Homecoming
A Neon Genesis Evangelion one-shot by Andrew J. Talon
Disclaimer: Gainax owns it, I don't. I'm not making any money off this story either.
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The elevator finally arrived at Central Dogma, releasing the Doctor and Ritsuko out onto the Command Deck. The Doctor hummed thoughtfully as he strode out into the vast command center, Ritsuko walking alongside him.
"That was an interesting observation you made about the Evangelion, Doctor," Ritsuko stated. The Doctor shrugged as he walked up alongside Lieutenant Maya Ibuki, looking down at her screen. The brunette Bridge Bunny turned her head, and, noting their proximity, flushed just a bit.
"Ah, excuse me, sir? What are you doing?"
"Oh, sorry, just looking over your readings," the Doctor said. "I'm the Doctor by the way." He stood up and turned back to Ritsuko, who was regarding him with a cool expression. He shrugged.
"What? Oh! You had a question! Right, sorry..."
"And your answer?" Ritsuko asked. The Doctor shrugged.
"I've been around..." He looked up at the command deck, where Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki and Commander Ikari were already situated. The former took one look at him, and his eyes noticeably widened. The Doctor smiled and waved.
Commander Ikari merely gave the Doctor that same expression of contempt as before, and shifted his gaze back to the holographic displays.
"The Angel is approaching Elevator 34!" Shigeru Aoba reported.
"Have Unit 01 moved there as soon as the pilot is inserted," Gendo ordered. The elevator opened once again, and Misato came out. Contrary to her flustered demeanor from before, the Captain was now completely calm and composed. The Doctor walked over to the command deck's side, and leaned against it, keeping out of everyone's way as Misato cleared her throat.
"Doctor Akagi, ladies and gentlemen. Our pilot is ready. Establish communications link with Unit 01 and begin preparation sequence!"
With polished precision, the techs and Doctor Akagi went through the start-up sequence. On one of the screens, Shinji was shown, sitting in the entry plug, trying hard not to look nervous.
His eyes widened as the plug began to fill with LCL. "Huh?! What's going on?!"
"It's all right Shinji, it's breathable! Just take deep breaths as soon as the plug is full!" Misato advised. Shinji followed through, grimacing as he took in a deep lungful of the liquid.
"Ugh... Tastes like blood... Are you sure my dad's not some sort of vampire?"
There were a few small snickers in Central Dogma, but the Bridge Bunnies and other staff up top remained professional. The Doctor just shook his head with a small smile, which he kept wearing even when Ritsuko glanced back at him.
"Focus on the job, Shinji," Misato ordered. "What's his synch ratio?"
"We're finishing the neural connections now," Hyuuga reported. He blinked, and Maya Ibuki gasped next to him.
"It's... 66.5 percent?! Incredible!"
"That's good, right?" Shinji asked. The Doctor frowned, seeing his concern, and cleared his throat.
"Maybe you could explain what that means, Doctor Akagi?"
Ritsuko glanced back at the Doctor, and then shifted her gaze back to the screen.
"It means, Shinji, that you have a very high connection to the Evangelion's systems. It's a neurological link that facilities a remote interface that allows-"
"Allows me to control the Eva with my brain, right?" Shinji asked. Ritsuko blinked, then nodded.
"In a nutshell, yes."
Ritsuko glanced back at the Doctor again, who merely smiled back. Her eyes narrowed. Focus on what's important. Right now, that was this battle. She couldn't afford to let this... Man distract her.
So why do I keep looking? She asked herself. Out loud, looking over the various holographic screens, she nodded in approval. "Synchronization is stable!"
"Unit 01 is at Elevator 34! Ready to deploy!" Hyuuga reported.
"Launch rails charged!" Ibuki added. Misato nodded.
"All right! Ready Shinji?"
"Would it matter if I said I wasn't?" Shinji replied sarcastically. Misato scowled.
"Hey! You were perfectly calm when an N2 mine went off! How is this any different?! Be a man!"
"If I may, Captain?" The Doctor asked. Misato glanced back, nodded, and the Doctor walked up in view of the holo-window. He gave Shinji an encouraging smile.
"Relax Shinji... My advice is pretty simple. If you find yourself in a giant robot anime-esque situation, then..." He shrugged. "Act the part."
"Super or Real?" Shinji asked.
"Whichever you prefer," The Doctor said. Hyuuga coughed.
"Ah... Super's always good? Sir?" He offered. The Doctor grinned.
"Super it is then! Go for it, Shinji!"
"Right!" Shinji shouted. "EVANGELION-LAUNCH!"
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The Evangelion emerged at street level, held by it's restraints. Directly down the street, walking between buildings, the Angel made it's way towards NERV, paying no heed to the human constructs between it and it's goal as it crushed a number of vehicles in it's way.
The Doctor frowned as he studied the image of the Angel on the holoscreen. He walked over to look over Maya's shoulder again, pulling on his glasses.
"Strange... It hasn't reacted to Unit 01 yet," the Doctor murmured. "It is, after all, right there." Maya blinked and looked up at the Doctor.
"Um... Well, no, it doesn't appear that way... Possibly it only engages things it believes to be a threat?"
"That would be efficient of the thing," the Doctor mused. "But considering the amount of power he's been throwing around, I don't think he needs to be efficient. So, precisely what is getting his attention?"
"His?" Maya asked. The Doctor shrugged.
"Or her, if you prefer..."
"Unghhh... I feel a little dizzy," Shinji spoke over the radio. Misato shook her head.
"Nevermind that, Shinji... Now, grab onto the control yokes."
"Okay... And then?" Shinji asked.
"Think 'walk'," Ritsuko said. Shinji shook his head, grabbed the yokes, and visibly focused. At the same time, the Angel's attention shifted. It's eyes focused on Unit 01 down the street, blinking once. The Doctor noticed this, and his frown deepened.
"Okay... Thinking... WaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!"
Unit 01 tried to take a step out of it's restraints, and promptly fell flat on it's face, making the ground shake. Misato groaned.
"Shinji, quick! Get up!"
"How?! Think 'get up'?!" Shinji demanded. Ritsuko's eyes widened as she saw the Angel moving closer. The Doctor cleared his throat.
"Shinji! Remember the acting classes you took?"
"Yeah?! Why?!" Shinji shouted back.
"It's a neural interface, you have to be the Evangelion!" The Doctor suggested. Misato caught on, and grinned.
"Right! You have to imagine you are the Evangelion!"
"Oh, great... What's my motivation?" Shinji asked sarcastically. He looked up, only to see the Angel's large chest... Gem thing glow, before it unleashed a massive energy blast. "GYAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
"Umbilical's been cut! Unit 01 is on battery power now!" Hyuuga shouted. Ritsuko gritted her teeth as Misato gasped.
Unit 01 was blasted back into the carriage that had brought it up. Shinji struggled to get up, managing to get control of his arms, but the Angel moved faster. It extended one of it's arms, grasping the Evangelion by the head, and lifting it up.
"Shinji! Shinji, unleash your AT Field!" Misato shouted.
"MY WHAT?!" Shinji shouted, just before the Angel slammed him into the pavement. "AAAUUUGGGHHHH!"
"Shinji! Shinji, get up! You've got to get up! Don't let it win!" Misato shouted again. Weakly, Unit 01's hand reached up, grasping the Angel's wrist. The Angel simply yanked the entire Evangelion forward, and slammed it into the ground again.
"GAHH!"
"Braincase has taken damage! The Angel's grip is increasing!" Aoba reported.
"Shinji, the Prog Knife! Use your Prog knife! Left control trigger!" Misato tried. "You're right there, Shinji! SHINJI!"
"I-I CAN'T MOVE!" Shinji shouted, as the Angel proceeded to give Unit 01 a heavy thrashing.
The Doctor stood on the deck, fists balled up, teeth gritted. This was insane! Was Gendo out of his mind?! Sending Shinji out in that damn thing without a lick of training?! Why? Why was he doing it?
He looked up at the Commander and the Sub-Commander. The former perfectly composed, but with a kind of... Anticipation. Why? What was he anticipating? What was he waiting for?!
"DAMNIT! WORK YOU STUPID THING! WORK!" Shinji screamed.
The Angel threw Unit 01 back against the carriage, snapping it apart.
"Battery power is dying... Unit 01 is shutting down, pilot's lifesigns are going critical...!" Maya called out.
"SHINJI! SHINJI!" Misato screamed. The Doctor stared, mind working furiously. What was it?! What were those two fools waiting for?! What?!
"My mother died in an accident... I don't know... What it was... But I keep remembering this giant purple thing..."
The memory flashed across the Doctor's mind, and in an instant, it all fit together.
"Shinji!" He said, calmly but clearly over the intercom. "Let go!"
"DOCTOR?!" Shinji shouted back.
The Doctor focused, and the tone of his voice changed. The bridge crew took notice, as the man's voice now became deep and commanding, a hypnotic quality about it.
"Let. Go. Shinji, you're in danger. You're about to die. You need to let go. You need help."
C'mon, wake up... Wake up you stupid bint! WAKE UP!
That's when the Doctor felt it. Something... Or rather, someone, along the radio connection... Waking up.
The Evangelion's eyes glowed bright yellow, and it's bonemask broke as it unleashed a terrifying roar.
"Unit 01... Has reactivated!" Aoba shouted in surprise. The Doctor schooled his features into a similar expression, even as he glanced up at the Command Deck.
Ikari was smiling as he looked over the displays his screens now showed him, as Fuyutsuki did as well. It faded from his face the moment his gaze was caught by the Doctor's, and he looked away. The Doctor frowned, and looked back at the holoscreen, as Unit 01 rushed the Angel and attacked it ferociously.
The shouts and reports of the bridge crew went on, but the Doctor didn't notice them at all. His rust-colored eyes focused on the Evangelion, the awakened soul within gone completely berserk. It attacked the Angel furiously, ripping off an arm and beating the monstrosity with it's own limb.
She's awake, he thought. That's what they were after...
The risks they were taking just to make sure the soul within the Evangelion was cognizant... It was rather ingenious. Provoke Yui Ikari's soul to defend her child. But why? Why go through all that trouble when training and molding Shinji into an effective warrior would have been far more efficient? Would have ensured less chance?
These men were reckless, and Shinji, among so many other people, were going to pay the price.
"It's going to self-destruct!" Misato shouted, as the Angel, desperately losing, leaped onto the Evangelion and expanded. The Doctor's eyes widened.
"NO! DON'T-!"
The Angel exploded, and the Doctor froze. He slowly closed his eyes, letting out a sigh.
Damnit... Damnit... Why?
"Unit 01... Is functional," reported Hyuuga through the shocked silence. The Doctor opened his eyes and looked up. He saw the grim form of the Eva walking through the flames, yellow eyes glowing ominously.
"Shinji?" Misato asked.
"... Pilot is stable," Ritsuko reported, with a small sigh. Misato nodded slowly, still staring at the strange form in the chaotic inferno.
The Doctor sighed as well, a mixture of relief and sorrow in his breath. His shoulders sagged just a bit.
Sachiel... What were you after? He thought quietly. What would make you come all this way just to kill yourself? And more than that...
Why couldn't you hear me? And why... Why can't I sense what you did...?
Too many questions needed to be answered. Too many issues. Too many things that stunk in this place.
But for now... His charge needed him. And, as the flames climbed higher into the night around the glowing after-image of Sachiel's deathscream, so did others...
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More to come. Review please, it encourages me to write more and faster.