Took me awhile, but here it is. There are probably a couple continuity errors in here, but I honestly don't think it's anything big enough to warrant going back and rereading everything. Again, expect things from canon to be changed with little to no explanation for the sake of plot.
I do not own Evangelion or Berserk.
Chapter 5
Misato stifled a laugh when she saw Shinji and Asuka's faces. The purple-haired woman couldn't blame them, though. Had a large man whom only a few hours ago was being detained by NERV and was claiming that he was from another universe appeared in her house unannounced, she would be pretty surprised, too. Hell, Misato still had some trouble herself believing Gendo had allowed her to take Guts in; she was almost certain her request would've been swept under the rug and the poor man would be spending his time in some dark, cold cell deep within the GeoFront.
Guts, stoic as ever, raised a hand in greeting to his now fellow pilots and roommates. "Yo," he spoke casually. Asuka was still too shocked to respond, but Shinji managed to wave back and get a meek greeting out of his mouth. An awkward silence fell over the apartment as the three pilots stared at each other, and Misato decided to move things along, lest the current atmosphere become any more unbearable.
"Guts, why don't you have a seat at the table. Shinji, could you go get him some dinner?" Guts nodded and made his way to the chair at the end of the table. Shinji wordlessly obeyed his guardian's commands and went to the kitchen to get the mysterious man a helping of chicken and rice. Misato slipped her bag from her shoulders and flopped down into her chair on the other end of the table across from Guts with a sigh. "Grab me a beer while you're in there! I haven't had anything to drink all day!"
Shinji returned with Guts' food and Misato's alcohol and everyone resumed eating. Misato tried to make small talk with Shinji and Asuka about their days, but she was only met with a grunt from Asuka and a bland, "It was fine," line from Shinji. Another period of silence followed, save for the clinking of utensils against plates as almost everyone ate.
Guts ignored the food in front of him and used this time to think. He was certainly in quite the predicament, no thanks once again to that damn behelit; those things brought nothing but agony to his life. Just thinking about them made him want to grind his teeth. Now wasn't the time for that, though. The Black Swordsman needed to figure out how to survive in this world so he could get back to his own.
This world he landed in appeared peaceful enough, and it was certainly more advanced than Midland. His ride back to Misato's apartment from NERV in a horseless carriage known as a car was surreal. Towering buildings made of metal and glass rose up from the ground and into the sky everywhere he looked, and everything was covered in bright, flashing lights that advertised different shops and taverns and other things he couldn't read. Tokyo-3, as he learned the city was called, was also the noisiest place he had ever been in outside of the battlefield. Guts' ears were assaulted constantly by alien noises that Misato described as, "The sounds of engines revving, car horns honking, and the nightlife scene." Well, the swordsman had no idea what an engine was, and he couldn't see any horns.
Misato's apartment on its own was completely otherworldly to Guts. As he glanced around from his seat, he could see numerous appliances to which he was clueless on what they were or how they functioned. It was also very bright inside despite the sun having already set, and the summer heat dissolved into a welcoming coolness the second he stepped inside.
A hand being waved in front of his face tore him away from his thoughts. Guts blinked and saw Misato leaning across the table, her arm outstretched and a concerned look on her face. Shinji and Asuka were also staring at him perplexedly. "Are you OK, Guts? I've been calling your name but you haven't been responding."
The Black Swordsman rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry, I got lost in my thoughts. How does this place stay so cool in the summer? Every building back in my world is usually a sweltering hellhole."
Misato relaxed back in her chair and giggled. "It's called central air conditioning." The look Guts was giving her indicated he had no idea what she was talking about, and the purple-haired woman herself didn't know enough to explain it in layman's terms. "Anyways, aren't you going to eat? Or are you a vegetarian?"
Guts scoffed at that. "Hell no. I can't keep my body in-shape without some source of meat." The sly eye-scanning over his body as he said that by the two women at the table didn't go unnoticed, but Guts simply ignored them and picked up his fork to stab a piece of chicken. He put it into his mouth and chewed gingerly, before a sudden look of surprise spread across his face.
"Damn, this is good. Beats any chicken I've ever eaten back in Midland, that's for sure." Guts took another large bite, his tastebuds once again being treated to one of the greatest pleasures they had ever known.
Misato laughed. "Glad you like it! It was all Shinji's work over here!" She reached over and patted the Third Child on the back. Shinji, not one for being the center of attention, shrunk into his chair.
Guts glanced at Shinji. For the brief moment he saw him back in the interrogation room, he already got the memo that the Third Child wasn't a very strong person—niether physically or mentally. His small body and the way he clammed up around that man, Gendo, planted the thought in Guts' mind, but how he reacted over a simple compliment about dinner all but confirmed it. The thought of such a person backing him up in a fight was discontenting, to say the least. He kept his thoughts just at they were, though—thoughts.
"You mentioned that this place called Midland is your home," Asuka finally spoke up for the first time, "what's it like?"
Guts put down his fork and swallowed the food in his mouth. "It's nothing like this, I can tell you that. There are rolling plains everywhere, with small towns scattered throughout. None of the buildings are anywhere near the size of yours, and they're all made of wood. I also haven't seen any farms or castles…"
"Castles? So it's medieval?"
"If that's what you want to call it, then sure."
"Are there any wars? In our world, the medieval times were almost always plagued by war and suffering."
Guts gave Asuka a curt nod. "Yeah, there were wars all right. I didn't really mind, though; fighting in battles was how I made a living."
"That's right, you said you were a mercenary. Is that how you lost your arm and eye?" Asuka didn't mean any ill will when she asked, but the way Guts reacted made her instantly regret ever doing so. The Second Child could have sworn the air temperature in the apartment dropped several degrees, and the swordsman's lone eye shot her one of the iciest glares she had ever seen.
Misato quickly switched into damage control mode and gave Asuka a scolding mixed in with some nervous laughter. "Now now, Asuka. You need to be more considerate of others' feelings."
Guts sighed and closed his eye. "No, it's fine. It's just a touchy subject, that's all." The Black Swordsman knew Asuka was asking out of simple curiosity, but he simply couldn't help it. The slightest allusion to that day would always fill his mind with uncontrollable, red-hot rage.
The remainder of dinnertime passed by uneventfully. Misato soon after retreated to her room to sleep while Shinji did the dishes and Asuka sat on the couch watching TV. Having recovered from earlier, the Second Child invited Guts to sit with her while she gave it her best attempt to explain to the man from another world what exactly television was.
"So...these people aren't inside of that box?"
"Nope. There are these things called cameras and when you point them at something they take whatever they see and send the image to the TV. It's a lot more complicated than that, obviously, but it's the simplest way to describe it to someone that doesn't know the first thing about technology."
Guts nodded and scratched his chin as he looked back at the mysterious box before him. They were watching the evening news, something even Guts could understand the basic concepts of. Asuka had initially tried to show him reality TV, but the task of explaining how people found watching other peoples' daily lives entertaining proved too monumental of a task even for her.
While her new roommate was preoccupied, Asuka took a side glance at him. There was no denying it: Guts was an incredibly attractive person, perhaps even more so than Kaji ('Blasphemy!' she scolded herself for even thinking of such things). He was tall, his jawline was sharp, and there were more muscles in just one of his arms than most men had in their entire bodies. The red-haired teenager also took notice of the numerous scars that adorned his skin—most definitely inflicted during battle.
'He must have had a tough life back in his old world, being a soldier and all that.' The Second Child reflected on her question at the dinner table and shuddered; whatever happened to Guts that would bring about a reaction like that, she hoped that that didn't happen to her out on the battlefield. Asuka's eyes continued to drift as stealthily as they could, reaching the hunk of metal that was his left arm. She thought back to the Over the Rainbow in awe; even if it was a prosthetic, the ability to punch holes into an aircraft carrier was no small feat.
Her thoughts were disrupted when she saw Shinji out of the corner of her eye. He had stopped washing the dishes, plate in-hand, and instead simply stood in the kitchen staring at her with a seemingly quizzical look on his face. It didn't show, but Asuka knew that he knew what she was doing. Asuka stuck her tongue out at him and the Third Child quickly ducked his head back down towards the sink.
Shinji joined his two roommates on the couch once he finished up with the dishes. They talked for quite awhile, surprisingly. As the trio continued to watch the news, Guts would speak up with a question about whatever the news anchor was reporting on. Shinji and Asuka both took turns trying to make their world make sense to the swordsman, and it served as a nice little crash course for their new fellow pilot.
"It seems like there are wars no matter where you go, even if it's to a different world." The news anchor was currently giving a report on the scattered conflicts around the world that had arisen as a result of Second Impact.
"Yeah," Asuka spoke, "Second Impact really screwed the world over in just about every way possible. It's also the reason it's so hot out all the time; we've been in summer for about fourteen years now."
"And a giant rock from space caused all this?" Guts became slightly concerned. His world was already shitty enough as it was, he didn't need some meteor slamming into the planet and giving him even more trouble.
"If you're concerned about this happening to you, don't worry." It was Shinji that spoke up this time. Asuka took note that this was the most she had probably ever heard him talk in one sitting. "Our planet has been around for billions of years, and only once has it ever actually been hit by a meteor. This meteor they're talking about," he gestured to the TV, "is actually just a coverup. Second Impact was actually caused by an Angel, the things we're supposed to fight."
Guts nodded as he absorbed what the Third Child told him. "I see, and they do that to control the populace so there isn't any mass hysteria, I'm guessing?" His question was confirmed with nods from two heads on both sides of him. "Speaking of Angels, I'd like to know what exactly these things are. I got a rundown from the bigwigs at this NERV place of yours, but I got jack shit out of that conversation. I'm assuming, since you two are the ones that actually fight them, that you'd know their abilities best."
Asuka sighed, he back pressing further into the cushions of the couch. "That's the problem, though. We don't actually know their abilities. Aside from a few common traits they all share, each Angel so far is unique and has to be killed in a different way."
"That sucks."
The Second Child gave Guts a smile. "Yeah, it does. It's not all bad, though. After killing a few of them we've learned that each Angel is protected by something called an AT field. Our Evangelions also have one, and they're basically an invisible shield that blocks just about any attack; only the strongest weapons we have are able to penetrate them. But don't worry, if you can get close enough to it and fight hand-to-hand it's not too much of a hassle to get through."
The Black Swordsman filed this new info into his mind. "What else do they have in common?" The more you knew about your enemy's strengths and weaknesses, the better.
"All Angels also contain a red orb called a 'Core'," Asuka explained, "which is like their heart. Destroy that, and the Angel dies. Easier said than done, obviously, and the location of the core is different for each Angel."
"Red orb...yeah, I remember seeing something like that before I woke up in that flashy dungeon of yours." Guts recalled the experience with unease. Floating around in that dark void felt so serene—at least, until he touched the supposed core. The rush that filled his body reminded him of an all too familiar feeling that left the back of his neck itching.
"Heheh...whelp, that's all I can tell you. You can ask Third over there if you've got any more questions, since he's the one with the most kills." Shinji didn't miss the look Asuka gave him as she said that. The timid teenager sank just a little deeper into the couch.
Guts turned to the Third Child with a raised brow. 'This skinny boy has the most kills?'
"Of course, that's only because he's been doing it longer than I have. I'll be on the top of the leaderboards in no time!" With that, Asuka raised herself from the couch and walked down hallway to the sliding door that lead to her room. "I'm going to bed, good night!" All the two males could see were a few stray strands of red hair before she finished speaking.
"What a weird kid," Guts spoke nonchalantly as he scratched his cheek. Asuka appeared normal enough to him at first glance, she was certainly one of the more sane women he'd met in his life, but she had a pretty obvious superiority complex that someone was going to have to put in check for the betterment of both her life and those around her. Being too cocky could get you killed, as Guts witnessed time and time again.
"Yeah, Asuka really likes to be on top." Shinji continued to stare at the flashing screen of the TV. "And now that you're here, she probably feels like an extra layer of competition has been added on so she has to try even harder."
Guts nodded. "I'll try not to get in her way." The ambition Asuka had fight pleased the swordsman; he just hoped that she could put her money where her mouth was.
Some more time passed, and Shinji and Guts hadn't moved an inch or said a word. The only sounds resonating through the apartment were the voices from the TV and the occasional snort in Misato's room.
"Say, Guts," Shinji's voice rang out into the apartment, "about your home, Midland. You said it was like the medieval period in our world, with castles and such…"
"...Yes?" Guts shot the Third Child a look with his eye.
"Why do you want to get back there so badly? Based on the small amounts of
information you gave us, it—no offense—sounds like a pretty miserable place to live in. There are constant wars, and if it resembles anything like our history books there has to be a lot of sickness and suffering and corruption. Do you have a family or a lover you need to get back to?"
Guts' face darkened when Shinji said "lover" and "family", but he quickly masked his emotions and gave him a curt reply. "There is a man I need to kill. That's all you need to know."
Shinji looked down at the floor. He felt kind of sorry for the man Guts was out to kill. "Oh, ok. Good luck with that." With those awkward words Shinji got off the couch and walked over to the hall closet. He pulled out several pillows and a few blankets, bundling them all up before returning to where Guts remained seated.
"I'm sorry, but we don't have any spare bedrooms, so you'll have to sleep on the couch. The bathroom is down the hall to your right. If you need a drink of water, simply lift that little lever above the sink faucet and it'll come shooting out."
Guts took the pillows and blankets from Shinji and made himself a makeshift bed. Now that Shinji mentioned sleep, the day's events were making the swordsman pretty tired himself.
"If you're comfortable, I'll be going to bed then. Goodnight, Guts." Shinji turned on his feet and made his way to his own room.
"G'night," came Guts' reply from the living room. Shinji gave the large man one last look before sliding his bedroom door shut.
Guts let loose a large yawn he hadn't realized he was keeping pent up. The day's events were catching up with the Black Swordsman, and his eyes were beginning to feel heavy. With another yawn, Guts slid underneath the covers and made himself comfortable on the couch.
'It's comfortable,' Guts thought as his body relaxed against the pillows and couch cushions. He closed his eye, and the apartment settled into a dark, silent slumber. For a moment.
Guts' eye suddenly opened wide and he rolled out of the blankets and onto the floor in a panicked, yet controlled combat roll. Crouched in the middle of the living room, Guts quickly scanned his surroundings while instinctively reaching behind him for his Dragonslayer. Of course, he grabbed nothing but air.
'Damn,' Guts cursed to himself, 'those bastards still have my stuff.' The swordsman felt cold and exposed without his weapons and armor. How could he be so careless? Perhaps it was simply how surreal the day was, but even so this thoughtlessness could cost him his life.
The demons. The things that had haunted him since the Eclipse, the things that had caused him so much pain and countless sleepless nights. Guts had completely forgotten about them, and now he would pay the price.
'There has to be something around here I can use as a weapon,' he thought. Scanning the room, Guts looked into the kitchen and took note of a steak knife left out on the counter. He hastily made his way over to it and grasped the hilt tightly in his good hand.
'Come on you bastards, show yourselves.' Guts stood, on the balls of his feet and muscles tense, in the middle of the kitchen for what felt like an eternity. The apartment remained still, and not a trace of a soul hell-bent on taking over the swordsman's body was to be seen. Were they playing with him? No, that was impossible. The demons always attacked him head-on—no strategy whatsoever; something else was amiss.
It was then the room was suddenly bathed in light and Guts took notice of Shinji, who was standing in the entrance to the living room with his finger on the light switch and a confused look on his face.
"Guts? What's going on in here?"
The Black Swordsman lowered the knife to his side, but he still kept his guard up. "It's a long story, and you probably won't believe me," he began, "but I'll tell you the basics. You see this?" Guts turned his head and pointed to the strange tattoo on his neck that Shinji took note of when he first saw the swordsman at NERV.
The Third Child slowly approached Guts to get a better look. The mark was obviously a symbol of some sort, but it didn't look like anything he had seen before.
"It's called the Brand," Guts told Shinji, "and it attracts demons, souls of the damned that are left drifting aimlessly in the wind, in search of a new host. They are mostly active at night, and I've probably been awake until dawn more often than not because of the damned things."
A slight panic came over Shinji. As far-fetched as Guts' story sounded, the Third Child couldn't help but believe the swordsman's words. In a world where monolithic beings from space were attempting to destroy humanity, and a man from an alternate dimension was now his roommate, demons didn't sound all that unrealistic.
"W-what do we do?" Shinji's voice had a slight quiver to it. Guts couldn't blame the kid, though; the only reason he himself was usually unfazed was because it had simply become the norm in his life. Tonight was different, however. There was still no sight of the monsters.
"Honestly, I don't know. They normally show themselves by now...wait here." Guts silently crept out of the kitchen and towards the front door. Turning the handle slowly, the Black Swordsman slowly pushed the door open and stuck his head out. His face was hit by the summer heat, but aside from the skyline and distant noise of the city Guts couldn't see or hear anything. He cautiously looked around several times before closing the door.
"Nothing outside." Guts sat himself down on the couch and let the knife fall out of his grip beside him. Shinji walked out of the kitchen and took a seat next to his roommate.
'What the fuck is happening?' The thought rushed through Guts' mind for the hundredth time that night. 'Maybe...they won't be coming at all? Did the curse just not follow me here?' The more he thought about it, the more absurd it sounded. No more demons? No more sleepless nights? A small chuckle escaped Guts' lips, and it soon escalated into uncontrollable laughter that resounded throughout the apartment.
Shinji simply stared at Guts with concern. One minute he was fearing for his life, and then the next he was laughing like it was the funniest thing in the world. 'There's definitely a screw or two loose in his head.'
"Would you shut up in there!? I'm trying to sleep!" An angry voice from Asuka's room hushed Guts, and his usual serious expression settled back onto his face.
"So...did you think of a plan?" Shinji asked, staring at his fingers as he twiddled them.
"Nope. I don't think I'll need one. It should all be smooth sailing from here on out."
Shinji glaced at Guts with skepticism, but he didn't say anything. What was there to say, anyways? He didn't have any experience with demons, and Guts certainly appeared more capable of dealing with them than he was.
"O-ok. If you're alright, then I'm going to go back to bed." Shinji got up off the couch and walked to his room, wishing Guts another goodnight before sliding the door shut.
Guts stared at Shinji's door for a second and then stretched his arms over his head, letting out a small grunt before laying back down on the couch. 'No more demons, huh?'
The Next Morning
"Good morning, Guts." Shinji emerged from his bedroom, school outfit in-hand as he walked towards the bathroom. Guts cracked his eyelid open, muttering a greeting of his own while sitting up slowly. Despite his presumed good fortune, the swordsman still didn't get much sleep. It still wasn't one hundred percent confirmed that he was no longer being hunted, so he had kept his guard up all night just in case.
Guts got a look at Shinji's face as he walked by. Judging by the dark circles around his eyes, the boy hadn't gotten much sleep, either. 'Figures. I gave the kid a pretty good scare last night.' He laughed to himself, remembering the look on Shinji's face as he explained his situation. The Black Swordsman still had a hard time believing Shinji killed three of those Angels.
The sun was just up over the horizon, its glare stinging Guts' eye. The swordsman blindly reached out for his knapsack, but all he felt was air. Damn, he just remembered; his only possessions in this world were the clothes on his back and his Dragonslayer, which were still in NERV's possession.
The sound of running water could be heard from the bathroom. Guts grunted as he stretched and looked out the apartment's sliding door towards Tokyo-3. The towering buildings of glass and metal served as a reminder for Guts on how far away he was from home.
The bathroom went quiet after a few minutes, and Shinji soon emerged dressed and ready for the day. The Third Child quickly got to work in the kitchen, lighting the stove and digging in the cupboards for a skillet as he prepared to make breakfast.
Guts silently watched Shinji as he worked. His usual skittish attitude disappeared when he was in the kitchen, replaced with one of calmness and a smile that actually looked genuine.
At least, until another occupant in the apartment decided to make her presence known. She didn't say anything as she walked by, but Asuka simply being in the same room as him made Shinji hunch over slightly. His body language wasn't obvious to the average person, but to Guts' highly trained eye it might as well be.
Guts looked at Asuka's back as she went to take her turn in the bathroom, then to Shinji, then back to the sliding door. So the kid had some girl issues. Who cared? As long as it didn't affect his performance in battle Guts couldn't care less.
"Breakfast is ready, Guts." Shinji placed the plates of eggs and toast on the table. Guts took seat and began to eat. Once again, the quality of the food surprised him.
'If this kid can fight as well as he can cook, then maybe those kills aren't so surprising after all.'
Guts turned his head as he heard a door slide open behind him. Misato stepped out from her room, hair disheveled and looking slightly hungover.
"Mmm...good morning boys." Misato walked like a zombie to the fridge, rummaging around in it for a moment before pulling out a can of beer and taking a large swig.
"Aah! That's the stuff!" And just like that, Misato was back to her usual perky self. The purple-haired woman didn't miss the disapproving look she got from Shinji, but she chose to ignore it like always.
Asuka joined her roommates at the table shortly after, hair still damp from the shower. Her school uniform was wrinkle-free, and her hair was done up as usual with her red Interface Headset. Guts could see that the girl prided herself with her looks.
Guts could also see why Shinji acted the way he did around her. Asuka was kind of a bitch.
"Dammit, Shinji! You burnt my toast!" The Second Child dramatically spit the pieces of bread out of her mouth and across the table. Guts looked down at his plate; his toast appeared to be the same shade as hers, and he thought it was cooked perfectly. "You better not have messed up my lunch, too!"
"D-don't worry, Asuka," Shinji stammered, "it's the same as always. I promise."
"It better be!" Asuka pushed her chair out and stood up. "Now hurry up and finish eating, idiot, or we're going to be late!"
Shinji obliged, and after quickly shoveling the remaining food into his mouth and tossing the dishes into the sink he grabbed his bag and wished Misato and Guts a good day as he was shunted out the door by Asuka.
The two remaining occupants of the apartment didn't speak for a minute, reveling in the silence.
"They don't appear to like each other that much. Are they always like that?"
Misato waved a hand at Guts. "Oh yeah, they're always bickering about something when they're together. I'm pretty sure Asuka doesn't really mean it, though, and it's good practice to help Shinji learn to deal with women."
Guts raised an eyebrow at that, but said nothing.
"They've both had hard lives, those two. Both Shinji and Asuka lost their mothers when they were young, and Shinji's father couldn't give a damn about what happens to him." Misato paused to take another drink. "Asuka likes to act all high and mighty, but it's really all just an act; she just doesn't want to go through what happened with her mother again so she pushes everyone away. Shinji's the same way, but he's a little more passive about it than Asuka."
Drumming his fingers on the table, Guts digested the information Misato gave him. "And why are you telling me this? Isn't this stuff a little...personal?"
"It's your jobs to fight the Angels as a team. I figured it would be helpful to you if you understood your fellow pilots' pasts. Just make sure they don't find out that I told you all this, ok?" Misato winked at Guts.
"My lips are sealed," Guts said dryly. Misato giggled at his seriousness; the man could really learn how to lighten up a little and have some fun.
"Well, that aside, while Shinji and Asuka are at school, we're going to head over to NERV and get some stuff finished up so you can be officially declared an Evangelion pilot. You'll have to fill out some paperwork, get fitted for your plugsuit, and have a tour of the facility. Sound good?"
Later - On the Road to NERV
Guts idly stared out the window from the passenger seat of Misato's car. Few words were spoken between the two during the ride, and the only source of noise came from some ambient music over the radio. That was fine with Guts—he preferred when it was quiet anyways.
The car passed by a billboard along the side of the road. It was an advertisement for a shampoo for women, something Guts usually wouldn't even pay a second glance at, but the model had the looks of someone he would instantly recognize.
Short black hair, dark skin, black eyes—Casca. Guts' usual cold heart lurched, and he even twisted his body around in the seat to try and get a better look at the model.
Misato took notice of Guts' suddenly strange behavior. "Hmm, what's wrong, Guts? Do you see something?" She glanced out of her side and rearview mirrors, but all she saw was the back of the billboard.
The Black Swordsman sighed, propping his elbow on the door and placing his chin in his hand. "No, it's nothing. Forget about it." Misato gave him a strange look, but she decided to save her questions for later because they were about to arrive at NERV.
Misato took a turn, sending the car onto a back road through the woods. As they continued to drive, Guts took notice that not a single car had passed them for some time. "Uh, where are we?" he asked.
"NERV is a pretty top-secret facility; not many people know the organization even exists, let alone where it's located. If you look closely, you can see we're being watched."
Guts took a look out the window. He didn't see much at first, just endless rows of trees and shrubbery, but upon closer inspection some of the trees didn't really look like trees. Their bark gave off a slight gleam, and the leaves were more resistant to swaying in the wind than the ones around them.
"Some of the trees look funny."
"Yep! They've got cameras and sensors built inside of them so we can see who's coming. If you aren't authorized, you're not going to get very far past this point."
"Do they kill you or something?"
"No, nothing that extreme. You're just arrested and given a heavy fine for trespassing. No worries, though," Misato reached into her bag and dug out a lanyard with her NERV ID hanging from it, "we're in the clear."
They drove for a few more minutes before entering a tunnel. It was dimly lit inside, the warm orange glow of the lights overhead being the only source of illumination. At the end of the tunnel, or at least what appeared to be the end, sat a large metal bay door. Misato slowed her car to a halt as they approached it.
After sitting in front of the door for a brief moment, the hiss of the airlocks being disengaged could be heard and the giant door split into two and retracted into the sides of the tunnel.
"Pretty neat, huh?" Misato said as she shifted gears and began to drive again. After passing through the large door, the tunnel took on a completely different look. Concrete was replaced with metal, and the dull orange lights were now a blinding white. Guts found himself squinting as he allowed his eyes to adjust to the brightness.
Another bay door similar to the first one greeted Misato and Guts shortly. Misato rolled down her window and flashed her ID, opening the door. To Guts' confusion, there was yet another door directly on the other side.
"A lot of work to just get into a building," Guts said.
"This isn't just any building," Misato replied. As she drove forward towards the next door, the one behind the car snapped shut. The lights suddenly shone red for a brief moment before returning to normal.
"This is a B-22 Special Express departing for G33-1. This train will bypass all other stations." A robotic voice spoke up. There was a rumbling, like a small earthquake, and then the car lurched as if it were moving.
"What's going on?" Guts asked. Almost nothing in this world made sense to him.
"Don't worry, we're basically on a gigantic elevator. It'll take us to NERV in just a few minutes." Sure enough, when Guts looked out the window he noticed that the tunnel had completely disappeared, replaced instead with black walls dotted with strips of lights and an endless row of moving platforms.
Misato placed her hands behind her head and relaxed into her seat. "So," she asked casually, "are you nervous? Scared?"
"About what?" Guts asked.
"You, know this whole piloting thing. It's a big job, being the protector of the world and all that."
"Nah, I'm not scared. I've seen shit you wouldn't believe, and fighting is something I do basically every day. And to be honest, I'm not all that concerned about your world; I just want to get back to mine. This is just something I'll be doing for kicks and giggles until I can figure out how to get home."
Misato snorted at that. "Really? You aren't even just a little bit scared?"
"Listen, woman—" Guts was going to retort, but was suddenly captivated by the view before him. The dark tunnel had ended, giving way to a vast underground world. A dense forest covered the ground, and skyscrapers hung from the ceiling. In the center of the cavern sat a blue pyramid next to a large lake.
"Pretty amazing, isn't it?" Misato said. "I still get chills every time I look at it."
Guts pried his eyes away for a second to look at Misato. Many things had surprised him since arriving in this strange world, but what he was looking at now definitely took the cake. "How the hell is this even possible? This place is the size of a small country...and it's underground!"
Misato stifled a giggle. It was funny seeing the usual stoic Guts get worked up for once. "It's called the GeoFront, and it's the headquarters of NERV. It also helps to protect the city; when an Angel attacks, practically every building can be moved underground so we can minimize collateral damage."
The elevator continued to carry the car across the GeoFront and into NERV HQ. Once both the car and passengers were screened and cleared for entry, Misato and Guts got out and stepped onto a conveyer belt that moved them through a series of corridors and rooms. The whole thing felt like a gigantic maze to the Black Swordsman.
"So...where are we going now?"
"Well, we're supposed to meet with the Commander to finalize all your documentation and declare you an official Evangelion pilot, but that's boring! I'm going to take you to your Eva and show you what it looks like!"
Guts sweatdropped. 'Aren't you supposed to listen to your superior officers?'
After weaving their ways through the facility, the conveyer belt dropped Misato and Guts off at their designated spot. The duo stepped into an elevator, taking them even deeper into NERV.
Guts' ears popped as the air pressure changed. "Just how far down does this place go, anyways?" he asked.
"Oh, pretty deep," Misato said. "Most of the stuff at this level is top secret, though, so there's good reason to bury it so far down. It's for the safety of the world, after all." The elevator dinged, and the doors slid open. On the other side stood Ritsuko, an unreadable look on her face.
Misato blanched. "R-Ritsuko! Hi! W-what are you doing here?"
The NERV scientist sighed. "Oh, I was just testing out the security cameras when I happened to see a familiar face. Now you tell me, Misato: what are you doing here?"
Misato scrambled for an excuse. "Well, uh, you see...I made a wrong turn and—"
A raised hand silenced the Major. "It's alright, Misato. You can show him the Evangelion. But we'll report to the Commander immediately afterwards, ok?"
The tone in Ritsuko's voice told Misato that there was no room for negotiating. "Thanks, Rits. You're the best!" She gave her friend a smile and stepped out of the elevator, Guts in tow. The trio made their way down the cold, narrow hallways. They arrived at a door, its frame outlined with a strip of red paint and an "Authorized Personnel Only" sign plastered on the front.
Misato placed her ID onto the face of the scanner. "We're almost there," she told Guts. The door opened with a his, and awaiting them on the other side was a dimly lit room with a cart in the center. "This is what will take us to the Eva cages," Misato explained.
The cart started with a groan and began to move at a slightly upwards angle. Guts couldn't see much at first, but an amber hue suddenly began to catch his vision. It slowly began to surround him entirely, and thin traces of bubbles could be seen forming. The swordsman realized that it was some type of liquid, held back by massive sheets of glass.
A hand appeared in the liquid. Guts had to do a double-take, but his eye wasn't fooling him; as the cart continued to move, he could most definitely see a gigantic black hand submerged in the murky liquid. Its palm was open and fingers outstretched, almost as if it was reaching for something. Misato and Ritsuko didn't seem to pay any heed to it, so the ride continued on in silence.
Guts didn't see any other oversized body parts throughout the rest of the ride. They walked for a little more once off the cart, until eventually they stopped in front of another door.
"It's right on the other side of this door," Misato told Guts. The swordsman nodded in response. He looked as calm and collected as ever on the outside, but inside there was the tiniest amount of giddiness in him.
The door opened, and Guts stepped out onto a catwalk. One thing was for certain: the picture he was shown definitely didn't do it justice.
"It's huge…" Guts stared at the massive head of the Evangelion in awe. The skull was painted jet black, its teeth a blood red. Two white eyes stared Guts down menacingly. Two fins stuck out of the amber liquid, connected to what Guts assumed were the shoulders.
"This is Evangelion Unit-03," Ritsuko began. "Our previous models had...specific requirements in order to pilot them. With Unit-03, however, anyone can pilot it with the proper training. Its combat capabilities are still the exact same as the others, so there will be no need to worry about going out into the field underpowered. Unit-03 receives power from an umbilical cable, so you can pilot for an indefinite amount of time while connected. If the cable happens to be severed during battle, your reserve power will allow you to keep going for five minutes."
Guts wasn't really paying attention to Ritsuko's science jargon that he couldn't even begin to understand, though. He simply continued to stare at the gigantic robot in awe. "How do I use it?" he asked.
Misato explained this one. "All pilots are issued a plugsuit and Interface Headset, which you will receive after meeting with the Commander. You will wear these while piloting to connect with the Evangelion. The pilot seat is in the neck, and you are inserted with a white pod called an Entry Plug. Inside of the Entry Plug are all the controls you need to move the Eva and fight with it. I've been told it's pretty easy once you get the hang of it."
Ritsuko clapped her hands together, the sound echoing throughout the cage. "Right. Now, if that's everything, let's get to the Commander so we can—" An alarm suddenly went off, and Ritsuko's words died on her tongue. Both women's bodies tensed, their faces full of concern.
"What's going on!?" Guts yelled over the wail of the alarm.
"It's the Angel alarm! There's an Angel coming!" Misato yelled back. The timing couldn't possibly be worse; Shinji, Asuka, and Rei were still at school. It would take them at least twenty minutes to suit up and be fully ready to sortie. And going by Ritsuko's conversation over the emergency phone to the Command Center, time was not on their side.
"How the hell did you let it get this close without detecting anything!? It's the size of a goddamn building!" Ritsuko slapped her palm against her face, groaning loudly. "I don't care if it wasn't there when you last checked—you know what, forget it for now. Just begin the evacuation procedures and we'll take it from here." When the line died she angrily slammed the phone into the wall. "Damn idiots couldn't run a hotdog stand."
It was about this time that Guts' own internal alarm began to sound. His eyes widened in surprise when he felt his neck tingle, and he was even more shocked when he reached behind to feel a warm trickle of blood. That shock, however, soon gave way to an epiphany, and a devilish smile stretched across the Black Swordsman's face. The feeling he had before he was rescued from the ocean all made sense now. And if they were here, then maybe he could find a clue on how to get home.
Misato took notice of Guts. "Hey, Guts, is everything alright?"
"Just perfect…" he replied, eyes still locked on his bloody fingers.
Meanwhile, Ritsuko was frantically trying to brainstorm a way of getting the Children to NERV as quickly as possible. "The Angel has already advanced into the southern part of Tokyo-3, which is usually the fastest way to get here. Maybe if we could airlift them—"
"That won't be necessary, Dr. Akagi." A commanding voice spoke up over the loudspeakers in the Eva cage. Guts, Misato, and Ritsuko looked up towards the source, finding to their shock Gendo Ikari standing over them from a platform.
"S-Sir!" Ritsuko addressed him, "what do you propose we do!? Tokyo-3 and NERV are going to be completely vulnerable until the pilots arrive! With no pilots, we have no way of defending the facility!"
"That's nonsense," the Commander replied, "we have a perfectly able-bodied pilot right here." To make sure his point was driven home, he pointed a finger at Guts.
Misato and Ritsuko were shocked. "Sir! You can't be serious!" Misato challenged Gendo. "Guts barely knows what a lightbulb is, let alone how to operate an Evangelion! He has had no training whatsoever, and we don't even have a plugsuit or Interface Headset for him!"
The Commander reached into his coat pocket, rummaging around for a second before pulling something out and tossing it at Guts. The swordsman caught it easily, and turning it over in his hand it looked like that strange headband Asuka was wearing, except this one was black instead of red.
"As for your comment about a lack of training," Gendo said to a speechless Misato. "The Third Child had no such thing either prior to his first sortie, and we're all still here in one piece, aren't we?"
Misato clenched her fists. 'Yes, but that wasn't even really Shinji who defeated the Angel!' Still, the Major could not reply. It was true that Guts was a pilot, who also appeared to be a capable fighter, and without the other Children it was either that or do no nothing but pray.
"Guts!" Gendo called out, "are you ready for your first fight with the Angels?"
Guts nodded, smirk still on his face. "You have no idea how much I'm looking forward to this." Inside of his mind, the Black Swordsman was thinking only one thing: 'Now, how do I butcher this Apostle as brutally as possible?'