Chapter 2
His name was Shinji Ikari, and he was afraid.
This was not an unusual state for Shinji, given his status as a perpetual target for those seeking to harm others. What was unusual was the cause of his fear at the moment. The more pressing of two, as they were both quite pressing, was rate of speed and violent vibration of the heavily damaged car in which he sat. The second, only slightly less urgent, was the giant green monster on the horizon recovering from an N2 mine at close range like it was a punch in the gut. Sure it looks like it hurt, but the thing was getting back up.
As captain Katsuragi pulled the car into the garage, Shinji felt a moment of relief. They had stopped, he could stop worrying about the car falling apart. Then the elevator started moving with a jolt and he felt his stomach jump.
"I t-think…"
"What's that Shinji-kun?"
"I think I'm going to be sick."
Misato's eyes went wide with panic and she began shoving the boy towards the door.
"Shit! Don't do it in here!"
She breathed a sigh of relief when Shinji was able to open the door and fall out of the car before vomiting. Several minutes later, once he had recovered, he started looking around and realized: 1) he was in a giant elevator, 2) it was going very fast downward and had been for a while now, and 3) it was getting quite cold.
"Um, Captain.."
"I told you Shinji-kun, call me Misato"
"Uh, right sorry. Misato-san, where are we going?"
"To NERV HQ, its underground. "
"Oh, okay…"
Eventually the big freight elevator stops and they move to a merely human size one and descend further. Shinji can see the floor numbers moving past on this one and is amazed how deep they must be. This paled in comparison to his first sight of the Geofront. Misato introduced Shinji to a doctor along the way, but she was not nice like the doctor's Shinji remembered, so he tuned out from their conversation, looking out at the wooded geofront from the glass sided elevator cabin.
Endless hallways eventually take them out onto a lit catwalk with darkness all around. When overhead lights come on with an audible thump, It takes several seconds before Shinji can see well enough to scream, jump back, and nearly fall over the railing, frightened by the gigantic purple head with gigantic eyes staring into his soul!
"W-what is that?!" He gets out between shallow breaths.
"Weren't you listening? It is an evangelion, the only weapon we have against the angels." The blond doctor says. Shinji was pretty sure she said her name was Akama… Adama… Akatski, something like that.
"Evangeline?"
"Evangelion, e-vang-gal-e-on"
"Evangelion… so it's a giant robot?"
"No it's a… no, you know what, no, you wouldn't listen to half of it and you wouldn't understand the other. It's a giant robot for killing angels." Ritsuko Akagi threw up her hands in defeat. There was an angel attacking and she did not have the patience for dealing with a 14 year old dullard.
"And you are here to pilot it." The interior of a room above the robot that Shinji had not seen before lit up. It was too far away to make out a face, but he recognized the voice. Cold, flat, and impatient. 6 years had passed and he still sounded like he was irritated from the last time he had to scold the boy.
"Father…"
Shinji looks towards the hanging room, his face screwed up in a scowl and his hands balled into fists so tight he could feel the pain from his fingernails cutting into his palms. This wasn't fair, why did he come back into his life now, why did he think he could order him around when he had been gone so long.
The answer was of course quite simple for Gendo Ikari. Gendo knew he could order his son around because he would obey. He raised the boy and saw to his care such that obedience would his only reaction to even mild coercion. He may whine and fight about it, but he will do as told in short order. The program was even marked for nation wide implementation among the proles with the success Gendo had with his son.
"What, but I just got here, I don't know how, an N2 bomb barely hurt what am I supposed to do?" Shinji shouts at his father, his rising in tempo as he panics.
"Stop whining and do as your told boy!" The imperious man shouts back.
"NO!" Shinji's reply silences even the chatter of the various communication officers interfacing with the JSSDF behind Gendo. One did not refuse Gendo Ikari.
"So you refuse, even though it will mean he death of all mankind? Typical stupid selfish child, unable to get past your own base emotions to think of others for one second."
"The death of- what are you talking about, I didn't know, I-…" Shinji says as he sinks to the catwalk floor, hands grasping his head.
"Silence! You will be tried and executed for treason for your refusal. Bring in Rei!" Gendo bellowed, not even trying to hide the smile on his face.
"But Commander, Rei is still in critical condition."
"Lieutenant Ibuki, carry out your orders or join the child before the firing squad!"
"Y-yes Sir!" The lieutants voice rises sharply when she responds, then turns back to her console to give the order.
Gendo Ikari had considered purchasing a pet for Shinji when he was young, both to teach a level of responsibility and to give an additional point of leverage over the child. Mostly to be able to snuff it out and tell the boy it was his fault for not being good enough. He was sure it would have felt something like this.
The doors to Shinji's left opened and several persons in scrubs wheeled in a gurney upon which lay a body. Shinji rose to look and saw the body was pale, blue-haired girl, covered by bandages and the remains of something white.
"Now Shinji, because you cannot look past your own petty desires for a moment, this child will fight, and likely die, in your place. You disgusting excuse for a man to let it happen rather than put yourself in harms way!" Beneath the bellowing scowl, it was actually quite difficult for Gendo to not laugh. He thinks it is in fact quite admirable that he is holding it together. He counts off Shinji's actions in his head.
First the defiant look, then tears, then the…
Shinji looks at the girl, paralyzed. It was his fault she was going to die, that everyone was going to die. Why did they put him in this situation, he shouldn't have to go through this, he was only 14. He…
The entire room shaking, the boom and crack of the angel's attack audible even down here, simultaneously interrupts Gendo and Shinji's inner monologues. Already looking up, Shinji sees the falling piece of ceiling and fixture and, without thinking, dives towards the gurney to shield the girl with his body. He expects that he will be crushed but perhaps she will live.
When death does not arrive as expected, Shinji looks up and sees the enormous purple hand shielding him. When he looks back down he sees that, contrary to anything he, or anybody else, thought him capable of, he is holding the limp girl in arms. Her one red eye is looking at him and for some reason he does not think of the strangeness of the color, but rather begins to freak out over the fact a girl is looking at him like that. A quite pretty girl in fact… who will die if he doesn't get in the giant robot.
"I'll do it! I'll be the pilot!"