"= Spoken Dialogue
'= Internal Dialogue
CH 2 The Worst Kind Of Headache
A lone man stood atop a hill looking through a pair of binoculars, jeep idling beside him, studying with morbid fascination the monstrous creature in the distance. He then pulled out his radio and spoke "Target is still approaching Tokyo-3, heading directly for NERV headquarters ETA 3 hours assuming it doesn't change pace when attacked, over"
These words were transmitted directly to JSSDF high command where morale was sinking rapidly. A large screen in the center of the room showed the angel, its feline head with massive jaws spewing columns of fire turning entire tank and infantry battalions into ash. A massive guided missile nearly half the size of the angel got close but was then intercepted at lightning speed by the creature's tail crushing the top before it exploded. It stood in the smoking crater untouched and unfazed continuing its slow methodical march towards the city.
"We've thrown nearly our entire stockpile at it and it hasn't even scratched the damn thing" the supreme commander of the JSSDF air force screamed at the screen.
"And We've lost nearly 60 percent of our mechanized forces. If this isn't the time for the last resort I don't know what is" the JSSDF army high commander crushed his pencil in frustration as he ranted.
"I agree, send the signal right away this thing is a demon" the high admiral was the oldest and least frazzled of the high command and spoke evenly.
Two other men in the back corner of the room sat watching events calmy, one sitting in a black trenchcoat with glasses hiding his eyes and white gloves covering his hands. The other wore a gray military officers uniform with several decorations on the right breast signifying rank. The older of the two men spoke first "It has an AT field but it doesn't look like anything from the scrolls"
"Yes, conventional weapons will be useless against an Angel, It does not change the scenario, the angels must be destroyed, that is all that matters" Ikari replied coldly, not moving anything other than his mouth. His glare seemed to try to burn a hole through the screen as it burst in a bright light showing the N2 strike hit its target. As the smoke cleared the angel was regenerating from its minor wounds and seemed unphased by the attack and once again it continued its journey to Tokyo-3.
Shinji stared in rapt horror at the massive form of the angel and finally reached a conclusion about why it was so unsettling to look at. 'It looks like one of those animals from before the second impact but wrong like someone stitched a bunch of them randomly together and gave it steroids' not realizing he was broadcasting these thoughts to his brain's new guest.
'You're right, the head of a lion, the body of a horse, and the tail of a serpent' his time traveler father's voice still sounded bewildered as if he didn't believe his own words.
Shinji felt this description did little justice to the creature slowly trotting towards the center of Tokyo-3. Its face was obscured by a cloud of smoke billowing from its open maw. All he could see in the cloud was its giant white teeth seemingly curled up in a horrifying grin. Its face was framed by a blood red halo of hair that was unnaturally cut off at the neck curving downwards. Its body was covered in a thin layer of brown hair that did nothing to conceal its massive frame. Its long muscular legs ended in massive blackened hooves that crushed everything underneath. Its tail was the strangest, covered in scales and ending in the head of a snake with glowing emerald eyes. Its mouth hung open with its forked tongue flickering, its eyes communicated a deep ravenous hunger as it surveyed the destruction around it.
Shinji was broken out of his self induced trance by a feminine voice "Well Shinji Ikari we meet at last"
"Uh…yeah nice to meet you Ms. Katsuragi" his voice trying not to sound awkward and failing as usual.
"Please call me Misato, you're not much to look at are you, you looked taller in the picture"
"And you looked younger" Shinji mumbled under his breath before his brain could consent. Causing the woman to glare at Shinji flicking him hard in the forehead as he quickly apologized.
"It's okay, I opened myself up for that, but you should really learn to be nicer to pretty girls Shinji, you never know where it might lead" she emphasized this statement by leaning over and fluttering her eyelashes at him with a teasing grin, turning his face red.
Shinji was fighting a losing battle of titanic proportions as he tried not to gaze down the shirt of this beautiful woman he just met "Sorry Ms Misato I…uhhh I'll try"
Chuckling at his reaction Misato gazed at the angel for a moment before speaking "Say before we head to the Geofront, wanna go and watch the angel fight for a minute? The JSSDF is really pulling out all the stops today."
Before he could respond the previously quiet voice of his father chimed in 'Each second you waste not stopping the angel the more people will be killed or in danger because of it'
The words sunk like a stone in Shinji's stomach making him nauseous before giving a reply "I'm sorry Misato, I don't think that's a good idea, we should just go"
"Oh you're no fun" Misato fake pouted with an overly dramatic sigh and a slight grin on her face "I thought teenage boys were supposed to love watching stuff blow up" she teased
Shinji allowed Misato's playfulness to cheer him up as he smiled back at her
"That depends on how close the stuff is" his remark caused them both to burst into laughter
"I must say I'm surprised Shinji, I thought you'd be more like your father, I think the last time he told a joke was before I was born"
Shinji's face immediately dropped as the image of a man leaving a train station entered his mind. "I'm nothing like my father" his voice was deadly serious and communicated pretty clearly to Misato she had hit a sore spot.
"I get the feeling you and your dad don't get along too well, huh?" his silence answering the question "You sound just like me"
"Wait, really?" Shinji asked incredulously
"Big time, Take it from big sis Misato Shinji, even if your father is the scummiest scumbag on the planet you should still talk to him before he's gone, cause you never know when you'll lose the chance" Shinji thought he saw Misato's face turn into a frown as her eyes gained a deep pensiveness to them. He was distracted by.a deafening boom going off from where the angel had been.
The car went somehow even faster as we were approaching a tunnel and Shinji watched in terror as the speedometer went all the way to the right. "They actually used an N2 mine this close to the city!?" Misato spoke looking behind her as the shockwave slightly shook the tunnel we entered.
"Please slow down" Shinji barely managed to get out as his head was bolted to the back of his chair by inertia.
"Oh fine" she sighed before slowly returning to her regular incredibly unsafe speed "it's a good thing we didn't go watch the Angel otherwise we'd have a front row seat to that instead, Thanks Shinji".
The warmth in her words caused Shinji to blush furiously as he tried to stammer out a response "Y-Y-You're welcome, I just…uhhh don't mention it" he then bowed his head and hoped that was articulate enough.
Misato giggled then flashed him a full smile that did nothing to help his red face and turned back to the road. She never slowed down upon reaching the bending road leading up to the imposingly large NERV building. She cackled wildly as she spun through each of the turns with Shinji closing his eyes and clutching onto the car handle for dear life.
As they got out of the car Shinji had to stop for a moment to keep the contents of his lunch down. "I u-u-understand that it's an emergency Ms Misato but still, we could've crashed with you driving like that" trying to sound stern but failing.
"Aww don't be such a worrywart Shinji, I always drive like that I'm practically a pro, and we made it here one piece in record time"
"Barely" Shinji muttered under his breath causing Misato to stick her tongue out at him playfully
"Come on follow me, I know exactly where to go" Misato confidently marched into the large building with Shinji tailing closely behind.
'She is completely lost' his father dryly observed
Shinji sighed internally 'I know, this is the third time we've gone through this hallway'
'Tell Katsuragi that you will ask someone for directions then once you are out of sight I will give you directions that you can relay to her'
'But that's rude, she said she knows where she's going, I should trust that she'll figure out where to go eventually'
'Do I need to remind you of what's going on outside or why you're here in the first place'
'Sorry, I'll do it'
"Hey Misato I'm gonna go ask someone for directions, where are we supposed to go?"
This made Misato's eyes light up in response "Yes! you're a genius, Shinji! it would make sense for YOU to ask for directions if you're new and haven't been captain of operations for two months, just ask which way to the EVA cages".
Shinji was still blushing from being called a genius but then remembered what he was doing "Stay here, I'll be right back Ms. Misato'' then he quickly ran around a nearby corner and waited for a couple minutes to sell the story. Jogging back over and relaying the directions his father gave him.
Once Shinji and Misato made it inside an elevator they encountered a blonde scientist who seemed to know Misato. "I'm surprised you didn't get lost this time, follow me we're short on time" Misato replied by making a face that implied shock and being insulted causing her friend to chuckle in return. "So is this Ikari's son then? Not much to look at is he?" She then gestured to Shinji quietly observing them without turning her head away from Misato. Meanwhile they exited from the elevator and walked up to a platform elevator in a strange dimly lit chamber.
He did not know why but the words and her cold clinical tone and the way she didn't even bother to look at him filled his body up with anger. "My name is Shinji '' he spat out before his thinking brain could get a vote, his words carrying a lot more venom than he would have wanted. Shinji shrank back from his own voice, surprised by himself. Misato smirked and looked at Ritsuko whose face temporarily broke as she looked puzzled at Shinji.
She however recovered quickly, extending out her hand towards him and returning her face to its previous uncaring mask. "It's good to meet you Shinji, I'm Dr. Akagi" Shinji returned the handshake. They then stepped off the platform following the two women through another metal door leading into a pitch black room.
"Hold on, why is it so dark in here?" in response to his words spotlights on the ceiling turned on. It became bright as daytime in the room, illuminating the massive purple head of EVA-01 staring back at Shinji. He let out a girlish scream and jumped backwards "It's a head, a giant robot!"
Ritsuko scoffed at this description "This is Evangelion unit 1, mankind's ultimate weapon and our last hope" she then turned and looked Shinji right in the eye "You will pilot it"
"But it took 7 months for Rei to sync with her Eva and he just got here!" Misato's protest was brushed off by Ritsuko who plainly stated "We don't have a choice, this is the only thing that can stop the Angel"
Shinji ignored the arguing women and looked at his father glaring at him from a balcony overlooking unit-01. He studied his fathers face intently trying to read some sort of emotion from the cold expression on his face. It was so strange to see the man after speaking to his future self. Current events proved at least he wasn't crazy and somehow his dad did travel back in time to help him do this. Not that this didn't make the situation any less terrifying with the knowledge of what he had to face.
"It's been awhile" the emotionless words spoken from his father reminded him of their last meeting. The memory of him sprinting away from a graveyard with tears falling down his face. Shame overwhelmed him as he broke eye contact with his father and timidly gazed at the floor. The two women beside Shinji paused their argument as they felt the tension between the pair. "We're moving out" his father then walked away not even bothering to stand around and pretend like he cared about the fate of his child.
"This is crazy, he's an untrained teenager and we're just gonna throw him out to the wolves" Misato resumed her protest, her voice filled with a surprising amount of care for the boy she just met.
"If you have a better plan, I'd love to hear it, maybe you could…" The doctor's sarcastic retort was cut off by Shinji. "I'll pilot it, I can't let people die and get hurt because I'm a coward" his brave words did not seem to reach his own ears as his whole body was shaking in fear.
Both the women in front of him stared at him in disbelief "Really?" making eye contact after their unplanned synchronization. Misato spoke again with a wide smile "You're not a coward Shinji, I'd say you're a hero" Ritsuko chimed in "She's right Shinji being brave isn't not feeling fear it's about overcoming fear when you feel it"
Shinji's face turned crimson at receiving this much praise "Thanks you guys, uhhh…I just don't want anyone to get hurt because of me, it's not that big of a deal"
Misato decided to take advantage of Shinji's embarrassment with some teasing "Oooh and he's humble, the ladies are gonna be all over you when you get to your new school"
"Misato!" Shinji's face somehow got even redder in response to the teasing as he in vain tried to think of a witty reply but was cut off before he got the chance.
"We don't have much time, get into the entry plug Shinji, it's showtime" she then pointed at the back of the massive robot. At a walkway leading to a circular chamber hanging out of its neck with a door hanging open.
As Shinji plodded towards the door he decided now was the best time to try and ask his future father for advice. 'So any tips on how to pilot the Eva, i'm gonna need all the help I can get'
'Yes, it not just a 'big robot' you gain more control of the Eva the more you open your mind to it, don't close yourself off from it, and the Eva is a mirror to your emotions and becomes most effective when the pilot is in a heightened emotional state'
'Wait what kind of heightened emotional state'
'In testing the most combat effective emotional states for a pilot were them being either overjoyed or enraged'
'Father, I have to ask just exactly what is an Eva?'
'That is irrelevant focus on the task at hand'
'Sorry, So I should open up my mind to the Eva…somehow and then get really mad?'
'Basically, Yes'
'I really thought you'd be more helpful, have you ever been in a fight before?' Shinji knew it wasn't anything to compare to fighting a fire breathing horse lion monster. But, logic aside, his brain was desperately scratching for anything he could use for what was coming.
His father sighed, which was a strange sound to hear coming from inside one's own head 'Far more than I'm proud of, as for what I can think of that'll help you in this' he then paused for a moment, seeming to collect his thoughts.
'Whenever you hit with any part of your body swing your entire core with it so you maximize the force, aim for the softest part on your opponent you can find, don't focus on winning the fight instantly make it harder for them to keep fighting you, No matter how much you're injured or in pain do not stay down or your opponent will finish you'
Still processing his fathers advice he stepped into the entry plug sitting in the chair and grabbed the two levers in front of him he assumed were the controls. He then heard the sound of rushing water as the chamber rapidly filled with a transparent liquid. Shinji opened his mouth to protest but it filled with the strange liquid causing him to violently cough and try to clear his lungs.
He then heard a voice over the intercom "That's LCL Shinji, it's directly oxygenated so you can breathe it in" He listened and breathed in a giant gulp of the stuff grimacing as the metallic taste of blood filled his mouth. He looked around again at the entry plug around him taking in his surroundings. The metal around him transformed into a kaleidoscope of rainbows as the entry plug vanished from his vision and a comforting warmth embraced him.
"Initiating secondary contacts"
"A10 nerve connection normal"
"All preliminary contacts established EVA is ready for activation"
He then began to smile as he heard cheers coming through the comms from the command center "Evangelion Unit-01 is now active with a sync ratio of 42%, Nice job Shinji" the doctor sounded noticeably less stressed than when he first arrived.
'Father, how do I open my mind to the Eva? that's kind of abstract'
'Just try talking to her'
'Her? The Eva's are girls?'
To Shinji's utter shock, his father for once sounded unsure and even a little nervous? As if he had said something he shouldn't, which only further heightened his confusion. 'It's just how people in the military refer to vehicles they're all referred to with female pronouns'
He ignored his fathers explanation and instead tried to follow his confusing instructions "Hello Mrs Evangelion, Sorry to bother you, but there's an Angel and we gotta go stop it, so do you think you could help me with that, sorry" he could feel the presence in the evangelion envelope him like a comforting hug as his vision changed and suddenly somehow layered on top of his regular vision he could see through the eyes of unit-01. His arms felt heavy like something had them restrained and it required direct conscious effort to move his jaw which felt welded shut. He should feel uncomfortable he reasoned but his whole buddy hummed alive with energy and he felt like maybe just maybe he might stand a chance.
'I guess the feeling behind the words matters more than the words themselves'
'Hey, what's that supposed to mean?'
The radio which had been completely forgotten again hummed to life "I don't know what you just did but keep doing it your sync ratio almost doubled, it's holding steady now at 80%" .This news seemed to rattle the doctors composure significantly, as even Shinji could hear her shock through the small comms unit.
Then the little box beeped to life again this time with a male technicians voice "Beginning Eva Launch sequence"
He then felt his arms lighten as the technician's ran through the final steps of releasing the Evangelion from it's cage. Workers frantically running around and checking various readouts as the mechanical monstrosity was slowly pulled by conveyor belt to the launch catapult.
Moments later the voice of Misato came in now with a deadly seriousness that he didn't think she was capable of "Evangelion Unit-01 LAUNCH!"
It was a valiant struggle to keep himself from vomiting while the catapult flung him to the surface at incredible speed. Shniji only remained steadfast by picturing the image of him trapped in the small entry plug surrounded by the smell of his own sickness and LCL.
Then Shinji reached the surface and took his first uneasy steps off the platform he had been standing on and completely forgot about his upset stomach as he came face to face with the Angel. They both stared at each other for a moment that seemed to last forever, each scanning the other creating a deathly silence on the battlefield. Both silently watched and waited for the other to make the first move.
Shinji heard a low growl coming from the Angel that seemed to rattle his very bones as he watched the mane of hair around its neck turn lighter and eventually start to glow bright red.
'MOVE NOW' the voice of his father boomed in his head, the intensity of them causing him to instantly jump over to cover behind a nearby skyscraper. The spot where Shinji had been was consumed in a wall of fire as the creature let out a bellowing roar and indiscriminately spewed molted hot fire across the city. It aimed the most concentrated part of its attack at the building he was hiding behind; he slowly felt the structure start to give way as the bottom supports must have melted. He quickly sprinted over to another nearby building trying to calm his pounding heart and rapid breaths. This pattern continued for almost twenty minutes as the Angel created hell on earth with its fiery breath. Shinji just barely kept out of the blaze by quickly learning how to maneuver the Eva at high speeds. The threat of a fiery death being a surprisingly good teacher at the moment. Panic was starting to overwhelm him as cover was becoming more and more scarce by the minute.
The voice of Misato over the intercom helped him keep calm "Shinji the Angel's AT field is too strong to piece from range so you're gonna have to go in for close combat, we're gonna use the static defensives to give you an opening, when the Angel is distracted make a beeline straight for it"
"I'll do my best Misato" he tried his best to sound confident but he knew his fear was obvious
'I have an idea Shinji but you're not gonna like it' . Despite his words he could hear the smile on his fathers face as he said that clearly excited about something.
'Why would you say that?' Shinji was more than confused about what could make his father sound so happy at a time like this.
'Did your teacher ever teach you horseback riding?'
"No, No way, You're crazy, WHY!? The pieces of his fathers plan he was beginning to put together did not sound like something with a high survival rate.
'I believe I have spotted the angels core between its shoulder blades while YOU were staring into space, the only way to reach this and destroy it would be to climb upon the creature using the two progressive knives located on your back'
EVA-Unit-01 hands reached behind its back and felt for the two knife holsters on its back touching them and then moving its hands back to its sides. 'So if the core is destroyed it dies?' his voice clearly showing his nervousness and his dislike of his fathers plan.
'Yes, if the core is not destroyed it will eventually recover from any other damage it receives, this is the only way and if you think you've got a better plan go ahead'
Shinji was pumped to the gills with adrenalin and growled in irritation at the coldness in his fathers words 'You just don't care if I live or die? Do you? I'm just another tool to you, like the EVA's'
'Now is not the time for childish outbursts, destroy the enemy!'
'Childish!?'
Their brief conversation was cut short by the sound of hundreds of guns, missiles and guided projectiles slammed into the angel, creating a deafening cacophony. The hexagonal field around the creature spread and rippled creating a massive ball of fire as the projectiles impacted the wall of light. The creature then retaliated by directing condensed bursts of scorching flame incinerating several of the static gun emplacements firing from a nearby hill.
"Now Shinji, You got this!" Misato yelled over the comms causing him to leap into action.
The adrenaline and anger he felt helped quell the shaking in his hands and knot in his stomach. He willed his EVA to run as fast as he could, quickly reaching behind his back and fumbling around and eventually finding the switch to release the two knives. Awkwardly holding a Knife in each hand EVA-01 collided directly into the wall of light surrounding the Angel. Shinji kicked and stabbed at it relentlessly in blind fury and desperation. After a few moments letting out a snarl in frustration as he saw his efforts have no effect.
'Try to visualize a wall of light in front of you then project it outwards' despite his anger at his father he decided to follow his advice. Closing his eyes and trying to imagine the power he felt filtering outwards. As he opened his eyes he saw the hexagonal field begin to bend and crack and he continued his relentless assault of kicking and stabbing resumed at it trying to force his way to the angel before it was no longer distracted.
With the sound of a glass pane shattering, the Angels AT field finally gave way to Unit-01's attack. Shinji quickly restarted his mad dash at the Angel, throwing caution to the wind as he prepared his jump.
"Shinji, What are you doing?" Misato's voice rang through the comm unit again
"I have a plan Ms Misato don't worry about me" he again tried to sound confident but failed his voice dredged in the nervous energy he was feeling that he tried to swallow.
His luck had to run out eventually as his feet left the ground and he awkwardly threw himself at the Angel with surprising momentum. With legs splayed out wildly behind him, hands tightly gripping both his knives pointed downwards. The only sound from the entry plug being a high pitched feminine scream that might've been leaving his mouth as he flew at incredible speed.
Halfway through his descent the Angel turned its head and saw its assailant letting out a roar. Its mouth opened a hot jet of flame that hit Shinji square in the chest and spread outwards, wreathing the whole Evangelion in flame as it slammed into the creature. The Angel had tried to avoid the attack but backed into a nearby building and screamed as it was trapped. Shinji had succeeded in sinking both knives into the creature's upper right flank, gritting his teeth as his skin felt like it was melting off. He felt his left knife wedging itself deeply into bone and his legs slightly dragging and scraping the ground beneath him.
The Angel pulled itself out of the rubble quickly and began to wildly gallop, dragging Unit-01 along the pavement in an attempt to get it off. As Shinji struggled to keep himself upright and maintain his hold on the Angel, the creature's tail shook the rubble and confusion from its head and struck at him. Its long fangs extended and pierced right through unit-01's skull as its jaws closed around it.
The intense pain caused Shinji to instinctively swing his right hand pulling his knife free and slashing blindly at the source. He felt his knife make contact and cut straight through the thick neck of the monster's tail like he was cutting Hōtō Udon noodles. its glowing green eyes turned black as its jaw loosened and it released its hold on Unit-01. Then it lifelessly slunk off the head of the Evangelion and collided into the ground with a dull thud
It felt like someone had taken a hammer and rammed two spikes of molten iron directly into the top of his skull then he took a bath in some nice relaxing lava to cool off. A pained scream he had never remembered making before involuntary came from his throat as he took his hands off the control sticks and checked his head for wounds. He closed his eyes and struggled to hold back tears and eventually failed as pain overwhelmed him. In his current state he wasn't sure if he remembered his fathers words or if he repeated them "No matter how much you're injured or in pain do not stay down or your opponent will finish you".
With a monstrous effort Shinji lunged and stabbed his right knife into the Angels spine then ripped out his left knife and repeated the effort. While he was attempting this the Angel had taken to dragging Unit-01 across an entire row of buildings. Galloping as fast as it could with its unwanted passenger and shaking wildly trying to free itself with its tail gushing a fountain of blood as it shook.
Screaming with all the pent up emotions and pain he felt he hoisted himself up on top of the rapidly moving Angel. To hold himself steady he wrapped his legs around its lower body tightly. As he gained his footing his eyes settled on a reflective red orb sitting perfectly in between its two shoulder blades. He roughly pulled out his two blades again creating more oozing gashes that were leaking blood staining the creature's brown fur red.
He brought up both knives and swung them down with as much force as he could muster savagely piercing and cracking the core but not breaking it entirely, yelling out in frustration "JUST, DIE". This time when the creature roared it sounded much more like a pained scream as he brought down the knives once again, shattering the Angels core into shards with a final swing.
With the core destroyed the Angel quickly dissolved into a large puddle of blood that Shinji splashed into as he smacked into the ground.
The adrenaline went from his body and with it every part of his body felt bruised and battered with his head somehow hurting even worse than it did before. As he slipped into unconsciousness he wasn't sure if he dreamed it or not but he heard his fathers voice. Devoid of its usual coldness and with a warmth that seemed alien to the man said 'Good job Shinji'.
