Infinity Crisis: Neon Genesis Evangelion
Disclaimer: No copyright or trademark infringement is intended for Neon Genesis Evangelion by Studio Gainax/Studio Khara or Marvel Comics. This is simply a story created just for fun.
Earth-95
Two Days After Ireul's Infiltration. Misato's Apartment, Tokyo-3
Surprise was the word in the mind of transfer student and T-RIDEN-T pilot Mana Kirishima. She had known her classmate Shinji Ikari for weeks and knew many details about him, such as his personal life and her late mother. As before, Mana wanted to check up and see how Shinji was doing at the behest of her parents, who supported her friendship with him. Moreover, Shinji didn't always expect to see Mana every day, hence the "surprise" by Mana herself as she was near the door of Misato's apartment, the home of Shinji since meeting Misato and becoming the pilot of the Evangelion Unit-01.
Apart from Shinji, the mission assigned to her by the JSSDF to retrieve more data on the Evangelions for the T-RIDEN-T Project was another thought that filled Mana's mind. By then, Mana had already begun to abandon her mission over her feelings for Shinji, as she didn't want to make him angry by stealing the secrets of the Evangelions, including his own. After abandoning her mission, she wanted to live the rest of her life in peace with her family and possibly Shinji, even if it meant betraying the JSSDF. For now, Mana was preparing for a simple conversation with Shinji, knocking on the door of Misato's apartment to get his attention.
Someone noticed Mana knocking and opened the door. Thankfully for Mana, the someone who heard her knocking was Shinji himself, surprised to see her again at his home no less.
"Mana..."
"Hello, Shinji."
"Why are you here?"
"I'm here because my parents wanted to know if you're okay. They sent me here for this purpose."
"Oh, thanks Mana."
"Another reason is that I want to have a little talk between us. Be sure that no one is eavesdropping."
"Okay."
Shinji slowly walked and closed the door behind him. He went downstairs through the apartment block to be at a distance where no one could hear him or Mana talking in between the steps. The two then initiated the conversation.
"Mana, so what do you want to talk about?"
"Shinji, it's very important for you to hear this and I will hide it no longer."
"Mana, what do you want to tell me?."
"Huuhhh...These past weeks have been meaningful for us because we grew to understand and care for each other. I'm grateful to be with you, Shinji."
"However, there is something I want to hear."
"And what is that?" asked Shinji.
"I've been accused by your friend Asuka of being a spy for the Japanese government, stealing secrets from NERV for the T-RIDEN-T Project. I want to say that all of this is indeed true."
Shinji was shocked at this revelation by Mana. "Mana...why?"
"I'm doing this on the orders of my superiors, who want to know more about the Evangelions so they can make improvements to the T-RIDEN-T Project and create a robotic machine of war that can reliably counter the Angels. But now, I no longer want to do this mission because of our bonds. Instead, I wish to have a life of quiet peace so that we can see each other again."
Unbeknownst to Mana and Shinji, Asuka overheard their conversation. Though she already guessed that Mana was a spy, her suspicions were confirmed thanks to her confession to Shinji.
"I knew it," Asuka muttered to herself.
"At the same time, I don't believe that my government wants me to abandon the mission and go for a quiet life. Worse, I could be caught by the government or NERV and executed for espionage even when I don't want to do anymore."
"Even still, I'm thankful for your support and gratitude. I hope I can make it out alive."
"You are welcome, Mana. I hope you get to have a decent life when you leave the government."
"Me too." With these words, Mana and Shinji ended their conversation together. Mana returned to her home while Shinji climbed the stairs back to Misato's apartment, where Asuka was.
"Asuka-san..." Shinji said.
"Well, I saw your conversation with Mana. How did it go?," Asuka asked Shinji.
"Umm...It went fine."
"'Fine'. You seem to be growing closer to Mana since you first met. Anyway, you now have me, Pen-Pen, Rei, Toji, and Mari to talk to."
"I see..." Shinji went into the apartment to sit with Asuka and the others.
The Avengers' Apartment, Tokyo-3
Misato and Ritsuko were with Captain America and the Avengers discussing the specifics of the plan, which involved calling Gendo for something important and capturing him to reveal the Human Instrumentality Project and his neglect of Shinji. For Ritsuko, this was the first meeting she had with Earth-191208's Mightiest Heroes and she got a better understanding of who they were. She also confessed her past issues to the Avengers and wanted to make amends for it as well as her involvement in Instrumentality. The conversation was nearing it's end and the Avengers had some final words to spare for Ritsuko.
"And so we are on the same page," Captain America said. "We are glad you turned to us for help along with your friend, Ms. Akagi."
"Indeed. Hopefully, we can stop Instrumentality before it ever happens."
"Goodbye, Avengers."
"Have a nice day."
Ritsuko and Misato left the Avengers' temporary home to return to the latter's residence. While walking, Misato started her own conversation with Ritsuko concerning her secrets.'
"Ritsuko."
"Yes."
"I just wanted to tell you that learning about your involvement in Instrumentality and Gendo shocked me but I wouldn't give up on you and so I brought you with together with the Avengers to make up for this mistake when I called you."
"Sometimes, it can be difficult to speak with a friend after learning an unsavory secret about them. But that doesn't mean we should give up on them either. We must work to make up for these mistakes and ultimately improve ourselves for the future."
"I agree, Ritsuko."
Misato and Ritsuko remained silent for the rest of their walk to the apartment. Once they got there, Misato knocked on the door.
Tokyo-3, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan
Asuka was sitting with Shinji and the others to discuss their off-day from school and the opportunity to get together for a conversation when banging was heard on the door. Asuka promptly got up and went over to see who it was.
"Who is it?"
"Oh silly, it's us Katsuragi Misato and Akagi Ritsuko."
Asuka opened the door to let them in. She then told the NERV duo what she was doing.
"If you're curious, I'm with Shinji and the others for a little conversation. Care to join us?"
"Yes." Ritsuko said.
"Good." Asuka led Ritsuko and Misato to the table where Shinji and the others were present. They were glad to see them, given their good relationship, and wanted to let the two join in. But Misato had something important to share.
"Misato-san, we're glad you're here to join with us."
"Shinji-kun, I must share some important news with you and the others."
"What is it?"
"Remember the talk we had with the Avengers? Well, I want all of you to know that Ritsuko and I had a conversation with them where we discussed her life as well as the plans to capture Gendo and reveal the Human Instrumentality Project. They want all of you to be present with them since we agreed that it should happen."
"So the Avengers want us to see them capture and expose my father?"
"Yes."
"He won't be happy at this but we will join for the protection and safety of mankind."
"Great." said Misato. The Children already agreed with stopping Instrumentality and working with the Avengers, but they hadn't specified that they must join prior. Now, they would participate in the biggest mission of their lives that wasn't about fighting the Angels.
As for Misato, with the Children on an off day after the encounter with Ireul, she decided to take them on a trip across Tokyo-3 for their amusement along with Ritsuko.
"Hey, everyone. Since it's not a school day, do you want to go with me to various fun places in Tokyo-3? Trust me, you'll enjoy it."
"Why, yes Misato!" Asuka said with exuberant joy and excitement. "I will come with you".
"Me too!" Toji said.
"Okay, Misato-san." Shinji said. As for Rei and Mari, they were indifferent to the proposal and weren't against it, so they chose to go along with the other Children and so did Ritsuko.
"If it's for us, then I will go."
With everyone on board, Misato took the Children and Ritsuko to the Renault Alpine for the trip while leaving her beloved pet Pen-Pen home since she knew that animals like penguins didn't mix well in human spaces.
Misato drove across and arrived in places with her friends that were fun in her eyes, which included a bowling alley, an arcade, a marine aquarium, an observatory and a go-kart course. Another place in Tokyo-3 visited by Ritsuko and the others was a bookstore filled with plenty of books and DVDs for the Children to buy. One of the DVDs offered by the bookstore was a full volume of the new Ultraman series, which Shinji himself bought. Shinji grew up watching the original Ultraman by Eiji Tsuburaya and it's subsequent follow-ups as a child. He looked up to Ultraman as his hero if only he were as brave and strong as he was, even owning an action figure of him in his room along with that of Nausicaa from Studio Ghibli's Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, given his love for that film as well as the work of Ghibli. But before Shinji bought the Ultraman DVD, he saw Mana looking for a DVD just like him, to his surprise. The two turned to each other for another conversation.
"Mana. What are you doing here in this store by yourself?"
"Oh, I just wanted to buy a good movie for me and my family to watch."
"Remember when I revealed my plans to abandon the mission and live in peace? Well, the government is spying on me and they might find out soon. I might even be arrested and worse executed for treason." Mana whispered to Shinji. "I don't want to die and I'm wary of what will happen next..." Shinji then turned to see that the Children made their purchases and were about to leave the bookstore. Shinji knew that Misato and the others were waiting for him and had to meet up with them, ending the conversation early quickly.
"Mana, I have to go. I'll see you later."
"Okay, Shinji."
Shinji ran to meet with Misato, the Children and Ritsuko. For the Children, Asuka got a history book about the German Empire in Japanese, Mari had a DVD of the popular British television series Doctor Who, Toji purchased a book about basketball and Rei a simple snowglobe. Ritsuko also made her purchase for a science book. Afterwards, everyone had the gifts in their bags provided by the bookstore and Misato, as usual, drove off with them in her Renault Alpine.
After making the purchases, Misato, the Children, and Ritsuko went to a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant as their last place for fun until they went back home. KFC was a popular American staple in Japan for decades and the company donated to post-Second Impact rebuilding efforts in the country. Shinji and most Japanese people knew of it's existence and was a popular place to eat alongside burger places and restaurants serving traditional Japanese cuisine. For their meal, everyone ordered a bucket of chicken wings, French fries, biscuits, a choco pie and Pepsi and for Misato, a bottle of Yebisu beer.
"Hello, may I take your order." asked a KFC employee.
"I would like a bucket of chicken wings with French fries, biscuits and choco pie for everyone. And for me, Ebisu beer."
"Do you want it inside or to go."
"Inside."
"You got it."
The order took some time but the employee served a proper meal for the Misato, the Children and Ritsuko on time.
"That will be 5,856 yen." Misato took out her wallet and had enough money to pay for the meal.
"Thank you." Misato and everyone else got to their tables to munch and chew on the delicious food including Shinji himself. Inside Shinji's mind, the encounter with Mana at the bookstore was vivid and distinct enough for him to think of her and discuss it with Asuka again since she knew of his previous conversation with her. Shinji would speak to Asuka about Mana by asking her to come with her to the bathroom.
"Asuka."
"What do you want to talk about?"
"It's about something you already know."
"Let me guess..."
"But I want to take this conversation to the bathroom. Misato-san, can you please allow us to go into the bathroom."
"No problem."
Shinji and Asuka got up from their seats and went to the bathroom with Rei, Toji and Mari curious about their conversation.
"It might be a matter too important for us to know."
"Maybe it's something romantic. I mean, Asuka is beautiful and Shinji might want her."
"Let's just keep our thoughts on what conversation Soryu and Ikari are having to us, please. Besides, it's their business and not ours."
When Shinji and Asuka got to the bathroom, they chose a unisex one so they could fit in. No one else was inside and it was perfect for Shinji to discuss about Mana. Both stood in the middle ready for the conversation.
"Asuka-san."
"So what were you going to say?"
"It's about Mana."
"Mana!? Please, you still keep thinking about her after that conversation at the apartment blocks prior."
"I wanted to tell you that I saw Mana at the bookstore and she told me something."
"What was that something?"
Shinji knew that Mana wanted to keep her secrets hidden from anyone but himself for the safety of her and her family. He chose not to reveal them to her.
"On second thought, I want to talk about this later."
"What...You were about to reveal something about Mana."
"Yeah, but I feel that this isn't the right place after much thought."
"Okay, you can tell me what this something about Mana is in a more appropriate place."
After their meal, Shinji and Asuka went outside with the other Children, Misato and Ritsuko. Misato was near the car to inform everyone of the trip across Tokyo-3.
"So this was a great trip across this city. I'm glad you had much fine but it's coming to an end and the sun is setting so we better get going to home." Misato used her keys to open the car and get inside along with the others. She drove from the KFC to her apartment with the Children looking at the different places. For Shinji, Mana was still in her mind and he was going to make the call.
Misato and the others eventually reached their destination with the sun set and the full moon here.
Misato's Apartment, Tokyo-3
Misato, the Children and Ritsuko took off their shoes and went for a rest after a day of visiting different places in Tokyo-3. For Shinji, all he could think about was Mana and the possible consequences next. Asuka had other plans for her conversation with him.
"Hey, are you going to talk about something important regarding Mana?" Asuka asked Shinji.
"No...I just want to take a rest."
"Well, I hope you rest well so we can have a talk."
"No, I feel too tired."
"I see."
For the rest of the day, the Children, Misato and Ritsuko relaxed and did some casual activities, whether caring for Pen-Pen in Misato's case, or watching TV shows. Later, the Children, Misato and Ritsuko went to sleep with the day more or less over. But for Shinji, it would not be the end as he got up from the bed to make a secret phone call to the Avengers. Shinji dialed their phone number and waited for a response from one of the Avengers for a while until a voice was heard on the home phone and it was none other than Janet Van Dyne, otherwise known as the Wasp.
"Hello...Who is speaking?"
Shinji was not fluent in English and thus couldn't converse with the Avengers without someone to translate such as Misato. Luckily for him, the Wasp was fluent in Japanese and thus, the two could converse easily.
"Hai. kore ha Ikari Shinji ga hanashi tei ru koto desu."
The Wasp in her home clothes was awoken by the ringing of the phone and got up to answer on behalf of the Avengers. She did not expect to get a call Shinji late at night and wanted to know why he did.
"Konichiwa, kore ha Janet Van Dyne. Nanno wa o shitai nda Shinji?" The Wasp asked Shinji.
Shinji did not want to awaken his friends, so he spoke in a lower tone.
"Eeto...gakkou to kankei ga a ru". Shinji told the Wasp. Mana was on her mind for the discussion and he wanted her and the other Avengers to help Mana herself so that she may survive.
"Ki i te, shi ha shi no kurasu no gakusei o chi tte i masu. kanojo no namae ha Kirishima Mana de, kanojo T-RIDEN-T no pairotto, tenshi kara sekai o mamoru tame ni meka o kouchiku su ru koto o mokuteki toshite nihon no jieitai ni yo tte sakusei sa re ta purojekuto. Kanojo ha nihonseifu no supai dea ri, Evangerion no himitsu o nusumu ninmu o fu tte i mashi ta ga, Mana ha mo ha yako no ninmu o shi taku nai ho do ooku no jikan o shi to. Shi haana ta to abenjiazu ni mana ga heiwa no seikatsuookuru koto ga de ki ru you ni kanojo no shimei o houki su ru no o tasukete ho shiino de, kore o gen tte i masu."
The Wasp recognized Shinji's cry for help, but Mana Kirishima was someone she had never heard of before as she did not play a game in which she was a major character in her world and only knew her from the information Shinji gave. Still, he recognized his cry for help and that she was her classmate, if not a friend of his.
"Dakara kono mana haana tano yuujin desuka"
Shinji simply responded to the Wasp with a simple "Hai."
"Anata ha shi ga mana o sukuu no o tasukete ku rema suka?" Shinji asked again.
"Un..mi se te ku re." The Wasp put down the phone for a while to speak with the other Avengers. Shinji held the phone and waited patiently for a response from the Wasp or perhaps another Avenger to provide their response on Mana. After a while, a voice was heard on the phone and it was the Wasp herself here to provide some good news.
"Shinji, ooku no kentou no go, watashitachi haana tano meirei de heiwa na seikatsu ni Mana o tasuke masu." Shinji was relieved to hear that the Avengers of Earth-191208 would help him save Mana from execution or imprisonment by NERV and the Japanese government. Before he would hang up, he asked about the possible schedule for saving Mana.
"Mana no yotei ni tsui teha, asu kurasu ga aruno de, kanojo ga kon tte i ru baai ha kanojo o mamoru tame niko ko ni i ru koto o gan tte i masu."
The Wasp and the other Avengers were not certain if they would be here to protect Mana but wanted to do so for one of their newfound friends and so she provided her response.
"Watashitachi ha asu ana tano sonzai o hoshou su ru kotoha de ki masen ga, watashitachi ha watashitachi no nouryoku o saidaigen ni shi you toshi masu."
The Eva pilot was cautiously optimistic after the Wasp's response and hoped she along with the Avengers were here in time for Mana's rescue. He was at least glad the Avengers could lend a helping hand in protecting one of his friends. He also had some final words to say for them on the phone.
"Arrigato." Shinji hung up the phone and proceeded to go back to bed but an angry Asuka was standing there with a similar tone of voice as him.
"Shinji!"
"Wha..."
"Did you just call the Avengers to help a traitor stealing secrets from us?"
Shinji initially denied making the call to the Avengers. "Uh, no?"
Asuka recognized that Shinji was lying and would not take this at all.
"Shinji, I heard you calling the Avengers including the Wasp to help Mana escape and thus get away with our secrets. What are you, stupid!" Asuka said as she slapped Shinji's face over the call.
Shinji explained to Asuka that Mana no longer wanted to steal secrets from NERV and abandon her mission so she could live in peace.
"Asuka-san, Mana doesn't want to steal from NERV anymore. She just wants a peaceful life with her family or herself and you know that we have feelings for each other."
Asuka was left unconvinced by Mana's desire to give up her mission and insisted she was a spy.
"I doubt it. Mana is probably lying to you so she can steal more NERV secrets from you and the others. I know it from the conversation you had with her earlier."
Asuka was already planning to report Mana to the authorities but preferred to keep this secret and ended her conversation with Shinji in a non-confidential manner.
"Well, you can babble about how Mana's changed but she is still the spy who was sent to be with us so she can steal NERV secrets and harm us. Next time you call the Avengers, I'm going to tell Misato and the others about it."
Shinji simply told Asuka "OK," and their conversation ended as the two went to bed in their rooms. Inside his room, Shinji lay on his bed and thought about his interactions with the Avengers and his possible future. However, he soon experienced an unpleasant nightmare of him being snapped out of existence alongside his friends by the alien warlord Thanos in another universe and promptly woke to look around his bed before going to sleep for school.
One Day Later. New Tokyo-3 Junior Municipal High School
Mana was ready for her day at Tokyo-3 Junior Municipal High. As with every student loyal to the school, she wore her mandatory school uniform and was in class with Shinji, Asuka and Rei before the other students arrived. She came here early to bring Shinji some dire news regarding the T-RIDEN-T Project.
"Shinji-kun..."
"Mana! You're here!"
"Before you ask, I know a T-RIDEN-T pilot who was in the ICU of the Strategic Military Hospital but is suddenly missing. I want you to find him."
"Mana, shouldn't the pilot be in the normal hospital?"
"When I asked at the front desk, they said no such person was in the hospital."
Unbeknownst to Mana, the Avengers had already planned a rescue for Mana in case she got in trouble. Shinji was counting on Earth-191208's Mightiest Heroes to appear when she and the others were being pursued. As for Mana herself, Shinji agreed to take up her offer of finding one of the remaining T-RIDEN-T pilots.
"Let's take a closer look and see if this pilot is in the normal or Strategic Military Hospital."
Asuka butted in and asked Shinji if she could come with him.
"Wait, let me come with you."
Shinji had a frozen look of nervousness, given what happened last night, but Asuka still wanted to come since they were classmates.
"If you go alone, you might get into trouble."
"But..."
"If she wants to come with us, I'll feel more confident." Mana told Shinji.
"We'll take the honor student along with us, too." Asuka said.
"If it's just for a little bit."
"Okay...Then, let the four of us go to the Strategic Military Hospital."
Strategic Military Hospital, Tokyo-3
Shinji, Mana, Asuka and Rei arrived at the Strategic Military Hospital to search for the missing T-RIDEN-T pilot. Mana went to every room to find the pilot but he was nowhere to be found and she informed the Children of her discoveries.
"He's not here. I checked every room to find him and everywhere I went the beds were empty."
"He was hurt pretty badly. Maybe he got transferred to another room."
"He's still alive!" Mana yelled.
"I'm sorry." Shinji told Mana.
"Didn't you hear anything about him being taken away by NERV?" Mana asked Shinji.
"Don't talk about us like we're evil, you know." Asuka told Mana.
"Maybe it has something to do with the robot gone rogue on television?" Shinji pondered.
Mana's thoughts on the fate of the pilot shifted.
"Maybe he got taken back?...Maybe he was taken by them?"
"Them?" Shinji asked. Just as he was processing his thoughts on what Mana meant by "them", footsteps from someone else were heard, to Asuka's displeasure.
"Behind you!" Asuka screamed.
"Shinji!"
Shinji slammed into an agent for the Japanese government and got hurt.
"Damn!"
"We need to run, now!" Asuka told the others. The Children quickly rushed to get to one of the bathrooms in the Strategic Military Hospital, though this one was for girls.
"Um...We're in the girls' bathroom!"
"If we don't hide, we'll get caught!" Shinji urgently reminded Asuka.
"I'll go outside. I can't get all of you involved." As the Children were holed up in the girls' bathroom, individuals suited in black-and-gold armor with a helmet covering their faces appeared. They were none other than Ant-Man and the Wasp. The crimefighting SHIELD duo heard the voices of Shinji and Asuka and shrunk down to be with them with a brigade of flying ants including Hank's favorite pet Ant-ony. When they spoke, the other Children were initially freaked out and wondered where these voices were coming from.
"Shhhh! It's us, Ant-Man and the Wasp. We're here to help"
"Anata ga tazuneru maeni, watashitachi haana ta jishin no anzen no tame ni kurasu dea na ta o supai su ru you ni wariate ra rema shi ta. watashitachi ha denwa o ukeire, watashitachi ha tasukeru tame niko ko ni i masu." The Wasp informed the Children.
Shinji was relieved to see it was the Avenger duo here to save him and his friends from government officials out to imprison or kill them. Shinji turned his head to face the shrunken Ant-Man and the Wasp who were standing on top of the bathroom door the Children were in.
"Anata ha ka o teian shima suka?" Shinji asked in his native Japanese.
"Watashitachi ha tonde i ru ari ni ana tano su be te o uru koto o teian shima su." Ant-Man informed him.
Shinji and the other Children were a bit grossed out to go on flying bugs as they, like most people, did not like them. That said, even they realized that the flying ants were the only way of escaping the hospital unharmed to meet up with Misato. As such, they decided to do so.
"Hai." said Shinji.
Just as they agreed to be escorted on Hank's flying ants, the government agents were coming closer and closer to finding them by checking the bathrooms. Their voices could be heard faintly by the Children, Ant-Man and the Wasp quickly threw the small Pym Particle rings to shrink the Children down to their size and gets the flying ants including Ant-ony to escort them out of the hospital. The escape was smooth and the Children along with Ant-Man and the Wasp reached their destination, Misato's NERV car, before shrinking to normal size for her to see in a surprising manner.
"Wha...Ant-Man and the Wasp!? How did you get here!?"
"Long story short, Tony and Steve sent us to rescue the Children." Ant-Man, the Wasp and the Children quickly got into the NERV car and buckled their seatbelts. Misato stepped on the car's pedal to drive away from the government agents out to kill them.
Tokyo-3, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan
As Misato drove, the government fired bullets at the NERV car to kill her or the Children. They remained in their seatbelts along with Ant-Man and the Wasp as Shinji was about to explain who Mana really was.
"Everyone, there is something I must tell you about Mana..."
"She's a..."
"Shinji, let me handle this. Mana is a spy working for the Japanese government to steal confidential secrets about the Evangelions so that they could be used to improve the T-RIDEN-T Project, a project which has gone a bit rogue and which lost half of their pilots. Moreover, she was assigned to watch over Shinji to deceive him only to really fall in love with him. She's been keeping her true nature a secret for quite some time before and after the Snap but now we know who she is. Mana..."
Mana could not hide her secrets any longer.
"Yes...All of what you said about me is true." The other Children apart from Shinji and Asuka were shocked to hear this secret.
"Uhhh...We have a spy." Mari said.
"What? She's a spy!" Toji yelled in confusion.
"She was afraid of revealing true self to the world." Rei said.
Misato was shocked but was nonetheless concerned about the safety of the Children, Mana included.
"Regardless of what Mana did, I will not let anyone die on my watch!"
As for Ant-Man and the Wasp, they already knew what Shinji told about Mana along with the other Avengers but told Misato on what to do next.
"Listen, we want all of you to save Mana. It's an order from not just Shinji but the other Avengers as well."
Misato and the other Children were surprised to know that the Avengers wanted Mana to be protected at the behest of Shinji.
"Shinji...The Avengers told you to save Mana!?" asked Misato. "Why is that?"
"It's because Mana doesn't want to do her mission anymore. She just wants to have a peaceful life with her family and quit the government."
"He's right. I don't want to be part of this mission. I just want to be with my family and see Shinji again."
Asuka was surprised to see Mana even feel regret over her mission and wasn't sure what to make of it.
"Mana...You really want to give up your mission?"
"Yes."
"Good. I hope you don't steal any more secrets."
Misato drove the NERV car until she reached a parking lot and stepped outside to speak with Ritsuko on the phone.
"Hello, Ritsuko."
"Yes, what is it."
"Right now, I'm driving to protect the Children from the government along with Ant-Man and the Wasp. They want Mana to be safe at the behest of Shinji."
Ritsuko was just as surprised to see that the Avengers of all people wanted Mana safe from further harm.
"Why would they want Mana to be safe?"
"It's because she wants to step from her position and have a peaceful life in the hopes of seeing Shinji someday."
Ritsuko, who befriended the Avengers and agreed to put a stop to the Human Instrumentality Project, inferred that must be part of this plan to save Earth-95 and so had no objections.
"Very well, then. Goodbye." Ritsuko hung up the phone and Misato went to the car and told the Children to follow her.
"Come with me to the car!" The Children complied with Misato and entered the NERV car with Ant-Man and the Wasp. Misato started the car and drove further to avoid capture by the government. As Misato drove, she encountered a squadron of armored cars, soldiers and government agents led by Shinji's father Gendo. Misato still wanted to get Mana and the Children to safety and was willing to defy Gendo's orders.
"I'm Lieutenant Major Katsuragi! Let me through."
"What are you doing?" Gendo asked Misato.
"Commander Ikari..."
"I'm asking you. What are you doing?"
Misato paused at Gendo's words.
"Father, please save Kirishima-san!" Shinji pleaded.
"What happened to school, Shinji?" Gendo questioned his son.
"Never mind about school. Continue the experiments with Dr. Akagi." Gendo said. Government agents approached the NERV car to take Mana away for imprisonment or even execution. Mana screamed, "Shinji-kun, help!" Just as the government agents were about to take Mana away, they were hit by an unknown force. That unknown force was Ant-Man and the Wasp who shrunk from her seatbelts to confront the agents and incapacitate them. Afterwards, the husband and wife duo walked in front of the NERV car to speak with Commander Ikari.
"I know what all of you are thinking. Mana is a spy who turned on her government and infiltrated NERV." The Wasp told Gendo and the others. "But what if I told you that Mana just wants a peaceful life to spend with her family? She means no harm to anyone, including the fair and great people of Japan. She feels regret over this mission against NERV and wants this peaceful life so she can Shinji again. If you let her leave in peace, she promises to not steal any more secrets or infiltrate NERV and retire from her duty as a pilot of the T-RIDEN-T Project. For your sake as well ours, just let her leave in peace. We say this as the heroes who saved your world from further destruction."
Gendo stared coldly into the Wasp, Ant-Man, Misato, Mana and the Children, contemplating what he should do next with her as well. For a moment, Gendo considered disregarding the Wasp's words and arresting Mana by force. However, he soon realized that picking a fight with heroes as well-known as the Avengers would have disastrous consequences, especially with their popularity from in-universe media and actions. He eventually decided to let Mana leave in peace.
"Very well then," Gendo said as he ordered the men to stand down and allow Mana to be free. For Shinji, he was relieved to see his mission was a success and Mana would get to have a normal life. For Mana herself, she too was relieved that one of the Avengers saved her from certain death and could now return to her family. As for Ant-Man and the Wasp, they quietly went back into the NERV car and fastened their seat belts.
Misato then asked Gendo to let her through.
"Commander Ikari, am I authorized to escort Mana and the Evangelion pilots?"
"Yes."
Gendo ordered the armored cars to move for Misato to drive the NERV car with the Children, Mana, Ant-Man and the Wasp inside. Afterwards, the car went to Misato's apartment, where she and the others stayed there for a while until they received word of Mana's amnesty from the Japanese government.
Two Weeks Later. The Avengers' Apartment, Tokyo-3
Shinji was inside the temporary home of the Avengers with Earth-191208's Mightiest Heroes themselves, the Children, Misato and Ritsuko, to plan the capture of Gendo tomorrow. Shinji was holding a short farewell letter from Mana, who was now with her family and retired from the T-RIDEN-T Project with some adorable markings on it. He internalized Mana's voice in the letter.
"Shinji-kun, I am living happily with my family thanks to the amnesty and you can visit me anytime. Love, Mana."
As Shinji looked at Mana's letter, the Avengers, the Children, Misato (including her beloved pet Misato) and Ritsuko gathered around for the final discussion on stopping the Human Instrumentality Project. Shinji shifted his attention to what Ant-Man would say given his fluency in Japanese, much like his wife.
"Everyone. This is perhaps the most important mission in our lives as we are here to save Earth-95 from the forthcoming onslaught of Gendo and SEELE through the Human Instrumentality Project. My wife and I got a child to safety and outwit Gendo in that regard. We can do it here regarding Instrumentality. As Cap said, as long as we place trust in each other, we can stop Gendo and prevent Instrumentality from coming to fruition. Tomorrow, we will expose Gendo for who he is to the entire once and for all!" After Ant-Man finished his speech, there was much rejoicing and clapping in the room from the others. Even the downbeat and calm Shinji joined in on the rejoicing and clapping. When the clapping was finished, Ant-Man approached Shinji to discuss the matter with Goliath.
"Hey, you know what we're going to do: We're going to stop SEELE and save this world before we can get back to our own as we've got some unfinished business," Ant-Man said in Japanese.
"We'll bring Gendo and SEELE to justice!" Goliath said in English.
Shinji looked at Ant-Man and Goliath with a reserved but confident expression. He understood what Ant-Man said but not Goliath but nonetheless was glad to finally receive some necessary help on his personal health and past as well as preventing what would have been the end of his world in his reality. Now, he was standing with actual superheroes and extraordinary individuals like Ultraman and Nausicaa, ready to save this world as well as others in the Multiverse. The next day would change the course of Earth-95's history as much as the Snap by Thanos and Shinji would get to play a part in this impactful plan.
On an online chat, the Wild Card from France known as The Pighead discussed this story and others in the Infinity Crisis Multiverse with one of her colleagues, the American individual known only as Ficboy2001. The two had various topics on their mind for this conversation.
"So, this story is coming to a close, right?" The Pighead told Ficboy2001.
"Correct. The next shard of this story will be it's last as the Children, the Avengers of Earth-191208, Misato and Ritsuko will finally confront Gendo and he'll be outsmarted here just as he was before since he doesn't know much about these Avengers."
"That's great. Anything else to add?" The Pighead asked.
"Well, there are more stories I want to share with you from my observations throughout the Multiverse. Some of them you might not know but I'm sure you'll get used to them over time like you did here."
"Yeah. I guess you're right although not every story you share with might be for my tastes."
"That's understandable. Still, as a staff member, I just wanted to share some important information on the Multiverse. For starters, SEELE won't remain a part of the 100 threats to the Multiverse any longer because they'll get what's coming to them, as will Gendo, even if he is tragic to some degree compared to them. Also, this story happens before the Snap is reversed from what I've seen, so keep that in mind."
"D'accord." The Pighead said French.
"What does this mean?"
"It means 'okay' or 'alright' in my native tongue. Now, you get the idea."
"Anyway, what else do you have to share regarding the Multiverse."
"Well, some of this is pretty interesting and it should be shared with the others. On Earth-67, Arsene Lupin III and his band of thieves will be going on an interesting adventure involving people from a reality distinct from their own but it's blended together as if they've always existed in the same universe. There is also one story shard that involves multiple realities threatened by someone which might be say Junko Enoshima and Monokuma, just like the other threats to the Multiverse that exist so far which I will be observing or something sorta like that but I'll have to see for myself. As for the other universes seen on Kosmos, I may share a story shard or two from them with you and the others someday. Lastly, there's one story shard that isn't exactly part of the Multiverse but might be and it involves Iron Man and Evangelions, but that's for another day. I hope you'll be well-informed of what has happened along with the others of what has happened in the Multiverse recently."
"I'd also be remiss to not mention that I will be changing the histories of some realities to reflect the current status quo better, starting with Earth-191208, a variant reality of Earth-1999999 (MCU Earth) and just like that reality, I will insert the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, the Invaders, the Inhumans and others. This will extend to some realities as well before and after the Snap though not necessarily all of them with Earth-95 keeping it's original post-Snap history for obvious reasons."
"Well, I better going because I got other stuff to do. Goodbye, Ficboy2001."
"You're welcome."
And that was the sixth chapter of Infinity Crisis: Neon Genesis Evangelion. It's the third longest chapter I've written for this story (7,609 words) behind Kosmos (8,106) and the labyrinthine A Brave New World (10,795). It's been a while since I posted a chapter or anything because of personal matters and stuff such as alternate history. This chapter contrasts the previous one as the threat comes not from the Angels but from Gendo and loyal elements of SEELE. Mana's story is finally wrapped up and we're now coming to the confrontation with Gendo. Mana will be grateful for the Avengers saving her life as they, the Children and Misato will come face to face with Gendo himself alongside an angry Ritsuko.
On another note, Infinity Crisis: Neon Genesis Evangelion has reached more than 1,000 views. Thanks to all the readers who supported IC: NGE throughout the two and a half months I've written this story. You've all been a grateful bunch.
And regarding the confrontation with Gendo, this event will happen in the seventh and last chapter of this story thanks to the popularity of this story, even if it's not the best story I've written so far. Moreover, I have other stories to tell both within and outside of Infinity Crisis and stay tuned for what they are in addition to real life. Let's just say that my next two Infinity Crisis contributions will be one-shots as opposed to multi-chapter stories, but you'll find the latter kind cropping up outside of them. I'm not ruling out multi-chapter stories for the IC multiverse per se. In fact, I'll may do them in the near future like with IC: NGE though it may take a while due to my other stuff.
As for Misato, the Children and Ritsuko visiting different places in Tokyo-3, it's similar to the montage of Shinji and Asuka doing different activities in Episode 9.
Shinji's love for Ultraman references Hideaki Anno's love for the franchise and it's influence on Neon Genesis Evangelion. Similarly, the inclusion of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind and Studio Ghibli is based on Anno working as an animator on the film and the company in addition to his friendship with Hayao Miyazaki. I myself have also watched a Ghibli film in Spirited Away, albeit only the English dub with my family in March 2015.
Kentucky Fried Chicken is very popular in Japan and so it was appropriate to include them in this story.
Unlike the previous examples of Japanese being used in the fourth chapter, the phone conversation between the Wasp and Shinji Ikari isn't translated. It's what TV Tropes calls Reality Has No Subtitles. Since many of you are not fluent in Japanese, I provided basic descriptions to give you a good idea of what is happening, inspired by a Melissa Shield sidestory in Amazing Fantasy in which there are untranslated Spanish and Chinese spoken with the actions and thoughts informing us what the characters are doing.