Shinji, having decided to flee once again from the life NERV had stuck him in, had arrived at the train's final destination. It was a place away from the city, with little more than endless open fields of wildflowers and unkempt grass. Hills which turned to mountains, and barely-walked paths; a place he'd run off to in the past before eventually deciding it best to return.
He wandered off with no purpose, no set destination, no rush and nothing to hold him back. The sun was low in the sky as evening approached, although it was not quite a sunset. After a time, there was the feeling that he is being followed. Assuming the worst, he turned around to the supposed NERV personnel he expected to face. His expression was almost neutral, with a slight undertone of worry or fatigue, as if he expected it. Shinji was ready to sigh, nod, and go back.
Instead, right off on the horizon, Unit 01 stood. Shinji blinked in doubt at the sight, but it didn't disappear (as apparitions of Rei had in the past) and it instead made an approach. He was bewildered, though not fearful, assuming that perhaps they finally got some other pilot to get it to work. Even with the distance between them, the unit's sheer size was evident. He began to question, though, what exactly it was doing...here.
Then, it looked him in the eyes.
He returned the gaze.
He knew Unit 01 has come for him. But why NERV had sent Unit 01 instead of their usual security team was beyond him. He could hear its footsteps now, the heavy tread of tons of flesh and armor. It didn't move fast, but with the length of its stride it was soon in the clearing. Shinji tensed. Should he run or stay? Should he just let them haul him back to NERV once more to stand again under Gendo's disapproving cold stare?
Shinji turned only half way and made as if to move. Instead he stopped and watched. He let Unit 01 walk straight to him. When the Unit was some meters away from him, it knelt. It bent down carefully onto one knee and gently reached a purple hand towards Shinji, its palm open wide. Gently, the armor plated fingers tapped the front of his shoe.
Slowly the unit looked down at him and blinked. Its head was tilted to the side, like a curious dog. Again the Unit tapped his shoe with its hand. Shinji looked down at the vast expanse of the Unit's hand. "Do you want me to step on?" he asked, quietly. The Unit only blinked at him and again carefully thrust its hand forward.
It showed no signs of being berserk; its mouth remained bolted shut. He was then sure a pilot was inside, but why weren't they communicating? Why didn't they make it known who they were?
Shinji drew in a slow breath, remaining still and holding his ground in the few moments before he let out a steady exhale. For a brief moment, this situation was almost like something he would hear about in stories, with kindly giants and lone wanderers. Those, however, were just stories, he had to remind himself.
Whoever the pilot was, he reckoned they were quite the patient fellow. He probably looked like an idiot, he thought; a pathetic moron just standing there and not complying with the unspoken command of the Evangelion. There was an itch at the back of his mind—a thought. Would they not have just communicated already through the external speakers? Would it not have just snatched him up in his moment of hesitation? NERV never waited around. They didn't repeat themselves.
Why, then? Why did it look him in the eye? Not with the lifeless glow of the unit's eyes, but with…something completely else. It was its eyes, but those eyes did not belong to a machine.
'It's probably just my wishful thinking, then. That someone gives me a moment to breathe instead of kicking me one place or shoving me the other. That…at least this guy doesn't jump to immediately insulting me.' He almost snorted knowing even his thoughts had devolved to that degree of hopeful absurdity, though he did not. He waited, almost itching for it to do something else; to hurt him—yes, he came to just expect that. Shinji did not want it, of course, but the reactions of people were all one and the same. People hurt people.
But still the Unit reached for him, was there a bit more urgency in its gentle prodding? He looked up at it in frustration, defiantly. Did the Unit's shoulders sink? The Unit brought its other hand forward, both hands held together, open, nonthreatening, and almost pleading. It looked from its hands to Shinji, then back again. He looked at the Eva and sighed once more, he then looked around the field and realized…there was no cable attached to the Eva. They had been standing in the field for more than five minutes…the Unit should have powered down by now.
Shinji's heart beat faster. Maybe they had loaded the Unit with extra batteries. Then again…
He didn't get to finish the thought as the Eva's hands moved. One came around behind him and gently scooped him into its palm, and the other helped cradle him gently. Shinji screamed as he was lifted from the ground, trapped in the bowl of the unit's hands. He cowered in palms of the Unit. He stopped rising when he was level with its chest. He hazarded a glance from his vantage point. He gazed far across the field as it blazed with the setting sun.
Was it a sense of safety he felt? The armor of the Eva was warm beneath him: odd for something that was practically metallic in its apparent composition. He looked up at its head. It too gazed across the field as if enraptured. Shinji couldn't help but smile, a small one, but a smile none the less.
It faded as the roar of trucks was heard. The Eva looked around to acknowledge the sound. Shinji peered over the Unit's fingers. It was as he figured, NERV units. "Shinji Ikari!" The sun now hung lower in the sky-quite low, actually-creating an eerie sunset with its descent. Deep oranges and bright reds reflecting off the hills and mountains, the incoming crew, and the eva.
death just seems to become more real when you are held near its heart, able to look it in the eye.
the sky seemed to be the color of fire, like a reflection of what was to come. What was to come? In that moment he knew.
They're angry, Shinji thought.
God, they're so angry.
He was certain he saw Ritsuko on the ground below. She was probably trying to override the entry plug, thinking he was inside. Were they even looking up? Did they even notice him peering over the unit's giant purple fingers? Shinji knew the override wouldn't work, they'd raise the pressure next. Would the pressure work on his Unit in a state like this? Worse, would they start firing?
The Unit began growling. Shinji cringed at the noise. This close to its face it sounded like low thunder.
He spared a moment for the thought, if the NERV staff hauled their asses out here to look intimidating, then the military probably hauled their uppity selves out here as well...and they wouldn't have done it for show. Shinji struggled with himself. If he tried to defend the purple behemoth, NERV would most likely end up flagging him for treason or some such thing. If he took the side of the NERV crew, then what? Jump off, get crushed? He'd get reprimanded one way or another, but he didn't want to get blown up prior to that.
Almost without thinking, Shinji called out, "Doctor Akagi!" and left it at that. He doubted he was loud enough to be heard, though he didn't think it would be too wise to yell an entire explanation out to the people who were probably going to attack the giant that had him in the palm of its hand.
He watched people beginning to argue below. The growl of the Eva began to bell outwards into a roar. They looked up at the Unit as Shinji screamed again, "DOCTOR AKAGI!" He was drowned out by his protector's roar. Guns were aimed at the Eva. "NO DON'T!" Shinji screamed. He looked up at the Eva, he realized he was getting closer to the ground. It was crouching, getting ready to spring.
"I…" He briefly trailed off, looking up at Evangelion Unit 01 with pleading eyes, either willing it to not screw everything up or willing himself out of a dream. Both proved futile, "...have no idea what's going on!"
It was then with the Unit's hand almost touching the ground did Ritsuko finally see Shinji. Misato was there as well, and both seemed to just barely register what they were seeing. "Shinji!" Misato cried out. Ritsuko, on the other hand, blinked hard so as to confirm that she was seeing correctly. "I'm not doing any of this!" the boy cried out, fearing he wouldn't have another chance to do so. "Don't fire!"
The tech crew was yelling things to each other, various other staff on-scene and Ritsuko, who kept half her attention on it while looking the rogue Unit over and over again. "This isn't possible," she muttered out, "this cannot be possible at all. The restrictors are still in place, the battery is…" She turned her attention to Shinji, expecting answers she knew she wouldn't get.
The Unit's roar had died back down to a continuous low growl, not unlike the engine of a large vehicle. Shinji knew he had moments, if even that, as Ritsuko grabbed a communicator device and relayed the current situation over to ranking military personnel and possibly even commander Ikari.
"You can't run," Shinji almost choked out. Something overcame him, something almost like sadness. Evangelion Unit One had come out here to get him, against the wills and power of all of NERV. This thing which he barely understood the workings behind, came out here to retrieve him of all people.
Machines don't have wills.
It's a war machine.
Still, he thought. It was the first time he had ever been defended by something other than himself. Something went out of its way to get him out of a tight spot, or kick him back onto the right track. Now it was going to pay. Because of him. Shinji realized that it was sadness that he felt.
"Shinji, they're going to launch an attack!" He'd turned his back away from whoever yelled out to him. It was probably Misato, he thought.
She's just doing her job, I guess.
"They're going to kill you, too! Get off the Eva!"
There wasn't much thought behind his next action. He brought his foot up and then down again forcibly, onto the Unit's hand. He just needed its attention, even if for a moment.
"Please," Shinji spoke, "please don't." It turned its glare to him. "If you do, then father...father will have us both killed," he continued, uncaring for the tears which rolled down his cheeks.
Whatever time he had seemed to come to an end. Those belonging to the military had finished arming themselves, equipment all set up and weapons all at the ready. Missiles, bombs, guns: everything one would expect in taking down an Angel killer. He didn't turn to look. He didn't turn when he heard his name called out several more times, probably by Misato, or Doctor Akagi, or even the bridge bunnies. He figured they were probably arguing with everyone else, and that Ritsuko was most likely trying to explain the situation, or even negotiate a reasonable course of action.
Loud men with microphones were shouting out a whole plethora of things, like; "Call off the Eva!" and, "You have five minutes to surrender yourself!" The sun had set, and floodlights were aimed at the Evangelion, whose appearance seemed even more demonic in the bright light within the darkness.
Shinji still held the glare of his Unit. It seemed less ready to spring now than it had a mere minute ago. "You don't understand, do you? I don't have a purpose there, other than to drive you into battle. If they take you down, then my life goes back to having no meaning. I don't need your protection. You... I need to defend you-to justify your actions; I need to stop them from blowing you up, so back down. Please!"
Its glare softened to something which almost mirrored his own emotions. It almost looked...disappointed. He was too in some ways, he never got to run away, and now he was possibly going to get thrown in prison until the day he died. But, his Unit wouldn't die because of him. That's good.
But why?
He had not a moment to further his questioning. The Evangelion, cautious in its movements, got onto one knee and gently held its hand out at ground level where Misato stood. Shinji's blood ran cold, he was almost afraid of the conclusion, though he stepped off almost immediately and was crushed by Misato's embrace just as quick. "Shinji, you're all right! Oh, you...you… You had me horrified! I-"
The sound of everything was drowned out by his own thoughts. Shinji, despite being crushed by Misato and yelled at by Ritsuko, despite the shouts of military men and the roar of their vehicles, got one last glimpse of the Unit as it powered itself down.
It's almost as if it told me, "goodbye".