal in the long run. Not when he refuses to understand that there are things more important than the life of a little girl."

If only Gendo could understand that his son would never see things his way or go to extremes as he was willing to. While he might have blood ties with the boy and the girl, in the eyes of most with a more…emotional understanding, this didn't make him a parent or grandparent in the least.

He could still remember the day he left the boy with his in-laws, how he begged not to be left alone with them…but Gendo never looked back.

-x-

If Shinji wasn't the one having recurring nightmares in the dead of the night every now and then, it was Shado, who had fallen back to sleep in her father's lap after waking up half an hour ago from a frightening dream. She described it as a city of darkness bathed in heavy rain, with herself running down a long street, trying to get away from the purple giant that he piloted, which, for reasons beyond her understanding, was moving on its own and was after her, and appeared more horrifying than it did already to her.

And I promised you that if things got too bad around here and you got hurt, I would stop piloting the Eva and we would walk away without a second thought, he thought as he looked down at her sleeping face. I wonder if I asked her, would Rumiko want me to keep in touch with her?

He got up and put his daughter back to bed.

"Mm…mmm…" Shado mumbled as her head made contact with the pillow.

Shinji chuckled and replaced the blanket atop her. Then, he sat across from her futon to admire her small form. Every time he looks at her, he finds new motivation to want to keep her close; she was the only family he had that actually wanted him around. His parents, his other relatives, anyone that has been alive longer than he had ever been or knew more than he ever could know that was affiliated with either the Ikari family or Rokubungi family didn't matter to him on any level that was just beneath the matter of his little girl.

It was for these reasons that he gave up on any relationship with the concept of family that was comprised of fathers, mothers, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, anyone that knew of her, spoke of him or just overlooked him out of spite or dislike. He just learned to cease any feelings of hope of reconciliation with these relatives and focused solely on his daughter. What point was there is in trying to have a conversation with a father that up and leaves you as a child and calls you back, years later, just to use you as cannon fodder? What worth was there in trying to remember a woman that had you and died young and you didn't even have a picture of her and all photographs and other mementos of her existence were cast aside? No, for Shinji Ikari, only Shado Ikari was deserving of the designation of family.

What is family to one that actually wants one? He thought, questioning himself over one of the questions that often ran through his mind. What is it to one that never really knew it because those around him treated him like an invalid, an outcast, a parasite?

He reached into his left pocket of his pants and pulled out an iPod Touch and looked at a picture that he had taken of them from before they arrived in Tokyo-2. It was just of he and Shado at the park one day; he had just acquired an unusual hat for his daughter that she had been eyeing for some time because it stood out among the hats at a vendor. A green one with the unusual feature of long, wing-shaped ears that reached down almost to the back or front of whoever wore it. The vendor that gave them the hat said they were in luck because it was the only one they had.

Sliding the picture away, he went to the next one, featuring Shado as a baby, very innocent of any unlawful acts that had been committed by the woman that carried her and had her in prison after harming him. He smiled at the picture; he would've walked away from the violence NERV attracted if it meant keeping her safe and allowing her to have a future. One that he would want to be involved in because he didn't want to echo the mistakes of his parents.

One of these days, Shado, he thought, turning his iPod Touch off and putting it back into his pocket. One of these days, we're just gonna have a day out and forget about everything.

-x-

"…Maybe we should attempt brainwashing the boy," Ritsuko suggested to Gendo, "but we have no clue as to what effect it could have on his psyche."

"Would he forget everything?" Gendo questioned. "Would he forget about his kidnapping, his abuse, that girl?"

"It's possible, but if his relationship with the girl, regardless of who her mother was, is as strong as I suspect, his mind will resist letting go of any memories of her, even to the point of risking brain trauma."

If he didn't want to risk losing Unit-01's most unstable pilot, Gendo knew that NERV couldn't go and brainwash a teen parent with a bastard child that he put above the fate of mankind. If he was to get closer to his objective, however far it seemed now that he was aware that one of the pilots wasn't as cooperative with their weapons, he needed the boy as he was for the time being.

"Hold back on such a move until further notice," he told her.

-x-

"…Good morning, Daddy," Shado greeted her father as she stepped into the kitchen, seeing him preparing breakfast.

"Good morning, sweetie," Shinji greeted her back. "Did you sleep well last night?"

"Yes, Daddy."

"No other bad dreams about monsters?"

"Nope."

"That's good. Breakfast will be ready shortly."

Shado sat at the table and waited for her father to finish cooking.

"What are we doing today, Daddy?" She asked him.

"I'm hoping that nothing happens to get in the way of a potentially good outside," he told her.

To be continued…

A/N: How long do any of you suspect it will be until Shinji becomes aware that both his parents are far from honest with him?