Answers:
Ai-no: for the same reason as I gave on my profile, I just don't like Asuka as a person. I don't care how emotionally damaged she is, she does not have the right to treat people the way she does. I'm glad that you're able to like her, though.
textdump: that's actually what I'm trying to avoid. I don't want Action-Shinji any more than anybody else does. Instead, I was inspired by the tvtropes page 'Upbringing Makes the Hero'. Shinji's Sensei is never really revealed in the series, and this gives me a lot of freedom to write a positive influence in Shinji's pre-Eva life.
Disclaimer: See prologue
Chapter 3: First Sight
Tokyo-3, 2014
"For a futuristic 'Fortress City', Tokyo-3 kind of looks like a dump…"
Shinji was standing by a coin-slot telephone, somewhere around the outskirts of the city. Streetlights were malfunctioning, roads and sidewalks were cracked with plants and grasses growing through them, and there were cracks and chunks knocked out of the walls of the buildings lining the road. = I was supposed to meet, uh, Ms. Katsuragi, 35 minutes ago at this bus station... = Shinji thought to himself as he read the letter she sent him.
"Just like my dad to ask me to come visit him and then leave me in the nowhere end of the city."
He tried the phone again; 'Due to the state of emergency, digital communications have been suspended to dedicate bandwidth to military forces.' = And that means that I'm completely alone out here. I need to find a blast shelter. Where's my city map-=
He was shaken out of his train of thought by a rocket engine roaring over his head. Two air-to-surface missiles flew out towards the beachline and towards a tall, walking…object. Shinji stood wide eyed as the object was hit by a swarm of missiles and continued walking towards the shore. Seconds later, he saw several organized flights of armed hovering aircraft slowly advancing over his head and towards the creature. They started firing their nose cannons and unguided rocket pods to little effect, as Shinji quickly noticed; = Those weapons are just exploding around it, = he thought to himself, = not a single one has hit that thing yet. Can't those fighter pilots see they're not getting anything done? = One unlucky flight crew learned of their efforts quickly when the being slapped their VTOL with its long, fleshy arm. The doomed aircraft spiraled over Shinji's head and slammed into the base of a nearby building, only to be stomped to shreds by the creature's foot. It suddenly turned and started walking towards Shinji, too frozen with shock and terror to move, failed to notice a blue sports car speeding between its legs and screeching to a halt beside him. The driver, a brown haired woman who looked like she just came from a gearhead magazine photoshoot, kicked the passenger door open and yelled at Shinji to get in. He scrambles into the car moments before the giant foot comes down, just long enough for the woman to get a car-length away. As they continue down the road, the woman gives herself a belated introduction.
"Sorry I'm late, name's Misato; and you've got to be Shinji, right?"
"Yes, Ms. Katsuragi, thank you for picking me up."
"Please, just Misato, saying 'Ms. Katsuragi' makes me feel old. Now aren't you going to ask me what the hell just happened back there?"
"If you represent the government, I figured you just wouldn't tell me."
"Well now, that's cynical for a teenage kid like you."
"It's not cynical, I'm just used to being kept in the dark about my dad…"
"Well, you'll get to find out a lot about him when we make it to home base."
As they were conversating, several flights of VTOLs passed over the car.
"Are they pulling out already-…That means they're using an N2 bomb, GET DOWN SHINJI!"
He ducked and buried his eyes as the car was blown off the road from the massive overpressure from the bomb blast, with the car coming to a halt on a sand dune far off the highway.
Layers below ground, Japanese Joint Self Defense Force commanders were arguing about the heat and force exerted by the bomb.
"It's the most destructive non-nuclear device ever created; there is nothing, NOTHING, that could make it through that."
"Well it just made it through the entirety of the North Pacific Fleet and half of our close air support group without missing a step. We'll jump to no conclusions until the tank battalions get clear visual on the blast site."
They waited as the massive television screen inside NERV headquarters cleared of smoke and thermals, and were horrified at the sight of the being, horribly burned and disfigured, still trudging toward them. Its burns and scars were being grafted away by new layers of skin and muscle before their very eyes.
"What you gentlemen are seeing is the ultimate life form. Completely resilient to heat, force, gunfire and kinetic bombardment as long as its protective shield is present."
"And you think your people can do better, Ikari?"
"No, I know that we can do better. NERV has been preparing for this moment for the past 15 years."
"Then operational command is being transferred to you starting…Now."
"Very good. Fuyutsuki, take command. I'll be down overseeing the preparation of Unit 01."
"Of course, Commander." = Their first reunion in more than three years… =
"Okay, PUSH!"
The poor car fell back onto its wheels, prompting Misato to quip "I know for a fact that my insurance company doesn't cover warfare. Are you feeling okay?"
"…All I can taste is sand."
"Then you're fine, get back in, I've already made us late enough as it is."
"Where are we going exactly, anyway?"
"NERV HQ, don't you know anything about what your father does?"
"All I know is what my Sensei told me. He said that it's important for the future of humanity…"
"And your Sensei was right. NERV is the final stand between Earth and the Angels. That thing back there just happens to be the Fourth Angel, and we won't allow it to cause any damage like the previous three have; and with that, you might want to read this." She handed him a brochure and notebook.
"Welcome to NERV…? Am I supposed to be working here?"
"Well you have to do something while you're down here." Misato turned right and into a highway tunnel. "This is the express lift down, we should save some time now."
As they cleared the tunnel, Shinji saw a massive pyramid in the middle of a forest paradise. "That's the real GeoFront! We talk about it in school all the time!"
"Yep, we kind of have a fantastic view from the office." Misato answered with a giggle.
"Now, we just have to take the lift down from junction 42 to the storage lake and then we have to …uh…"
"Misato, are you lost?"
'Express lift service to Evangelion storage confirmed, Major Katsuragi authenticated'
= She's late again = thought a blonde-haired woman climbing out of a boat in the storage lake.
As Shinji and Misato finally approached the proper level, the building shook violently.
"Are we prone to earthquakes down here, Misato?"
"No, that's the Angel. It means we need to hurry up." It was around that moment that Ritsuko found them blundering their way into Unit 01's chamber.
"Congratulations, Major Katsuragi, once again, you're late for work. Do we need to set up a conversation with human resources?"
"Not now Ritsuko, I'm the one who rescued Shinji from Frankenstein up there."
Ritsuko looked to the scrawny boy at Misato's side. "Well then, so you're Commander Ikari's son I presume?"
"Uh yes ma'am. Shinji Ikari, nice to meet you."
"And I'm Dr. Ritsuko Akagi, head of research and development here in the dungeon. Have you read through the manual, yet?"
"Not the whole thing, but I'll finish it."
"Forget about it. I'm about to show you something that will never be printed in that book."
She raised the lights, and Shinji looked upon a skyscraper sized man. Well, he thought it was a man, anyway. The massive purple-green shell around its head made it look like a dinosaur.
"…What am I looking at, doctor?"
"The artificial humanoid Evangelion; Unit 01 to be specific. The most powerful weapon to ever be developed by mankind."
"My father helped build this thing?"
"Indeed I did. It's been a long time."
Shinji looked up at the office complex above their landing. "Dad."
The building shook again. Commander Ikari issued the order: "We're moving forward, NOW."
Ritsuko turned to Shinji. "Shinji Ikari, you are the Pilot of Evangelion Unit 01."
Shinji's eyes widened. "I'm a WHAT?! I can't pilot that thing! I've never even seen it before! This is ridiculous. Is this really why you've brought me here, dad?"
"I've brought you here because I can use you."
"And you expect me to get in this thing and…what? Fight that Angel?"
"You will receive instruction."
"Sure I will. After 8 weeks of basic military training, several years of piloting school, and practice during peacetime! You're telling me to just jump in this thing and act like I'm a soldier. Dad, do you realize you're talking to a 14 year old boy?!"
"Yes I do realize that. I also realize that you are the only one who can control it."
"That's ridiculous! You spent the last 11 years building this thing without even thinking about who's going to control it? Because I am (not) the person who can!"
"Our other pilot is incapable of operating this Unit. If you're going to run away, do it now, and don't waste my time."
Shinji turned to leave. = Why did I even agree to come here? =
Gendo gave a new order: "Extract the Core from Unit 00! Prep Unit 01 for the Core exchange. Open the channel to Rei's treatment room."
An intercom opened up in the hospital wing. A certain girl heard her Commander's voice. She knew she had a new order to follow. "Rei, the spare failed. Prepare to enter Unit 01."
"Yes."
Misato turned to Shinji, "Listen to me Shinji, you can't run away now. We brought you here because we need you. If you didn't believe in what your dad does, why did you agree to come here?"
"Because I just wanted to have a dad, that's why." Shinji whispered.
Just as he was about to give up and leave, a hospital crew wheeled in a bed containing a bandaged teenage girl; the most attractive young woman Shinji had ever seen. He didn't believe the natural blue hair and deep red eyes could belong to a person, yet here she was, climbing out of the bed…at the exact moment that the Angel started its attack on the surface above the base. The building shook again and her hospital rig collapsed, with the girl landing in a heap, crying in pain. Misato and Ritsuko stumbled around, trying to keep their bearings, while Shinji ran over to the girl. = She landed on her bandages; she's bleeding, badly! She'll die out there! = He forced himself to keep his composure.
= i mustn't run away. I Mustn't Run Away. I MUSTN'T RUN AWAY! =
"Fine! I'll pilot it!"
Gendo smirked, apparently he dealt himself a very good hand.
A/N: Pay attention to the argument between Shinji and his father. As opposed to 'Space Marine' Shinji, I wanted to try 'Logical' Shinji. I felt that he is more than intelligent enough to present a more reasoned argument than (quoting the tv show) "It's just impossible!"