The van streaked through the sprawling metropolis that was Tokyo-3. Cobb continued to push the speed limit as he had since leaving Shinji's apartment, but the city had sharply reduced his top speed to the point where Shinji no longer feared they be vaporized if they crashed into a stationary object. Ariadne and the others seemed relatively at ease with Cobb's driving, but Shinji caught himself searching desperately for something to grip onto. Eventually he had both hands on either side of Arthur's passenger seat, which provoked a smile from Ariadne. Eames cracked a joke about monkeys in India always hanging on to the roofs of cars.
Somewhere in the distance Shinji could hear the unmistakable clatter of gunfire. Lots of gunfire. As they drove it got closer and closer. An explosion rocked the van, but no one besides him seemed to notice. Through the front windshield he saw two VTOLs cross the street in a low flying pattern. Military grade VTOLs.
"What's going on?" he finally asked.
"That's a good question," Cobb muttered, dialing his cell phone and putting to his ear. "Hello? Misato? What's going on?" Whoever was on the other end shouted something so that he held the phone a distance away from his ear. Arthur, Eames, and Ariadne smiled like this was a normal occurrence. "Yes, I know we're late," he spoke soothingly into the device. "We had a bit of a snag while I was – what?"He put the phone back to his ear and leaned forward in his seat. "It's moving? No, I can't see it yet. Damn. Okay, I'll be there soon." He snapped the phone shut and tossed it at Arthur.
"Well, what does Mrs. Katsuragi have to say?" Eames asked with a grin.
"It's moving," Cobb replied. No one was smiling anymore. "They've already had to deploy the JSSDF. She also said that Ikari wants to drop an N2 mine on it."
Ariadne pulled herself forward so that she was between Cobb and Arthur. "No! A blast that powerful could destabilize-"
"I know what it can, do Ariadne, but Gendo doesn't fully understand things. Besides, the Angel is moving."
"What do you mean moving?" Eames asked. "I thought all we had to do was destroy the core? Well, all he had to do." He jerked a thumb at Shinji.
"Apparently we waited too long. See? Look at the people." Shinji and Eames clambered up to where Ariadne was in order to see out the front better. The citizens of Tokyo-3 were staring at the passing van with dark looks. A few even tried to crowd the vehicle, but they were moving too fast – anyone who got in their way was bound to be killed.
"Can the Angel do that?' Ariadne looked fearfully from Cobb to Arthur.
"Honestly, Ariadne," the latter responded while the former took a hard left, "nobody had any idea just what an Angel can do. We've never encountered one before. Everything that's been said has just been speculation based on the Dead Sea Scrolls. I imagine we're going to find that most of what we thought we knew was completely wrong."
"You're wrong on one count, mate," Eames poked Arthur. "This isn't the first Angel humanity has encountered."
"Failed Antarctic expeditions into the Mountains of Madness aside," Arthur conceded. Eames just smiled and shook his head, obviously knowing something the others did not. They didn't get much farther before Cobb slammed his hands on the steering wheel.
"Dammit! They're blocking the way." Up ahead, Shinji could see a crowd of people standing close together, blocking the street. Cobb showed no signs of slowing, much less stopping.
"What are you doing?" the young boy demanded. "Are you just going to run them over?"
"The Angel is controlling them, Shinji. Right now, we don't have time to worry about individuals. If we don't get you to NERV headquarters, the Angel could very well destroy everything." Cobb lined the center of the van with the center of the crowd and gunned it. "Sorry, kid, but it has to be done." Shinji turned away, horrified, as the van plowed into the crowd.
Ariadne patted him gently on the shoulder. Arthur glanced back at them and flicked his gaze to Eames who had leaned back and put his hands behind his head. Cobb hadn't flinched and kept on driving.
"What is an Angel anyway? I thought they were supposed to be messengers of God? Why would one be attacking the city?" Shinji asked Ariadne.
She hesitated. "It's…it's hard to explain, Shinji. It's better if you see for yourself."
No sooner had she spoke those words than a large explosion rocked the van. Cobb hit the brakes and the van skidded to a halt. Through the front window, Shinji could see a large black hand tear itself away from the road.
A hand?
Everyone in the van tensed. Whatever the hand belonged to crouched down to get a better look. All Shinji could see was the face, a bone-white avian face with hollow black eyes. It blinked and tilted its head to one side, a gesture of curiosity that everyone found unsettling. Shinji was filled with absolute dread.
"Wh-what is that!"
"That, Shinji," Eames said rather calmly, "is an Angel. Not quite what you were expecting, eh mate? Bloody hideous thing if you ask me."
Two VTOLs streaked overhead. Cobb shifted the van into reverse and stomped on the acceleration. They shot away from the Angel as a series of missiles exploded in its face. Shinji didn't get to see what happened because Cobb jerked the wheel right, shifted into drive, and took them down a side alley, away from the fighting.
"Now you know what we're up against," he remarked.
Neon Psychosis Evangelion 02
Angel Assault
After another ten minutes of driving, they arrived at a large metal door that looked like the entrance to a military bomb shelter. As the door parted, Shinji became more convinced that it was. Cobb drove the van down a ramp and parked it at the bottom. No one made any more to exit. Then the van rumbled and moved. It was on a track, Arthur explained, like a car wash or the beginning part of a rollercoaster. This track would take the van down into the Geofront.
Cobb drummed his fingers on the dashboard for a minute before turning in his seat. "Alright, Shinji, this is your chance to ask any questions you might have. After this, there's not going to be a lot of time to ask, only to follow orders. So, anything?"
"Well, uh, why did you need me? I mean, it looks the military is having a difficult time fighting the Angel, so how could I be any more useful that they?"
"It's complicated, Shinji," Arthur said. "There's a lot more to it that just that. Part of your question will be answered once we get to NERV. The rest will become clearer in time."
Cobb gave him a look but didn't offer a better answer. Shinji looked hopefully at Ariadne. "I don't really know any more than you do, Shinji. I only just got recruited a few weeks ago. All I know is what angels are, and that we need you to fight them. Nothing else. Is that really the best you can say, Arthur?"
"Unfortunately, yes. For the moment it will have to do. But I'm not lying or blowing you off; once we get down there, you will get some answers once we reach NERV, but for now you just have to trust us."
Eames remained suspiciously silent and what Shinji looked to him, he smiled in a way that said he wasn't going to give up any information.
Light streamed through the windows as the van emerged into a massive underground cavern. They were being led on a track that circled around the domed roof of the cavern. Below them was a sizeable portion of land as well as a small body of water that ran right up to the edge. In the center of the cavern, on the land, was a large pyramid structure. Beside it was a pyramid shaped depression in the ground.
"Welcome to the Geofront," Arthur said, seeing Shinji's eyes fill with wonder.
Cobb, Arthur, Eames, Ariadne, and Shinji filed into the elevator that would take them deeper into Central Dogma – the pyramid structure he had seen from the van, Ariadne explained. Central Dogma was the headquarters for NERV, the organization that they all worked for. Nobody offered up an explanation as to what NERV did.
Shinji stood awkwardly in the center of the team. Everyone else seemed absorbed in their own thoughts. Cobb appeared as though he was thinking deeply on some subject. Arthur wore his usual calculating face. Ariadne was constantly trying to get a better look at the structure outside the elevator through a small hole. Eames was…well, not really focused on anything. And Shinji just stood there.
"Did…did my father send you get me?" he dared to asked.
"That's right," Arthur answered. "Why?"
"Oh, nothing."
I knew it. He never calls, never writes, then he sends a team of…his people out to bring me back. He must want something from me. That's the only reason he ever spoke to me.
The elevator came to a gentle halt, but no one moved as the door slid open. There stood a tall woman with blond hair, wearing a white lab coat and a scowl. Cobb stepped back to let her on the elevator, but she remained where she was.
"You're late, Cobb."
"We ran into a bit of trouble during the meeting," he said carefully.
"Mal?" she asked.
"Bingo," Eames interjected. "Nearly blew us right to hell, she did."
"Cobb," the woman sighed with a shake of her head. "Is this the Child?"
"Yes ma'am," Arthur answered.
"Dr. Ritsuko Agaki," she introduced herself.
"Sh-Shinji Ikari," he replied.
"Ah, the commander's son." Something about the way she said that caused him to suspect she already knew exactly who he was. But that wasn't what bothered him. No, it was that he was immediately known as the son of Gendo Ikari. Here, he would never be Shinji Ikari; he would always be Gendo's son.
"Yeah."
Ritsuko stepped in and the door slid shut behind her. The elevator continued on its decent.
"How's it going topside?" Cobb asked.
"Not terribly, all things considered. The JSSDF forces are unable to contain the Angel, and the MAGI are recommending Eva's deployment."
"As we expected," Eames said.
"Exactly as we suspected," Ritsuko agreed. "Although we didn't account for the deployment of an AT Field."
"Because we weren't sure they would posses one. No we know and can adjust for future missions."
"Let's just hope we haven't already lost," Arthur muttered.
Eames gave him a look that was a mix of annoyance and amusement. "As always, your condescension is very much appreciated, Arthur."
"That's enough," Ritsuko chided gently as the elevator came to a stop once more. "This isn't' the time for infighting, you two." When she turned to exit the elevator, Eames stuck his tongue out at Arthur.
The five of them filed out after Ritsuko into a dark space. When the elevator closed, all the light was extinguished. Shinji nearly cried out, partly in surprise and partly in fear, but the lights soon clicked on, and he found himself staring right into a gigantic purple face. That time he screamed.
"Wah! What…what is that?"
"That," Ritsuko said, giving it an affectionate pat, "is the artificial humanoid fighting machine, Evangelion Unit 01. This is our first, last, and only defense against the Angels."
"A beaut, isn't she?" Eames also gave the thing a pat. "Took us damn near…what, Ritsuko? Six months?"
"To construct the Evangelion? More like eight, Eames." She smiled. "It was quite the ordeal, you know."
"Constructing the thing, or working with Eames?" Arthur cracked.
"Hardy har-har," Eames mocked. "If it weren't for the two of us, you lot would be defenseless right now, and in a short while that Angel would come crashing through the roof." It was a serious statement, but he rattled it off with light levity that Shinji wasn't quite sure if he was joking or not.
"I can't believe you designed this!" Ariadne exclaimed, already climbing the scaffolding to get a look at it from above. "It's magnificent. How did you do this?"
"Trade secret," Eames said.
"Eames is right, for once," Ritsuko jabbed. "The actual construction of the Eva is filed above Top Secret by the JSSDF and the UN. I'm afraid we can't release any details on the matter."
Ariadne seemed not the least bit disheartened.
"Not like you'd be able to build one anyway," Eames teased.
Cobb stepped forward. "Well, that's all very well and good, but if I might interrupt? If we don't get this thing up and running very soon, we're all in deep."
"Right. Shinji?" Ritsuko turned to Shinji, as did everyone else.
He nearly shrank under their stares. "Why are you all looking at me?"
"Because you will the pilot of the Evangelion." Shinji and everyone turned sharply in the direction of the voice. Gendo Ikari was suddenly visible in a command box above the Evangelion. He was speaking through an intercom, so his voice was tinged with the static of technology, but it was the same, cold, unfeeling, harsh voice Shinji had grown to hate.
"Me?" He looked form his father to the Evangelion and back. "Back I've never even seen it until just now. How am I supposed to pilot it?"
"It doesn't matter. It is what you were born to do, Shinji. It is your fate."
Shinji clenched his fists and dropped his gaze. "Is this the only reason you called for me? So that I would pilot this thing?"
An uncomfortable moment of silence passed before Gendo answered. "Yes. That is the only reason."
"Well, I can't do it. I just can't do it."
Gendo measured his son for a moment. "Fuyutsuki. Get Rei."
"Hold on!" Cobb shouted. "Give me one minute."
Gendo considered it. "One minute. Quickly; we are losing precious time." The lights in the command box darkened and Gendo's voice could no longer be heard.
Cobb dropped down to Shinji's level and grasped both of his shoulders. "Shinji, listen to me. As harsh as that was, he's right. You're the only one who can pilot the Evangelion; that's why we need you."
"My father doesn't need me. He said so himself."
"That's not true. He needs you more than he will admit. We all need you, Shinji. That's why we're here…because we need you. I know it sounds selfish, but you are the only one who can pilot that Evangelion."
Shinji lifted his head a little so that he could see Cobb's face. "But I don't know if I can. I've never done anything like this before."
"It doesn't matter. It's what you were born to do. Some people are born to be certain things, and you were born to be an Eva pilot. Just like I was born to be an Extractor and Ritsuko and scientist, you were born to be an Eva pilot."
For a moment, Shinji almost believed him. "No. It's impossible. I can't do it."
"Yes you can, Shinji," Cobb insisted with a gentle shake. "I know you can. I believe you can. So does everyone here. We know you can do it, or we wouldn't have come to get you."
Slowly, very slowly, Shinji looked around the room. At calculating Arthur, curious Ariadne, witty Eames, intelligent Ritsuko. "Is that…true? You all think I can do it?" He was met with a series of head nods.
"You see? We believe in you."
Shinji stood there for a long moment. He was about to speak when the door to his left opened and a team of doctors pulled a gurney with them. Laying upon the hospital mattress was a young girl with short blue hair. A series of IV's were hooked into her arms. Parts of her arms and face were covered by bandages and gauze. Every time she inhaled, she winced in pain.
"Rei," sounded Gendo's voice over the intercom.
"Yes?" she answered meekly.
"You will be the pilot of Unit 01."
"Yes." The team of doctors began helping her out of the bed.
He even has a replacement for me. He doesn't need me. Cobb is wrong, I can't do it. Not even my own father believes in me. I really am worthless.
A violent explosion rocked Central Dogma from Tokyo-3 above, sending everyone crashing to the floor. Rei, halfway out of the gurney, hit the floor hard and screamed in pain. Shinji immediately rushed to her side and lifted her gently. His hands were immediately stained with blood. Horrified he looked to her pained face, then to the Evangelion, and then to the command box where Gendo had stood.
How could he do this? How could he force her to pilot that thing when even breathing pains her? No, I can't let her do this. If it's me or her, I choose…me. I mustn't run away. I mustn't run away. It's me or her. I choose…me.
"Okay!" he shouted at no one in particular. "Okay, I'll do it. I'll pilot the Eva." He helped Rei back into the gurney and the doctors wheeled her away. Ritsuko lead a dour Shinji up the scaffolding and to the entry plug.
As he watched them walk away, Eames turned to Cobb. "That was a dirty trick you just placed on the poor boy."
"It had to be him," Cobb replied. "We don't have Rei down here. If he refused, it was all over. I did what had to be done."
Eames studied the left-hand door where nobody had entered or exited. "Still, I don't much like all this manipulation. Leave a bad taste in my mouth."
"Then why are you still with us?" Arthur shot back.
Eames shrugged. "I gotta pay my gambling somehow, eh?"
One by one they filed out. Ariadne trailed behind, watching at Shinji was helped into the entry plug and A10 nerve clips affixed to his head. For once she agreed with Eames; she didn't much like fooling Shinji like that. He was too young to be caught up in humanity's war for survival. But there wasn't' anything she could do about it right now, so she followed the rest of her team out.
Elsewhere, Gendo laced his fingers and smiled deviously.
Shinji sat in the strange cylinder called an entry plug as the technicians ran through the startup checklist over the intercom. His feet found the leg controls, and his hands the arms controls. It baffled him that such simple controls would be able to successfully manipulate a giant robot warrior. He'd read a few pre-Second Impact manga and remembered one being about giant robots fighting. The controls for those seemed more complex than those he was presented with.
But truth is usually stranger than fiction.
"Flooding the entry plug," he heard over the radio. Before he could react, a strange, orange liquid rapidly filled the capsule. He desperately sucked in a breath and held it.
"Calm down, Shinji," he heard Ritsuko's voice over the radio. "Once the LCL fills your lungs, it will deliver oxygen directly to your blood."
Unable to hold it any longer, Shinji released his breath and inhaled – and did not drown. Amazingly, he was able to breath, see, and smell while submerged in the LCL. He sniffed. It smelled like blood.
"Charging the LCL."
The orange hue disappeared as a dazzlingly light show occurred outside the controls. For some reason, Shinji was reminded of nerve cells firing. When it was finished, the view was replaced with that of the room outside.
I must be looking through the eyes of the Eva. Oh, that's creepy, to think that this thing has eyes.
Except for the scent of blood, Shinji could easily forget he was sitting in a cockpit that was completely flooded with a strange liquid. Okay, maybe it wasn't so easy to forget after all.
The Eva shuddered as the entire thing was carried the launching mechanism. Nearly ten minutes and he still wasn't in control. "Pathway set. Angel interception course locked."
"Eva launch!" a female voice he didn't recognize shouted. Despite the obvious amount of G-forces applied to the Evangelion as it was shot towards the surface, Shinji didn't feel a single one of them. Just one of the amazing properties of the mysterious LCL.
Darkness filled the Eva's vision as he emerged street level. Night had fallen since the time he had arrived to now, and the entire city seemed deserted. What had happened to everyone? Had they evacuated or been brought under the Angel's control? Shinji didn't have any time to ponder such questions because the Angel rounded the corner and faced Shinji. There was that curious tilting of the head again.
"Shinji," spoke the unknown female again. "This is Captain Misato Katsuragi, commander of this operation. Can you understand me?"
"Y-yes, ma'am," he replied, not taking his eyes off the Angel.
"Good. Concentrate on walking right now, ok?"
"Walking. Okay." Strangely, the Angel did not take advantage of Shinji's ineptitude. It was if it was waiting to see how this new foe would act. Shinji got the distinct impression that the Angel was much smarter than he was. Shinji depressed one pedal, let off the other, and swung the arms to try and keep balance. For the first step, Unit 01 held, creating afoot-shaped hole in the asphalt and shattering every window in the immediate vicinity. Then it tripped and fell face first into the street, creating a sizable crater where the head impacted. Shinji was nearly thrown out of his seat by the force.
"Shinji!" Misato yelled over the radio. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"Good. Now get up. Quickly!"
Before Shinji could attempt to right the Eva, the Angel was over him. With a tilt of the head, he picked up Evangelion Unit 01 by the head. Shinji stared directly into its face and was filled with the same terror as before and was unable to bring himself to move the Eva. The Angel took Eva's left arm with its free hand and squeezed. Shinji felt the pressure as thought it were his own arm.
"Shinji, calm down," Misato tried to soothe. "That's not really your arm."
An audible snap echoed across Tokyo-3 as the Angel broke the Eva's arm. Shinji felt the pain and screamed, clutching at his arm, completely forgetting the controls. The Angel lifted the Eva higher so that it no longer dragged its feet on the street. The pink spike protruded from its right elbow joint shot forward, slamming into the Eva's right eye. Shinji also felt that pain. He felt it again and again.
"Shinji!"
Finally, the purple armor gave way and the spike pierced the Eva's had all the way through. In his head, above all the pain, Shinji heard a soundless, infinite scream.
SACHIEL!
The force of the blow carried Unit 01 backward into a skyscraper where it stopped, still standing. The Angel retracted its weapon and advanced. Eva's head drooped and blood gushed with alarming pressure from the entrance and exit wounds, flooding the streets and raining it down over the city. Shinji clutched at his right eye, screaming, nearly blacking out from the pain, the pain that seemed to last forever.
Yusuf rushed to Shinji's side when he convulsed and reached for his eye. He had never known anyone to move when asleep like this. Then, the boy screamed. The scream was chilling, one of absolute terror. For nearly a minute, Shinji writhed in pain. Yusuf was afraid the boy was going to claw his own eye out. Thankfully, that never came to pass.
"SACHIEL!"
Then, the boy fell limp.
"What happened?" Misato demanded. She looked to Ritsuko, then to her three subordinates, Makoto Hyuga, Maya Ibuki, and Shigeru Aoba.
"Sync ratio is at 0%!" Maya shouted back.
"Pilot's vital signs have vanished!" Makoto said.
"Apply defibrillation!"
"We can't! He isn't wearing a plug suit!"
"Shinji!"
Cobb, Arthur, Eames, and Ariadne watched from some distance away. "This isn't the end," Eames remarked. "The old girl is too resilient to be taken down so easily."
"What about Shinji?" Ariadne demanded. "You know what happens is he dies here."
"He won't die," Cobb said.
"Pilot vitals restored!" Makoto exclaimed. "But he's unconscious."
"See?"
"But he's no good unconscious, Cobb."
"Ah, but that's the beauty of the Evangelion, Arthur." Eames clapped him on the shoulder. "Just watch."
Ariadne almost couldn't stomach the talk of Shinji like he was some replaceable piece of machinery.
"Unit 01 had reactivated!" Shigeru shouted. "But Shinji's still unconscious. How is it moving?
"Oh, no," Ritsuko whispered. "It's gone berserk."
Eames smiled deviously.
Unit 01 peeled itself away from the skyscraper, forced apart the armor around its mouth and roared, something an Evangelion was never supposed to. Sachiel halted its advance and observed the strange foe with fascination. Unit 01's attack was so swift that it didn't even have time to react. The Eva dropped to a crouch and then launched itself into the air with a forward flip, landing, feet first on Sachiel's chest, causing it to stagger backward.
Sachiel reacted, reaching up in an attempt to crush the Eva, but the armored fighter quickly propelled itself away, landing on its feet. Once again, the Eva attacked before Sachiel could react, charging headfirst like a bull. It ran right into Sachiel's AT Field.
The radio in the cockpit was still on, and even though Shinji was unconscious, Evan 01 could still hear the sounds of the NERV personnel scrambling to make sense of the situation. Knowing that it needed both arms to break through, Unit 01 quickly repaired its damaged arm and deployed its own AT Field, neutralizing the Angel's. With both hand, Unit 01 tore apart Sachiel's At Field.
Sachiel responded with a tremendous blast of energy that cut through the majority of the city before branching off into a cross-pattern, incinerating the entire bloc of the city. Eva 01 shrugged of the attack as if it were nothing and seized the Angel's arms. Very easily it broke them, exacting sweet revenge. With a mighty kick delivered squarely to the core, Eva 01 sent Sachiel sailing across the city. It followed its prey with a full charge that carried them both even farther. A trail of decimated buildings was left in their wake.
Sachiel lay sprawled across several city blocks. Evan unit 01 picked itself up and savagely attacked the protruding red sphere, the core. After delivering several direct hit, the damn thing still wouldn't break. Sachiel came violently back to life, jumping up and wrapping its entire body around Eva 01. It self destructed, taking with it, a large portion of Toyko-3. A pillar of green energy exploded skyward, becoming a cross shape just before the apex.
Everybody in the command center jumped to their feet and was staring at the monitor, desperate to see the conclusion. White light filled the screen for a time, followed by static, before the image solidified. Tokyo-3 was in ruins, the central portion of the city was ablaze. But from the thick cloud of smoke emerged Unit 01, relatively unscathed from the fight. Everyone cheered.
Arthur leaned toward Cobb. "What have we got ourselves into?"
"Something that's way over our heads, Cobb. Are you sure we're up for this?" Are you sure you're up for this?
"We have to, Arthur. It's the only way." The only way I can get back home to my kids.
Eames whistled. "Come on now, who can honestly say they aren't impressed, eh?"
Arthur's retort was lost over the chorus of cheers upon learning that Shinji had regained consciousness.
Shinji could only sit there in the cockpit, useless, as Evangelion Unit 01 walked them slowly back towards NERV headquarters. When he had blacked out, the fight had been going poorly. But when he awoke, the Angel was destroyed, and Unit 01 was moving on its own. And a single word was at the forefront of his mind, though he had no idea as to where it had come from: Sachiel.
Unit 01 stopped between two skyscrapers with windows like mirrors. Shinji tried to make it move forward, but it wouldn't respond. All of a sudden, the faceplate of the Evangelion slid forward and off, crashing to the street below. The head below the armor was reflected on both sides into Shinji's range of vision. Shinji glanced to the right, toward the eye that had been gouged out. Something shifted with the strange, brown head. A large green eye rolled into place, swiveled, and locked onto Shinji. The same feeling of terror he had experienced from the Angel returned in full. For a long moment, the two stared at one another. He knew that the Eva could see him.
SHINJI.
Shinji awoke.