Miss Misato actually does sound pretty bad.
It looks like 1.15 is going to be really long then, if you are doing it in chapter format ;). So if this is a first draft, will we see more 1.0 s from you?
[Fic] COMPLETE (rebuild)
Moderators: Derantor, Board Staff
Ack, I'm FINALLY done with 1.1! Woohoo! On to 1.15.
***
We climbed back into the car. After a few attempts, the car started and we began driving again. After a while, Misato asked me to hand her a cell phone from her glove compartment. I didn’t pay much attention to the conversation; I didn’t really care. I’d find out whatever she was talking about soon enough. Something about preparing a linear train. Out of the blue, she addressed me.
“Boring boy. You seem so calm, despite your cute face.”
“You think so?” I replied.
“What, are you angry?” she said with a hint of sarcasm.
I scowled at her, not irritated, but simply not in the mood for talk.
“Sorry, sorry. It’s only natural because you’re a boy.”
I decided to try my luck and be honest.
“You’re childish for your age, aren’t you…”
She scowled at me this time, and started sharply turning left, and then right, as if to try to piss me off. Hit the nail on the head, I suppose…I thought.
We drove through a dark tunnel that seemed to go underground. Eventually, we reached a dead end. At the far wall was what looked like a red emblem. A half of a leaf overlapped with the capital letters “NERV,” with the phrase, “God’s in his Heaven, all’s right with the world” underneath the logo. Misato stepped out of her car and took a keycard out of her dress pocket. She swiped it through a terminal on the right wall, and the wall with the logo rose up, revealing an elevator. She re-entered the car, and we drove into the elevator. A voice was heard over a speaker in the radio saying, “The gate is closing. Attention please. The train is about to depart.” The door closed behind us, and the elevator, apparently the linear train Misato mentioned, began to descend.
“The special agency, Nerv?” I asked, thinking about the logo.
“Yes. A special organization attached directly to the United Nations.”
“It’s the one my father belongs to, isn’t it?” I prayed the answer would be No.
“Well, yeah,” My heart sank. “Do you know what he does?”
“My teacher said it was an important job to protect the human race.” I didn’t quite believe it though. Why would HE want to protect anyone but himself. Someone like him could never care enough to want to save people…
“Are we going to where my father is?”
“Well, yeah…we are.”
My face fell, I looked down. I felt the beginnings of tears in my eyes. Memories flashed in my mind, a boy of only a few years old crying on a sidewalk with nothing but a suitcase, his only family driving away.
After a while, Misato addressed me again.
“By the way, were you given an ID by your father?”
“Oh, yes.” I rummaged in my pocket for the folded piece of paper. I handed it over sheepishly, embarrassed at its poor condition. When I had first received the letter, I tore it up in anger. I don’t know what possessed me to put it back together, but it was clumsily repaired with scotch tape. Misato either didn’t notice or pretended not to, and simply responded “Thanks.” She reached down under her seat and pulled out a book. The cover read “Welcome to Nerv. For your eyes only.” I took it from her hands and looked at the cover.
“It’s about my father’s work… Is there anything for me to do?”
Misato didn’t respond, and instead looked up at the ceiling of the car.
“I can’t say I’m surprised. He never writes me unless he needs me to do something.”
“I see. You find him cold. So do I…” she replied. So others don’t like my father either…Not that that surprises me. But…something about the way she said that. Was she really talking about my father? It sounded more personal than that. I wondered.
The linear train finally broke out of the tunnel, and the area burst into light. I broke out of my trance, and hurried to the window. I looked down, and it looked just like the outside. It was a real underground ecosystem!
“Awesome! A real Geo-front?”
“That’s right. This is Nerv’s secret headquarters. It’s also the foundation for rebuilding the human race.”
***
***
We climbed back into the car. After a few attempts, the car started and we began driving again. After a while, Misato asked me to hand her a cell phone from her glove compartment. I didn’t pay much attention to the conversation; I didn’t really care. I’d find out whatever she was talking about soon enough. Something about preparing a linear train. Out of the blue, she addressed me.
“Boring boy. You seem so calm, despite your cute face.”
“You think so?” I replied.
“What, are you angry?” she said with a hint of sarcasm.
I scowled at her, not irritated, but simply not in the mood for talk.
“Sorry, sorry. It’s only natural because you’re a boy.”
I decided to try my luck and be honest.
“You’re childish for your age, aren’t you…”
She scowled at me this time, and started sharply turning left, and then right, as if to try to piss me off. Hit the nail on the head, I suppose…I thought.
We drove through a dark tunnel that seemed to go underground. Eventually, we reached a dead end. At the far wall was what looked like a red emblem. A half of a leaf overlapped with the capital letters “NERV,” with the phrase, “God’s in his Heaven, all’s right with the world” underneath the logo. Misato stepped out of her car and took a keycard out of her dress pocket. She swiped it through a terminal on the right wall, and the wall with the logo rose up, revealing an elevator. She re-entered the car, and we drove into the elevator. A voice was heard over a speaker in the radio saying, “The gate is closing. Attention please. The train is about to depart.” The door closed behind us, and the elevator, apparently the linear train Misato mentioned, began to descend.
“The special agency, Nerv?” I asked, thinking about the logo.
“Yes. A special organization attached directly to the United Nations.”
“It’s the one my father belongs to, isn’t it?” I prayed the answer would be No.
“Well, yeah,” My heart sank. “Do you know what he does?”
“My teacher said it was an important job to protect the human race.” I didn’t quite believe it though. Why would HE want to protect anyone but himself. Someone like him could never care enough to want to save people…
“Are we going to where my father is?”
“Well, yeah…we are.”
My face fell, I looked down. I felt the beginnings of tears in my eyes. Memories flashed in my mind, a boy of only a few years old crying on a sidewalk with nothing but a suitcase, his only family driving away.
After a while, Misato addressed me again.
“By the way, were you given an ID by your father?”
“Oh, yes.” I rummaged in my pocket for the folded piece of paper. I handed it over sheepishly, embarrassed at its poor condition. When I had first received the letter, I tore it up in anger. I don’t know what possessed me to put it back together, but it was clumsily repaired with scotch tape. Misato either didn’t notice or pretended not to, and simply responded “Thanks.” She reached down under her seat and pulled out a book. The cover read “Welcome to Nerv. For your eyes only.” I took it from her hands and looked at the cover.
“It’s about my father’s work… Is there anything for me to do?”
Misato didn’t respond, and instead looked up at the ceiling of the car.
“I can’t say I’m surprised. He never writes me unless he needs me to do something.”
“I see. You find him cold. So do I…” she replied. So others don’t like my father either…Not that that surprises me. But…something about the way she said that. Was she really talking about my father? It sounded more personal than that. I wondered.
The linear train finally broke out of the tunnel, and the area burst into light. I broke out of my trance, and hurried to the window. I looked down, and it looked just like the outside. It was a real underground ecosystem!
“Awesome! A real Geo-front?”
“That’s right. This is Nerv’s secret headquarters. It’s also the foundation for rebuilding the human race.”
***
- Wevangeliwon
- Tunniel
- Posts: 155
- Joined: Oct 10, 2007
- Location: Australia
This is good. It shows the emotions of Shinji quite well. The only thing that felt a bit out of place was this sentence, 'Memories flashed in my mind, a boy of only a few years old crying on a sidewalk with nothing but a suitcase, his only family driving away. ' It sounds too forced and third person. If it was third person, it would be fine. But this came to mind for me if I wanted to revise that sentence.
I suddenly remember how my father drove away from me those years ago. I remember how he had no guilt from leaving me.
I never thought of him the same again.
Just my thoughts though. The sentence just sounds a bit third person. Apart from that, very good.
I suddenly remember how my father drove away from me those years ago. I remember how he had no guilt from leaving me.
I never thought of him the same again.
Just my thoughts though. The sentence just sounds a bit third person. Apart from that, very good.
Double post, but for very good reason. 1.15 is DONE!
Few notes:
1) This will be very long. It's all of 1.15 at once.
2) Red Water. This is a real webuild spoiler as most of you know. I needed a way to get this mentioned, so I did. I don't think it was too bad. The idea is really important to the setup of my fanfic.
3) Lack of shogouki saving Shinji. This also was removed from Webuild, we don't know why. But since it was, I didn't include it.
4) 500 views so far on fanfiction.net! Woohoo!
OK, here ya go.
***
REBUILD
OF EVANGELION:
1.15: SAIKAI (さいかい)
“That’s strange. I was sure this was the right way…” Misato sighed.
We stood on a conveyor belt traveling through a maze of rooms and elevators. We’d been wandering aimlessly for what seemed like hours, not to mention that Misato seemed to have no sense of direction at all. I continued to read through the manual, slogging through page after page on technical schematics of computers, operation instructions for something called the Magi, as well as constant reminders of what would happen to you should you break the Non-Disclosure Agreement that you are bound to from the moment you enter the facility. None of it interested me, but it gave me something to take my mind off of him…
A gust of air flew by, coming from the opening of the nearest automatic door.
“I’d really rather not wear a skirt in this place…” Misato complained.
Then why do you wear one? Always seems like she’s complaining... I thought.
“Anyway, where the heck is Ritsuko? Sorry, I’m just not familiar with this place!”
“We passed this spot a little while ago…”
Misato glared at me.
“Don’t worry. All systems exist to be used!”
She reached into her skirt pocket, and withdrew her cellular phone. She dialed a short number, and said, “Captain Katsuragi Misato requesting the assistance of Akagi Ritsuko.”
Soon after, we heard a voice coming from the ceiling, presumably an intercom, “Would the Chief of Project E, Technical Department-Division One, Dr. Akagi Ritsuko, Dr. Akagi Ritsuko, please contact Captain Katsuragi Misato of Operations, Division One, immediately.” Misato smirked. “See. All systems exist to be used.”
Her phone rang soon after this. She answered, “Hi, Ritsuko.” The response was obviously less enthusiastic, as Misato’s face fell a bit. “Yeah, sorry. Could you meet us at elevator…” she checked her map, “46? No, I mean…55. Elevator 55.” “OK? Thanks a ton, Ritsuko! See ya!”
I wonder if she can even get us that far…It sounds like this Ritsuko person is a friend of hers.
We soon came to the end of the conveyor belt, which ended at a hub of sorts, with a table and some vending machines. Elevators lined the far wall. Misato walked straight to the elevator marked 55 and slid her key card. The elevator opened, and we stepped inside. I stood in the back corner, still reading the manual, while Misato stood right in front of the doors.
When the elevator reached level 28, the door opened. Standing exactly where Misato’s reflection had been, stood a woman. Her hair was blonde, and her eyes were green. Her face wore a very stern expression, yet it almost seemed amused in a way. She wore a lab coat around her bathing suit.
Wait, a bathing suit? That’s rather odd…Whatever. All these people seem odd.
“Erm, heya, Ritsuko!” Misato said surprised, but cheerfully. The woman stepped inside, and faced Misato. I continued to stand to the side, no desire to make my presence known to this woman.
“Why are you wasting my time, Captain Katsuragi? Aren’t you aware that we’re short on time and manpower!” Her voice seemed irritated enough, but there was still the hint of amusement in there. They were obviously well-acquainted with each other. Misato grimaced, and raised her hand to her face apologetically.
“Sorry!”
Ritsuko smiled slightly, and turned to look at me for the first time.
“Is this the boy?”
“Right. According to the Marduk Report, he’s the Third Child.”
Third Child? Huh? The third child of what?
They both turned to look at me, on either side.
“It’s nice to meet you.” Ritsuko said to me. I could tell from her voice that she was merely being polite. She seemed far more official than Misato did. Except for the bathing suit.
“Sure.”
I looked at her more closely, and I saw drops of red liquid on her suit.
Was she swimming in the ocean or something? That’s the only place I know that has water like that…but why would my father’s agency have a pool of ocean water? Whatever, I’m sure it’s something that doesn’t concern me…
“He’s just like his dad,” Misato remarked.
I snapped out of my thoughts immediately. What? Just like HIM? I’m nothing like him. He’s…I’m…
“The unfriendly part, that is.”
Oh. Well, whatever. I don’t need to be friendly. I don’t care what these people think of me. As long as I don’t offend them, and do what they want me to, I’ll be OK. Because that’s what adults like best, isn’t it. A child who does what he’s told.
I returned to the book, and followed along behind Misato and Ritsuko. I didn’t pay much attention to the surroundings; it all looked the same to me. I was dimly aware of stepping onto an elevator. Behind me was what looked like a pool of ocean water, being that it was red. I heard a voice over the intercom, calling all hands to battle stations. I guessed that the monster had finally made its way over here.
“Here we go.” Misato said, sighing.
“It sounds pretty serious.”
“By the way, how is Unit One?”
“It’s currently in refrigeration, equipped with B-type equipment.”
“Does it really work? It’s never worked before, has it?”
“Activation possibility is 0.000000001%. We call it the 09 system.”
“Does that mean it won’t work?”
“Don’t be insulting. It’s not 0.”
“Well, it’s just a number. Anyway, it’s a bit late to just say, ‘Sorry, it didn’t work.’
Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw an enormous purple hand reaching towards the elevator. As soon as I saw it, however, the elevator moved above the window, and into a new room. I dismissed it, guessing my eyes were just playing tricks on me. I hadn’t paid much attention to their exchange, either. It sounded like a bunch of technical babble to me, something about a Unit One, and activation. I figured, again, that it didn’t matter to me. I knew nothing about it, after all.
We boarded a hovercraft boat that took us across the same pool of water that had been visible in the window. On the other side was a steel wall with a single airlock door. We entered, and as soon as we closed the door, it was completely dark. Nothing was visible.
“It’s so dark…”
Immediately after I spoke, I heard a click, and the lights turned on. I gasped audibly. In front of me was…something indescribable. It was a…giant purple robot’s face. It was very sleek. The face was triangular, with a single horn coming from above and between the eyes. Its jaw was blue, and appeared to be welded together.
“A face? A…giant robot?” I opened the manual to the table of contents, searching for any mention of something like this.
Ritsuko smirked. “You won’t find this in the manual. This is Man’s ultimate humanoid fighting machine, the first model of the synthetic life form, Evangelion. Built here in secret, it is Man’s last hope.” She said this very matter-of-factly, obviously very proud of this creation. I was still in total awe of everything, unable to comprehend. I stared at this thing, in complete shock. The more I stared, I felt a sense of familiarity somehow, like something I’d known when I was a baby. I took no notice of it, and simply continued to stare.
“Is this what my father’s been doing?”
“Correct.”
I gasped again. No, not him. I knew he would be here, but I still don’t want to see him. Not even talk to him… Reluctantly, I looked up. High above the Evangelion’s horn was a yellow tinted window. And behind this window was…him. Standing there, behind the window, wearing those same loathsome tinted glasses he wore the day he dropped me alone in the world like a piece of trash.
“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
Tears welled up behind my eyes. I shook, partly out of anger, partly out of fear.
“Father…”
I averted my gaze. I heard him chuckle over the speaker.
“We’re moving out.”
“Moving out?” Misato yelled, alarmed, “Unit Zero’s still in cryostasis, isn’t it? Wait, you’re going to use Unit 01?”
“There’s no other way.”
I wasn’t listening. I was too overcome by emotions I had been fighting to shut out for three years, since the last time I’d seen my father. I’d buried them down inside my heart, but seeing him again caused them to burst to the surface. I was completely in my own world.
“Now wait, Rei can’t do it yet, can she? We have no pilot!”
“One has just arrived.”
“Are you serious?”
“Ikari Shinji-kun…”
I looked up, and looked at Ritsuko very intently, forcing myself not to look back up at him.
“You will pilot it.”
What? I must have misheard her. That’s impossible.
“But even Rei Ayanami took seven months to synchronize with her Eva! It’s impossible for him to do it! He just got here!”
I did hear correctly…why? Why me? Why me? I can’t do that. I won’t. Not for them. Not for him. Not for anyone.
“He just has to sit in the seat. We don’t expect him to do much more than that.”
“But…”
“Repelling that Angel is our top priority.”
Angel? That must be what that thing is. Angels…my father’s fighting angels…fitting.
Ritsuko continued, “If putting someone who has a chance of synchronizing into an Eva unit gives us even the slightest chance, then we have to do it. You understand that, don’t you, Captain Katsuragi.”
These people are all alike. They don’t care about what I want. As long as it gets it done, then that’s what will be done. But why? Even if I did sit in the seat, I wouldn’t be able to do anything! I’d just get killed…
“I suppose…”
I decided to finally speak up. Still staring at the ground, I addressed my father.
“Father, why did you send for me?”
“You know exactly why.”
I flinched every time I heard his voice.
“So, you’re asking me to take this thing and go out there and fight?”
I knew it. My father, of course, doesn’t care about me. He’d risk my life for his job. Not that he’d risk his own skin.
“Precisely.”
Tears finally began to escape from my eyes. My voice rose, and I shook openly. I looked at him for the first time since I looked down.
“No way! How can you do something like this to me! I knew you didn’t want me!”
“I called you because I have a need for you.”
I looked down again. My voice was barely above a whisper.
“Why me?”
“Because no one else can.”
His voice never changed tone, always the same, flat, horrible voice. With every word he spoke, I felt worse. No one else can? Then why could I do it? I’m below average, nothing I do is good! What do I have that no one else does…I responded incredulously, almost laughing, while tears still beaded in my eyes.
“No, I can’t…I’ve never seen anything like this before! I can’t do this!”
“You will be instructed.”
“But there’s no way! I CAN’T PILOT IT!”
His voice finally broke its tone. He was noticeably angry now.
“If you’re going to pilot it, do it now, and quickly. If not, LEAVE!”
I wanted to leave. I wanted to go back to my room, and forget about all this. But somehow, I stayed rooted to the spot, still looking down. I felt everyone’s eyes on me, waiting for me to speak again.
BOOM.
An explosion shook the room, I could hear the monster’s—the Angel’s—footsteps in the distance now.
“It must have detected our location,” Father said.
Another explosion rattled the building. Ritsuko spoke now.
“Shinji-kun, we don’t have any time.”
I looked over to Misato, hoping for some kinder words. I didn’t know what to do.
“Get into it.”
A shocked expression spread over my face, then I reverted to my previous expression and looked back down.
“No, I didn’t come for this! This is all wrong!”
Misato bent down, down to my level. For the first time, I was being addressed as a person.
“Shinji-kun, just why DID you come here?”
I looked the other way, troubled. I didn’t know the answer myself.
“You must confront your father and you must confront yourself.” She continued.
I KNOW THAT! BUT WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO? Does that mean I have to risk my life?
“I know that! But I JUST CAN’T!”
Silence. Everyone was silent. Misato stood back up, and looked towards my father. After a while, he spoke.
“Fuyutsuki. Wake up Rei.”
What?
After hearing the response, he replied.
“She isn’t dead.”
He then spoke again, apparently talking to someone new.
“Rei? Our spare is unusable. You will do it again.”
Ritsuko looked at me one last time, then yelled to the workers, “Reconfigure Unit 01’s system for Rei, then reactivate!”
“Roger. Call off the present work, and begin reactivation.”
I knew it. I’m not needed after all.
I heard the rattling of a cart, and running footsteps. A nearby door opened, and three people in hospital uniforms were running towards us, pushing a hospital bed with someone on top. I looked down as they passed by. It was a girl. She was pale white, with light blue hair, in a skin-tight white uniform with 00 stamped at the neck. A bandage was over her left eye, as well as more all over her body. She sat up. Her breathing was very erratic, and obviously very labored. I was in complete shock at this point. My father was willing to use a deathly injured girl because I wouldn’t do it?
Am I really going to make her do it because I am too afraid of my father? What kind of spineless loser am I? That’s just it though. I’m spineless. I’m a coward.
I grimaced, as I looked at the girl struggle to try to stand up, to no avail.
BOOM.
This explosion was louder than the last. It appeared to have finally broken through the Geofront’s walls. The room shook violently, and the bed fell over. The girl, Rei, fell to the ground. As soon as I picked myself up, I ran over to her, and lifted her head off the ground. Her breathing was sharp and rapid, her one visible eye closed in pain. I turned around, and looked at the Evangelion, the source of all of this conflict. I looked back at her. Her breathing continued to worsen. I lifted one hand, and saw that my palm was covered in blood. I gasped loudly. I closed my eyes.
I mustn’t run away. I mustn’t run away. I mustn’t run away. I mustn’t run away. I MUSTN’T RUN AWAY!
I looked up.
“I’ll do it. I’ll pilot it.”
***
I sat in a chair, inside a pill shaped construct suspended above the robot’s back. The water below me was drained, and the workers were moving rapidly, hurriedly preparing the robot. A whole bunch of statements I didn’t understand were rattled off over the intercom, and the back of the Evangelion opened up, revealing an opening for the plug, which I gathered was called the Entry Plug. The mechanical crane suspending the Plug placed the tip inside the hole, then pushed it inside. Lights of various colors flashed around me, and I felt a tingling in the back of my head.
“Filling the Entry Plug.”
Huh? I looked down, and I saw that there was a yellowish liquid filling the Plug rapidly.
“What is this stuff?”
I held my breath, as the water level went over my head.
“Don’t worry. Once your lungs are filled with LCL, your blood will be oxygenated directly.” Ritsuko’s voice, over a speaker in the plug.
I opened my mouth, when I ran out of air, and the liquid—LCL, I supposed—flooded inside my mouth and down my windpipe. I expected to feel pain, but I simply felt nauseous.
“Disgusting…”
“Stop whining! You’re a boy, aren’t you!”- Misato’s voice this time. Again, with the boy thing. What does that matter, anyway?
More technical babble, and then more flashing colors around my chair. I felt like I was going downwards. Eventually, the color went away, and a window to the outside appeared in front of me.
“Synchro ratio at 41.3%.”
“Amazing!” Ritsuko sounded impressed with this. All I did was sit down... Apparently I did something right.
“PREPARE TO LAUNCH!” Misato yelled.
Looking around, all sorts of locks and restraints were being removed from the Evangelion. But why does a giant robot need locks, I wonder? They can’t move on their own…
Seeing the area from up in the cockpit, and seeing all of the work being done just to get me ready almost made me feel confident. I was determined at the very least. I wanted to show him that maybe I was worth something. If I could do that, then it was worth coming here. Like that’ll ever happen though…
They moved the robot, with me in it, to an elevator pad on the far wall. Above me was a tunnel that seemed to lead all the way to the surface. I heard a click, I was locked in place on the elevator.
“LAUNCH!”
The locks released, I was catapulted upwards through the tunnel at high speed. I had to hold on to my chair just to keep sitting down. Soon, I reached the surface, and I was facing the Angel. I felt real fear then, staring down my enemy.
“Are you ready, Shinji?” Misato asked.
“Yes…” I replied, even though that was a complete lie.
“Release the final safety lock!” Another click. I was vaguely aware that I was standing up on my own now.
“EVANGELION UNIT 01, LIFT OFF!”
Here we go…
Few notes:
1) This will be very long. It's all of 1.15 at once.
2) Red Water. This is a real webuild spoiler as most of you know. I needed a way to get this mentioned, so I did. I don't think it was too bad. The idea is really important to the setup of my fanfic.
3) Lack of shogouki saving Shinji. This also was removed from Webuild, we don't know why. But since it was, I didn't include it.
4) 500 views so far on fanfiction.net! Woohoo!
OK, here ya go.
***
REBUILD
OF EVANGELION:
1.15: SAIKAI (さいかい)
“That’s strange. I was sure this was the right way…” Misato sighed.
We stood on a conveyor belt traveling through a maze of rooms and elevators. We’d been wandering aimlessly for what seemed like hours, not to mention that Misato seemed to have no sense of direction at all. I continued to read through the manual, slogging through page after page on technical schematics of computers, operation instructions for something called the Magi, as well as constant reminders of what would happen to you should you break the Non-Disclosure Agreement that you are bound to from the moment you enter the facility. None of it interested me, but it gave me something to take my mind off of him…
A gust of air flew by, coming from the opening of the nearest automatic door.
“I’d really rather not wear a skirt in this place…” Misato complained.
Then why do you wear one? Always seems like she’s complaining... I thought.
“Anyway, where the heck is Ritsuko? Sorry, I’m just not familiar with this place!”
“We passed this spot a little while ago…”
Misato glared at me.
“Don’t worry. All systems exist to be used!”
She reached into her skirt pocket, and withdrew her cellular phone. She dialed a short number, and said, “Captain Katsuragi Misato requesting the assistance of Akagi Ritsuko.”
Soon after, we heard a voice coming from the ceiling, presumably an intercom, “Would the Chief of Project E, Technical Department-Division One, Dr. Akagi Ritsuko, Dr. Akagi Ritsuko, please contact Captain Katsuragi Misato of Operations, Division One, immediately.” Misato smirked. “See. All systems exist to be used.”
Her phone rang soon after this. She answered, “Hi, Ritsuko.” The response was obviously less enthusiastic, as Misato’s face fell a bit. “Yeah, sorry. Could you meet us at elevator…” she checked her map, “46? No, I mean…55. Elevator 55.” “OK? Thanks a ton, Ritsuko! See ya!”
I wonder if she can even get us that far…It sounds like this Ritsuko person is a friend of hers.
We soon came to the end of the conveyor belt, which ended at a hub of sorts, with a table and some vending machines. Elevators lined the far wall. Misato walked straight to the elevator marked 55 and slid her key card. The elevator opened, and we stepped inside. I stood in the back corner, still reading the manual, while Misato stood right in front of the doors.
When the elevator reached level 28, the door opened. Standing exactly where Misato’s reflection had been, stood a woman. Her hair was blonde, and her eyes were green. Her face wore a very stern expression, yet it almost seemed amused in a way. She wore a lab coat around her bathing suit.
Wait, a bathing suit? That’s rather odd…Whatever. All these people seem odd.
“Erm, heya, Ritsuko!” Misato said surprised, but cheerfully. The woman stepped inside, and faced Misato. I continued to stand to the side, no desire to make my presence known to this woman.
“Why are you wasting my time, Captain Katsuragi? Aren’t you aware that we’re short on time and manpower!” Her voice seemed irritated enough, but there was still the hint of amusement in there. They were obviously well-acquainted with each other. Misato grimaced, and raised her hand to her face apologetically.
“Sorry!”
Ritsuko smiled slightly, and turned to look at me for the first time.
“Is this the boy?”
“Right. According to the Marduk Report, he’s the Third Child.”
Third Child? Huh? The third child of what?
They both turned to look at me, on either side.
“It’s nice to meet you.” Ritsuko said to me. I could tell from her voice that she was merely being polite. She seemed far more official than Misato did. Except for the bathing suit.
“Sure.”
I looked at her more closely, and I saw drops of red liquid on her suit.
Was she swimming in the ocean or something? That’s the only place I know that has water like that…but why would my father’s agency have a pool of ocean water? Whatever, I’m sure it’s something that doesn’t concern me…
“He’s just like his dad,” Misato remarked.
I snapped out of my thoughts immediately. What? Just like HIM? I’m nothing like him. He’s…I’m…
“The unfriendly part, that is.”
Oh. Well, whatever. I don’t need to be friendly. I don’t care what these people think of me. As long as I don’t offend them, and do what they want me to, I’ll be OK. Because that’s what adults like best, isn’t it. A child who does what he’s told.
I returned to the book, and followed along behind Misato and Ritsuko. I didn’t pay much attention to the surroundings; it all looked the same to me. I was dimly aware of stepping onto an elevator. Behind me was what looked like a pool of ocean water, being that it was red. I heard a voice over the intercom, calling all hands to battle stations. I guessed that the monster had finally made its way over here.
“Here we go.” Misato said, sighing.
“It sounds pretty serious.”
“By the way, how is Unit One?”
“It’s currently in refrigeration, equipped with B-type equipment.”
“Does it really work? It’s never worked before, has it?”
“Activation possibility is 0.000000001%. We call it the 09 system.”
“Does that mean it won’t work?”
“Don’t be insulting. It’s not 0.”
“Well, it’s just a number. Anyway, it’s a bit late to just say, ‘Sorry, it didn’t work.’
Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw an enormous purple hand reaching towards the elevator. As soon as I saw it, however, the elevator moved above the window, and into a new room. I dismissed it, guessing my eyes were just playing tricks on me. I hadn’t paid much attention to their exchange, either. It sounded like a bunch of technical babble to me, something about a Unit One, and activation. I figured, again, that it didn’t matter to me. I knew nothing about it, after all.
We boarded a hovercraft boat that took us across the same pool of water that had been visible in the window. On the other side was a steel wall with a single airlock door. We entered, and as soon as we closed the door, it was completely dark. Nothing was visible.
“It’s so dark…”
Immediately after I spoke, I heard a click, and the lights turned on. I gasped audibly. In front of me was…something indescribable. It was a…giant purple robot’s face. It was very sleek. The face was triangular, with a single horn coming from above and between the eyes. Its jaw was blue, and appeared to be welded together.
“A face? A…giant robot?” I opened the manual to the table of contents, searching for any mention of something like this.
Ritsuko smirked. “You won’t find this in the manual. This is Man’s ultimate humanoid fighting machine, the first model of the synthetic life form, Evangelion. Built here in secret, it is Man’s last hope.” She said this very matter-of-factly, obviously very proud of this creation. I was still in total awe of everything, unable to comprehend. I stared at this thing, in complete shock. The more I stared, I felt a sense of familiarity somehow, like something I’d known when I was a baby. I took no notice of it, and simply continued to stare.
“Is this what my father’s been doing?”
“Correct.”
I gasped again. No, not him. I knew he would be here, but I still don’t want to see him. Not even talk to him… Reluctantly, I looked up. High above the Evangelion’s horn was a yellow tinted window. And behind this window was…him. Standing there, behind the window, wearing those same loathsome tinted glasses he wore the day he dropped me alone in the world like a piece of trash.
“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
Tears welled up behind my eyes. I shook, partly out of anger, partly out of fear.
“Father…”
I averted my gaze. I heard him chuckle over the speaker.
“We’re moving out.”
“Moving out?” Misato yelled, alarmed, “Unit Zero’s still in cryostasis, isn’t it? Wait, you’re going to use Unit 01?”
“There’s no other way.”
I wasn’t listening. I was too overcome by emotions I had been fighting to shut out for three years, since the last time I’d seen my father. I’d buried them down inside my heart, but seeing him again caused them to burst to the surface. I was completely in my own world.
“Now wait, Rei can’t do it yet, can she? We have no pilot!”
“One has just arrived.”
“Are you serious?”
“Ikari Shinji-kun…”
I looked up, and looked at Ritsuko very intently, forcing myself not to look back up at him.
“You will pilot it.”
What? I must have misheard her. That’s impossible.
“But even Rei Ayanami took seven months to synchronize with her Eva! It’s impossible for him to do it! He just got here!”
I did hear correctly…why? Why me? Why me? I can’t do that. I won’t. Not for them. Not for him. Not for anyone.
“He just has to sit in the seat. We don’t expect him to do much more than that.”
“But…”
“Repelling that Angel is our top priority.”
Angel? That must be what that thing is. Angels…my father’s fighting angels…fitting.
Ritsuko continued, “If putting someone who has a chance of synchronizing into an Eva unit gives us even the slightest chance, then we have to do it. You understand that, don’t you, Captain Katsuragi.”
These people are all alike. They don’t care about what I want. As long as it gets it done, then that’s what will be done. But why? Even if I did sit in the seat, I wouldn’t be able to do anything! I’d just get killed…
“I suppose…”
I decided to finally speak up. Still staring at the ground, I addressed my father.
“Father, why did you send for me?”
“You know exactly why.”
I flinched every time I heard his voice.
“So, you’re asking me to take this thing and go out there and fight?”
I knew it. My father, of course, doesn’t care about me. He’d risk my life for his job. Not that he’d risk his own skin.
“Precisely.”
Tears finally began to escape from my eyes. My voice rose, and I shook openly. I looked at him for the first time since I looked down.
“No way! How can you do something like this to me! I knew you didn’t want me!”
“I called you because I have a need for you.”
I looked down again. My voice was barely above a whisper.
“Why me?”
“Because no one else can.”
His voice never changed tone, always the same, flat, horrible voice. With every word he spoke, I felt worse. No one else can? Then why could I do it? I’m below average, nothing I do is good! What do I have that no one else does…I responded incredulously, almost laughing, while tears still beaded in my eyes.
“No, I can’t…I’ve never seen anything like this before! I can’t do this!”
“You will be instructed.”
“But there’s no way! I CAN’T PILOT IT!”
His voice finally broke its tone. He was noticeably angry now.
“If you’re going to pilot it, do it now, and quickly. If not, LEAVE!”
I wanted to leave. I wanted to go back to my room, and forget about all this. But somehow, I stayed rooted to the spot, still looking down. I felt everyone’s eyes on me, waiting for me to speak again.
BOOM.
An explosion shook the room, I could hear the monster’s—the Angel’s—footsteps in the distance now.
“It must have detected our location,” Father said.
Another explosion rattled the building. Ritsuko spoke now.
“Shinji-kun, we don’t have any time.”
I looked over to Misato, hoping for some kinder words. I didn’t know what to do.
“Get into it.”
A shocked expression spread over my face, then I reverted to my previous expression and looked back down.
“No, I didn’t come for this! This is all wrong!”
Misato bent down, down to my level. For the first time, I was being addressed as a person.
“Shinji-kun, just why DID you come here?”
I looked the other way, troubled. I didn’t know the answer myself.
“You must confront your father and you must confront yourself.” She continued.
I KNOW THAT! BUT WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO? Does that mean I have to risk my life?
“I know that! But I JUST CAN’T!”
Silence. Everyone was silent. Misato stood back up, and looked towards my father. After a while, he spoke.
“Fuyutsuki. Wake up Rei.”
What?
After hearing the response, he replied.
“She isn’t dead.”
He then spoke again, apparently talking to someone new.
“Rei? Our spare is unusable. You will do it again.”
Ritsuko looked at me one last time, then yelled to the workers, “Reconfigure Unit 01’s system for Rei, then reactivate!”
“Roger. Call off the present work, and begin reactivation.”
I knew it. I’m not needed after all.
I heard the rattling of a cart, and running footsteps. A nearby door opened, and three people in hospital uniforms were running towards us, pushing a hospital bed with someone on top. I looked down as they passed by. It was a girl. She was pale white, with light blue hair, in a skin-tight white uniform with 00 stamped at the neck. A bandage was over her left eye, as well as more all over her body. She sat up. Her breathing was very erratic, and obviously very labored. I was in complete shock at this point. My father was willing to use a deathly injured girl because I wouldn’t do it?
Am I really going to make her do it because I am too afraid of my father? What kind of spineless loser am I? That’s just it though. I’m spineless. I’m a coward.
I grimaced, as I looked at the girl struggle to try to stand up, to no avail.
BOOM.
This explosion was louder than the last. It appeared to have finally broken through the Geofront’s walls. The room shook violently, and the bed fell over. The girl, Rei, fell to the ground. As soon as I picked myself up, I ran over to her, and lifted her head off the ground. Her breathing was sharp and rapid, her one visible eye closed in pain. I turned around, and looked at the Evangelion, the source of all of this conflict. I looked back at her. Her breathing continued to worsen. I lifted one hand, and saw that my palm was covered in blood. I gasped loudly. I closed my eyes.
I mustn’t run away. I mustn’t run away. I mustn’t run away. I mustn’t run away. I MUSTN’T RUN AWAY!
I looked up.
“I’ll do it. I’ll pilot it.”
***
I sat in a chair, inside a pill shaped construct suspended above the robot’s back. The water below me was drained, and the workers were moving rapidly, hurriedly preparing the robot. A whole bunch of statements I didn’t understand were rattled off over the intercom, and the back of the Evangelion opened up, revealing an opening for the plug, which I gathered was called the Entry Plug. The mechanical crane suspending the Plug placed the tip inside the hole, then pushed it inside. Lights of various colors flashed around me, and I felt a tingling in the back of my head.
“Filling the Entry Plug.”
Huh? I looked down, and I saw that there was a yellowish liquid filling the Plug rapidly.
“What is this stuff?”
I held my breath, as the water level went over my head.
“Don’t worry. Once your lungs are filled with LCL, your blood will be oxygenated directly.” Ritsuko’s voice, over a speaker in the plug.
I opened my mouth, when I ran out of air, and the liquid—LCL, I supposed—flooded inside my mouth and down my windpipe. I expected to feel pain, but I simply felt nauseous.
“Disgusting…”
“Stop whining! You’re a boy, aren’t you!”- Misato’s voice this time. Again, with the boy thing. What does that matter, anyway?
More technical babble, and then more flashing colors around my chair. I felt like I was going downwards. Eventually, the color went away, and a window to the outside appeared in front of me.
“Synchro ratio at 41.3%.”
“Amazing!” Ritsuko sounded impressed with this. All I did was sit down... Apparently I did something right.
“PREPARE TO LAUNCH!” Misato yelled.
Looking around, all sorts of locks and restraints were being removed from the Evangelion. But why does a giant robot need locks, I wonder? They can’t move on their own…
Seeing the area from up in the cockpit, and seeing all of the work being done just to get me ready almost made me feel confident. I was determined at the very least. I wanted to show him that maybe I was worth something. If I could do that, then it was worth coming here. Like that’ll ever happen though…
They moved the robot, with me in it, to an elevator pad on the far wall. Above me was a tunnel that seemed to lead all the way to the surface. I heard a click, I was locked in place on the elevator.
“LAUNCH!”
The locks released, I was catapulted upwards through the tunnel at high speed. I had to hold on to my chair just to keep sitting down. Soon, I reached the surface, and I was facing the Angel. I felt real fear then, staring down my enemy.
“Are you ready, Shinji?” Misato asked.
“Yes…” I replied, even though that was a complete lie.
“Release the final safety lock!” Another click. I was vaguely aware that I was standing up on my own now.
“EVANGELION UNIT 01, LIFT OFF!”
Here we go…
- Wevangeliwon
- Tunniel
- Posts: 155
- Joined: Oct 10, 2007
- Location: Australia
Very good. Explores Shinji's emotions well.
As for Shogoki saving him, I saw it and am 98% certain Shogoki did. What happened in Rebuild was: Misato and Shinji arrive at NERV with that whole 'do you know where you're going conversation', cut straight to the elevator where Ritsuko arrives, then cut to them going across the water to the hanger. There is also no .000000001 (or however many ones there are) conversation.
Keep it up!
As for Shogoki saving him, I saw it and am 98% certain Shogoki did. What happened in Rebuild was: Misato and Shinji arrive at NERV with that whole 'do you know where you're going conversation', cut straight to the elevator where Ritsuko arrives, then cut to them going across the water to the hanger. There is also no .000000001 (or however many ones there are) conversation.
Keep it up!
- Sailor Star Dust
- Kept you waiting, huh?
- Age: 38
- Posts: 23063
- Joined: Aug 13, 2006
- Location: 私の中いる自分の心
- Gender: Female
Good job with this chapter. 
So Shinji doesn't remember anything from before? It'll be interesting to see how you do that. ;)
Though from what I remember of hearing and following the Rebuild audio & transcript, those lines about the LCL and/or at least the "Kimochi Warui" (yes, that's what he says) part was axed.
By the way, have you been using that mp3 & trasnscript I sent you? Just curious.
@ Shiro: Yeah, that cut of Shogoki reaching out her hand isn't there. Same with the cut of Gendou before Rei smiles at Shinji.
So Shinji doesn't remember anything from before? It'll be interesting to see how you do that. ;)
Though from what I remember of hearing and following the Rebuild audio & transcript, those lines about the LCL and/or at least the "Kimochi Warui" (yes, that's what he says) part was axed.
By the way, have you been using that mp3 & trasnscript I sent you? Just curious.
@ Shiro: Yeah, that cut of Shogoki reaching out her hand isn't there. Same with the cut of Gendou before Rei smiles at Shinji.
~Take care of yourself, I need you~
Yeah, the timestamps are great, I've been using that a lot. It's just not that specific, so I have to fill in the blanks with the actual episodes. (And @ the LCL thing, it says simply "Eva Launch," so I used the old version) And the MP3s are nice, I really like the music. Sagisu's amazing.
And yeah, Shinji-kun doesn't remember anything. At least, not as of now. Whether he remembers things later will be interesting. I'm still debating how to handle that. I don't want to go the obvious route and have Rei 3 restore his memories, but...we'll see when I get there. I've still got 1.0 to finish first anyway. (Damn, I'm worried about 1.4 and 1.6...Ramiel will be tough to do justice in writing, and 1.4 is just hard)
And yeah, Shinji-kun doesn't remember anything. At least, not as of now. Whether he remembers things later will be interesting. I'm still debating how to handle that. I don't want to go the obvious route and have Rei 3 restore his memories, but...we'll see when I get there. I've still got 1.0 to finish first anyway. (Damn, I'm worried about 1.4 and 1.6...Ramiel will be tough to do justice in writing, and 1.4 is just hard)
- Sailor Star Dust
- Kept you waiting, huh?
- Age: 38
- Posts: 23063
- Joined: Aug 13, 2006
- Location: 私の中いる自分の心
- Gender: Female
Idea with the remembering part: Maybe something along the lines of certain words people say (eg: Misato's "Hang in there." ala Episode 02 (Can't remember if used in Rebuild or not), Rei's "You won't die. I'll protect you." ala Episode 05 (used in Rebuild), etc, etc) trigger something within him but he can't recall what?
Also, an A/S Fangirl request: Please please please! Let Shinji have a sense of deja vu around Asuka! It doesn't have to be that he remembers her exactly, but maybe just at least feeling she's familiar or something like that?
QFTFT.
Also, an A/S Fangirl request: Please please please! Let Shinji have a sense of deja vu around Asuka! It doesn't have to be that he remembers her exactly, but maybe just at least feeling she's familiar or something like that?
Shiro wrote:Sagisu's amazing.
QFTFT.
~Take care of yourself, I need you~
- Sailor Star Dust
- Kept you waiting, huh?
- Age: 38
- Posts: 23063
- Joined: Aug 13, 2006
- Location: 私の中いる自分の心
- Gender: Female
Here you are, 1.2.
Here's part 1.2. Sorry for the delay. This one's a bit shorter. 1.25 will be longer. We get into Webuild-exclusive content here. So Webuild spoilers abound.
1.2: Mezameru （めざめる）
“Shinji-kun, think only of walking right now,” Ritsuko’s voice came in through the speakers.
Walk…I was frightened, and it showed on my face. I trembled all over. I fought to push it all out of my head, and concentrated only on walking.
I heard the whirr of machinery, and I saw from the viewscreen in front of me that I was walking forward. The ground shook when my foot hit the ground. I noted a pressure in the back of my head. It felt—however strange—that something else was inside my head. I supposed it was my imagination again, and pushed it away, thinking of nothing but walking forward.
“It’s walking!” Ritsuko exclaimed. The surprise in her voice indicated that she wasn’t expecting it to work.
“Walk…” I said aloud, summoning as much concentration as I could muster. But as I began to take the next step forward, Ritsuko’s surprise finally registered in my head.
Making me their guinea pig, I see…they didn’t even know if it was going to move!
This interrupted my concentration. I lost my balance and fell forward. There was a loud crash as I fell, and I felt as if something had hit me in the forehead. I placed my hand on my forehead, dizzy, when I heard someone else’s footsteps. I looked up, and saw that the Angel was coming towards me.
“Shinji-kun, are you OK?” came Misato’s voice, alarmed, “Hurry! Get up!”
The Angel loomed above me, looking more frightening than ever. It had two identical faces now, instead of one, and all four of its loathsome black eyes were staring straight at me. My fear grew, and I sucked in air rapidly. My eyes widened, as the Angel reached down and grabbed my head. In spite of my fear, I noticed a red sphere similar to the one in its stomach in the center of its palm. The Angel picked me up with one hand, and, holding me by my head, raised me up in front of it. It grabbed my other arm. The Angel’s arm suddenly grew to twice its previous size, and jerked my arm forward towards it, pulling my head in one direction, and my arm in the other.
“Gah!” I felt an intense pain in my real arm, stemming from exactly where the Angel was pulling on the Evangelion’s arm. Veins pulsed, and I grabbed the arm with my other, trying to stop the pain.
“Shinji-kun! Calm down! That’s not your arm!”
Not my arm? That’s right! That’s the Evangelion’s arm, not mine. Why do I keep thinking of it as my own?
The pressure increased, as the Angel continued to pull harder and harder. The Angel began to compress on where it was holding my—the EVANGELION’S—arm, crushing it. I felt as if my arm was about to snap in two. I heard a loud CRACK, and suddenly the arm went limp. All feeling was gone in my left arm.
What the hell? That wasn’t my arm! Why am I the one feeling pain?
I had no time to ponder the question, however. The Angel raised me higher, and held me straight out from its left arm. The crimson sphere in its palm glowed with white light, and all of the sudden,
“Shinji-kun! DODGE IT!” Misato screamed.
I heard a crashing noise, and white hot pain surged through my right eye.
“AAAAAH!” I screamed.
It hit me again, and again, six more times. Each time, the pain got worse and worse. Cracks appeared in my field of vision, my audio began to become nothing more than white noise. I heard it hit me one more time, and I was pushed backwards at high speed. I heard a smashing noise, and my head smashed into my chair. The pressure in the back of my head grew to an unbearable level. The viewscreen, now completely cracked, turned blood red. The red swam all over my field of vision, enveloping everything. The red swirled into blackness, and I passed out.
***
I was sitting on a train. It was unmoving, and no one was inside the car. I looked down, and I didn’t see my body. This didn’t shock me, however. I felt completely detached from the world. I was simply there. No thoughts, no breath, no life. It was as if this train was the only thing in existence, yet somehow it didn’t seem to exist either. Outside the window was solid orange, the color of the LCL. Suddenly, I heard a voice. It seemed to be coming from everywhere, but nowhere. It seemed more familiar to me than anything I’d encountered so far, but I didn’t know where, but didn’t care. It had a certain quality to it, something impossible to explain. It felt…loving. Caring.
“If it’s a boy, Shinji. If a girl, Rei. Ayanami Shinji, Ikari Rei…”
The voice paused, thoughtful.
“No, Ikari Shinji, Ayanami Rei.”
I snapped to a state of alertness at the mention of these names. I suddenly realized who the voice belonged to.
…mother?
***
I awoke to blackness.
“Circuts reconnected.”
“Systems restored. Graphs back to normal.”
“Pilot life signs confirmed.”
What the hell just happened? Did I pass out? Where’s the Angel?
My fear was gone, to be replaced by paralyzing shock. The pressure in the back of my head was gone, but I felt as if something huge had happened. I tightened a fist on my left hand, only to realize that feeling had been restored.
The lights came back on. I looked out from the viewscreen, and I saw that the cracks were gone. The Angel was nowhere to be found.
“Send out the recovery team! Hurry!”
“Preserving the pilot’s life is our first priority.”
But I’m perfectly OK! What happened?
I tried to speak, but I couldn’t form words. Instead, I looked out and surveyed the landscape. A building next to me had a reflective surface, and I saw that the Evangelion’s head was completely destroyed, as if it had been incinerated. The burned remains suddenly slipped off and fell to the ground, revealing something grotesque. I looked away and put it out of my mind, believing it to be a trick of the light.
It’s a giant robot, there’s no way it really looks like that underneath…
I looked back, to confirm my thought, and I saw that I was wrong. Behind the steel face—I supposed it’s a mask—was something completely different, but distinctly organic. It was long and flesh colored, with a black hole where the eye would be. Tubes came out from the back of its head—its true face—and went down into its body. I stared at it, dumbfounded.
What IS this thing? What exactly has my father created?
I blinked, and what I saw next shocked me even more. My eyes widened, and I gasped. The eye socket began to bubble, like boiling water. The bubbles grew and grew, until they gave way to a pink, ovular slit in the center. It widened, and in the middle, a green sphere formed. It turned around, revealing an eye. I looked it directly in the eye, and it looked back at me. The impact of what it was hit me, and…
“Aaah…ahh…AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”
***
I awoke.
My first feeling was that of warmth. I was warm. My second feeling was that of confusion. I didn’t know where I was, or what had happened. I was too tired to sit up, so I continued to look at the ceiling. I could tell I was in a bed.
“An unfamiliar ceiling…”
Here's part 1.2. Sorry for the delay. This one's a bit shorter. 1.25 will be longer. We get into Webuild-exclusive content here. So Webuild spoilers abound.
1.2: Mezameru （めざめる）
“Shinji-kun, think only of walking right now,” Ritsuko’s voice came in through the speakers.
Walk…I was frightened, and it showed on my face. I trembled all over. I fought to push it all out of my head, and concentrated only on walking.
I heard the whirr of machinery, and I saw from the viewscreen in front of me that I was walking forward. The ground shook when my foot hit the ground. I noted a pressure in the back of my head. It felt—however strange—that something else was inside my head. I supposed it was my imagination again, and pushed it away, thinking of nothing but walking forward.
“It’s walking!” Ritsuko exclaimed. The surprise in her voice indicated that she wasn’t expecting it to work.
“Walk…” I said aloud, summoning as much concentration as I could muster. But as I began to take the next step forward, Ritsuko’s surprise finally registered in my head.
Making me their guinea pig, I see…they didn’t even know if it was going to move!
This interrupted my concentration. I lost my balance and fell forward. There was a loud crash as I fell, and I felt as if something had hit me in the forehead. I placed my hand on my forehead, dizzy, when I heard someone else’s footsteps. I looked up, and saw that the Angel was coming towards me.
“Shinji-kun, are you OK?” came Misato’s voice, alarmed, “Hurry! Get up!”
The Angel loomed above me, looking more frightening than ever. It had two identical faces now, instead of one, and all four of its loathsome black eyes were staring straight at me. My fear grew, and I sucked in air rapidly. My eyes widened, as the Angel reached down and grabbed my head. In spite of my fear, I noticed a red sphere similar to the one in its stomach in the center of its palm. The Angel picked me up with one hand, and, holding me by my head, raised me up in front of it. It grabbed my other arm. The Angel’s arm suddenly grew to twice its previous size, and jerked my arm forward towards it, pulling my head in one direction, and my arm in the other.
“Gah!” I felt an intense pain in my real arm, stemming from exactly where the Angel was pulling on the Evangelion’s arm. Veins pulsed, and I grabbed the arm with my other, trying to stop the pain.
“Shinji-kun! Calm down! That’s not your arm!”
Not my arm? That’s right! That’s the Evangelion’s arm, not mine. Why do I keep thinking of it as my own?
The pressure increased, as the Angel continued to pull harder and harder. The Angel began to compress on where it was holding my—the EVANGELION’S—arm, crushing it. I felt as if my arm was about to snap in two. I heard a loud CRACK, and suddenly the arm went limp. All feeling was gone in my left arm.
What the hell? That wasn’t my arm! Why am I the one feeling pain?
I had no time to ponder the question, however. The Angel raised me higher, and held me straight out from its left arm. The crimson sphere in its palm glowed with white light, and all of the sudden,
“Shinji-kun! DODGE IT!” Misato screamed.
I heard a crashing noise, and white hot pain surged through my right eye.
“AAAAAH!” I screamed.
It hit me again, and again, six more times. Each time, the pain got worse and worse. Cracks appeared in my field of vision, my audio began to become nothing more than white noise. I heard it hit me one more time, and I was pushed backwards at high speed. I heard a smashing noise, and my head smashed into my chair. The pressure in the back of my head grew to an unbearable level. The viewscreen, now completely cracked, turned blood red. The red swam all over my field of vision, enveloping everything. The red swirled into blackness, and I passed out.
***
I was sitting on a train. It was unmoving, and no one was inside the car. I looked down, and I didn’t see my body. This didn’t shock me, however. I felt completely detached from the world. I was simply there. No thoughts, no breath, no life. It was as if this train was the only thing in existence, yet somehow it didn’t seem to exist either. Outside the window was solid orange, the color of the LCL. Suddenly, I heard a voice. It seemed to be coming from everywhere, but nowhere. It seemed more familiar to me than anything I’d encountered so far, but I didn’t know where, but didn’t care. It had a certain quality to it, something impossible to explain. It felt…loving. Caring.
“If it’s a boy, Shinji. If a girl, Rei. Ayanami Shinji, Ikari Rei…”
The voice paused, thoughtful.
“No, Ikari Shinji, Ayanami Rei.”
I snapped to a state of alertness at the mention of these names. I suddenly realized who the voice belonged to.
…mother?
***
I awoke to blackness.
“Circuts reconnected.”
“Systems restored. Graphs back to normal.”
“Pilot life signs confirmed.”
What the hell just happened? Did I pass out? Where’s the Angel?
My fear was gone, to be replaced by paralyzing shock. The pressure in the back of my head was gone, but I felt as if something huge had happened. I tightened a fist on my left hand, only to realize that feeling had been restored.
The lights came back on. I looked out from the viewscreen, and I saw that the cracks were gone. The Angel was nowhere to be found.
“Send out the recovery team! Hurry!”
“Preserving the pilot’s life is our first priority.”
But I’m perfectly OK! What happened?
I tried to speak, but I couldn’t form words. Instead, I looked out and surveyed the landscape. A building next to me had a reflective surface, and I saw that the Evangelion’s head was completely destroyed, as if it had been incinerated. The burned remains suddenly slipped off and fell to the ground, revealing something grotesque. I looked away and put it out of my mind, believing it to be a trick of the light.
It’s a giant robot, there’s no way it really looks like that underneath…
I looked back, to confirm my thought, and I saw that I was wrong. Behind the steel face—I supposed it’s a mask—was something completely different, but distinctly organic. It was long and flesh colored, with a black hole where the eye would be. Tubes came out from the back of its head—its true face—and went down into its body. I stared at it, dumbfounded.
What IS this thing? What exactly has my father created?
I blinked, and what I saw next shocked me even more. My eyes widened, and I gasped. The eye socket began to bubble, like boiling water. The bubbles grew and grew, until they gave way to a pink, ovular slit in the center. It widened, and in the middle, a green sphere formed. It turned around, revealing an eye. I looked it directly in the eye, and it looked back at me. The impact of what it was hit me, and…
“Aaah…ahh…AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”
***
I awoke.
My first feeling was that of warmth. I was warm. My second feeling was that of confusion. I didn’t know where I was, or what had happened. I was too tired to sit up, so I continued to look at the ceiling. I could tell I was in a bed.
“An unfamiliar ceiling…”
- Sailor Star Dust
- Kept you waiting, huh?
- Age: 38
- Posts: 23063
- Joined: Aug 13, 2006
- Location: 私の中いる自分の心
- Gender: Female
OK, since this next bit is going to be really long, I'm putting out part of it now.
***
REBUILD OF
EVANGELION
1.25: HOMECOMING
It had taken me some time to force myself out of bed. How long, I wasn’t sure, but it felt like hours. I wandered the hospital—for it was a hospital, I soon discovered—aimlessly, before coming to rest by a window. I stared out at the landscape, but not really looking at anything. I simply stared, mind blank, completely withdrawn. Soon, however, a door opening shook me out of my trance. I turned to look, and I saw a nurse pushing a stretcher. As it neared me, I saw that the person whom it was transporting was the girl from earlier. Ayanami Rei, I guessed. She looked seriously injured, one arm in a cast, with a bandage over her left eye. Time seemed to slow as she passed by, each looking at each other, and again, I was possessed by a strange feeling of familiarity which I couldn’t explain.
Who is she? I’ve never met her before, but I can’t help but feel like I’ve known her my whole life, and I’ve simply forgotten…What am I thinking? I’m being stupid. It’s probably just the painkillers they gave me…
I sighed, and looked away as she passed by me. I looked down, and by the time I looked up again, she was already gone.
***
I continued to wander. Eventually, I found myself in an empty room with lots of wooden benches. I sat down in a middle row and stared at the floor. I laid my hands down next to me, and found that they fell upon a book. I picked it up, and saw the words “HOLY BIBLE” inscribed in gold on the cover.
This is the hospital church, I suppose…fitting.
I looked up at the ceiling. If God really was there, why was he sending his Angels? Are they really angels? Monsters that bear the name of Angel…why?
It seems the sort of thing my father would decide upon…he’s definitely evil enough.
I sat there, thinking for the first time, wondering about all that had happened, but forcing myself to not remember what had happened after the battle. That particular memory was shut from his mind. Remembering what he saw would simply cause pain.
I lifted my arm, and stared at the spot where it had been broken. It hadn’t been his arm at all, why had he felt it? What sort of robot had he created? One that causes the pilot pain as well?
Certainly seems like his work. He never cared about how I felt, or when I was hurt. He only asked me to do something when he needed me to do something, and it always caused me pain…
I don’t know how long I sat, or what time it was. All I knew was that eventually, I was shaken out of my thoughts once again, this time by footsteps. I looked up; it was Misato-san. She motioned for me to follow her, so I stood up and followed.
We walked from the hospital out into the main portion of Nerv HQ. Misato was silent the whole time we walked, obviously perceptive enough to know I wouldn’t respond. We walked to one of the elevators, and Misato pushed on the UP button. After a few seconds, the elevator door opened. Inside…stood him again. He stood over me menacingly; his face screamed, “Don’t bother speaking to me, I’m busy.” His eyes, hidden behind his glasses, stared straight through me. I couldn’t bear to look at them anymore; I averted my gaze. I noticed the faintest of smirks cross his lips as the door closed again. We decided to take the escalator nearby instead.
We ended up in a dark room above the Geofront. If I hadn’t been feeling subdued, I would have noticed that the view was incredible. We stood on a glass ceiling, directly above the pyramid that was Nerv HQ. The room was completely dark, save for the lights coming in from under us. Misato and I stood facing a Nerv official, who were apparently discussing my living arrangements.
“Alone?” Misato said, shocked.
“Right. His room will be in Sixth Block, just below this one. Is that satisfactory?”
“Yes.” I replied.
“Are you sure? Shinji-kun…” Misato asked, concerned.
“It’s OK. Being alone is fine with me.”
It’s also all I’ve known my whole life…I’m always alone. I always have been. Ever since HE abandoned me…
Surprising myself, I actually spoke aloud again.
“I’m alone anyway.”
***
Following the conversation, Misato decided these arrangements weren’t satisfactory. She pulled the official aside, and took him outside the room. I heard some raised voices, but I didn’t really care what they argued about. It didn’t matter where I stayed, I was still alone. After a while, Misato re-entered the room with an enormous grin on her face.
”Guess what, Shinji-kun? You’re going to be living with ME from now on!”
Living with Misato-san? She wants me to stay with her? But…no one’s ever wanted me to be around them before…why?
I contemplated this sudden decision as I followed her back to where we entered, when we stopped suddenly at a telephone.
“I’ve gotta give Ritsuko a call real quick, OK? I’ve gotta let her know where you’re staying!”
“OK.”
What is she doing? Why could she possibly want me to stay with her? I barely met her…and she’s a grown woman, and I’m a whining, pathetic little kid…not exactly the ideal roommate.
“Hey, Ritsuko. I’m going to be taking care of Shinji from now on, so could you make all of the arrangements for me?”
I could hear the reply over the phone; Misato was holding it far enough away from her ear.
“What?”
“So, I said, I’ll take care of Shinji-kun. I’ve already got permission from the brass. Hey, it’s not like I’m going to ‘put the moves’ on him or something!”
For some reason, the last line made me chuckle. I wasn’t sure why, it just seemed strange to me.
“Of course not!” came Ritsuko’s reply, sharply. “How could you even THINK of such a thing?”
“She just can’t take a joke…”
A joke. That’s why I chuckled. Of course.
***
REBUILD OF
EVANGELION
1.25: HOMECOMING
It had taken me some time to force myself out of bed. How long, I wasn’t sure, but it felt like hours. I wandered the hospital—for it was a hospital, I soon discovered—aimlessly, before coming to rest by a window. I stared out at the landscape, but not really looking at anything. I simply stared, mind blank, completely withdrawn. Soon, however, a door opening shook me out of my trance. I turned to look, and I saw a nurse pushing a stretcher. As it neared me, I saw that the person whom it was transporting was the girl from earlier. Ayanami Rei, I guessed. She looked seriously injured, one arm in a cast, with a bandage over her left eye. Time seemed to slow as she passed by, each looking at each other, and again, I was possessed by a strange feeling of familiarity which I couldn’t explain.
Who is she? I’ve never met her before, but I can’t help but feel like I’ve known her my whole life, and I’ve simply forgotten…What am I thinking? I’m being stupid. It’s probably just the painkillers they gave me…
I sighed, and looked away as she passed by me. I looked down, and by the time I looked up again, she was already gone.
***
I continued to wander. Eventually, I found myself in an empty room with lots of wooden benches. I sat down in a middle row and stared at the floor. I laid my hands down next to me, and found that they fell upon a book. I picked it up, and saw the words “HOLY BIBLE” inscribed in gold on the cover.
This is the hospital church, I suppose…fitting.
I looked up at the ceiling. If God really was there, why was he sending his Angels? Are they really angels? Monsters that bear the name of Angel…why?
It seems the sort of thing my father would decide upon…he’s definitely evil enough.
I sat there, thinking for the first time, wondering about all that had happened, but forcing myself to not remember what had happened after the battle. That particular memory was shut from his mind. Remembering what he saw would simply cause pain.
I lifted my arm, and stared at the spot where it had been broken. It hadn’t been his arm at all, why had he felt it? What sort of robot had he created? One that causes the pilot pain as well?
Certainly seems like his work. He never cared about how I felt, or when I was hurt. He only asked me to do something when he needed me to do something, and it always caused me pain…
I don’t know how long I sat, or what time it was. All I knew was that eventually, I was shaken out of my thoughts once again, this time by footsteps. I looked up; it was Misato-san. She motioned for me to follow her, so I stood up and followed.
We walked from the hospital out into the main portion of Nerv HQ. Misato was silent the whole time we walked, obviously perceptive enough to know I wouldn’t respond. We walked to one of the elevators, and Misato pushed on the UP button. After a few seconds, the elevator door opened. Inside…stood him again. He stood over me menacingly; his face screamed, “Don’t bother speaking to me, I’m busy.” His eyes, hidden behind his glasses, stared straight through me. I couldn’t bear to look at them anymore; I averted my gaze. I noticed the faintest of smirks cross his lips as the door closed again. We decided to take the escalator nearby instead.
We ended up in a dark room above the Geofront. If I hadn’t been feeling subdued, I would have noticed that the view was incredible. We stood on a glass ceiling, directly above the pyramid that was Nerv HQ. The room was completely dark, save for the lights coming in from under us. Misato and I stood facing a Nerv official, who were apparently discussing my living arrangements.
“Alone?” Misato said, shocked.
“Right. His room will be in Sixth Block, just below this one. Is that satisfactory?”
“Yes.” I replied.
“Are you sure? Shinji-kun…” Misato asked, concerned.
“It’s OK. Being alone is fine with me.”
It’s also all I’ve known my whole life…I’m always alone. I always have been. Ever since HE abandoned me…
Surprising myself, I actually spoke aloud again.
“I’m alone anyway.”
***
Following the conversation, Misato decided these arrangements weren’t satisfactory. She pulled the official aside, and took him outside the room. I heard some raised voices, but I didn’t really care what they argued about. It didn’t matter where I stayed, I was still alone. After a while, Misato re-entered the room with an enormous grin on her face.
”Guess what, Shinji-kun? You’re going to be living with ME from now on!”
Living with Misato-san? She wants me to stay with her? But…no one’s ever wanted me to be around them before…why?
I contemplated this sudden decision as I followed her back to where we entered, when we stopped suddenly at a telephone.
“I’ve gotta give Ritsuko a call real quick, OK? I’ve gotta let her know where you’re staying!”
“OK.”
What is she doing? Why could she possibly want me to stay with her? I barely met her…and she’s a grown woman, and I’m a whining, pathetic little kid…not exactly the ideal roommate.
“Hey, Ritsuko. I’m going to be taking care of Shinji from now on, so could you make all of the arrangements for me?”
I could hear the reply over the phone; Misato was holding it far enough away from her ear.
“What?”
“So, I said, I’ll take care of Shinji-kun. I’ve already got permission from the brass. Hey, it’s not like I’m going to ‘put the moves’ on him or something!”
For some reason, the last line made me chuckle. I wasn’t sure why, it just seemed strange to me.
“Of course not!” came Ritsuko’s reply, sharply. “How could you even THINK of such a thing?”
“She just can’t take a joke…”
A joke. That’s why I chuckled. Of course.
YAHOOOOOOOO! 1.25 is DONE! I just might finish this fic! Well, here we go. Again, really, really damn long. Glad I posted part of it earlier.
***
We were driving through a dark tunnel; we had just left Nerv HQ, and were headed for Misato’s home. I sat in the passenger seat, clutching the packet of handouts I had been issued before leaving. I didn’t speak to her, but she was determined to engage me in conversation.
“Well, we’ll have to have a party tonight, right?” she asked happily.
“What for?”
“What for? A welcoming party for my new roommate, of course!”
She seems very determined to get me to be happy. And yet I still don’t know why she even bothered taking me in…I’d be better off by myself…I don’t want to be a bother to other people…
We passed out of the tunnel and into the light. The tunnel had taken us out of the Geofront, and now we were back in Tokyo-3. We drove through the city and stopped at a small 24-hour food mart.
“Come on, Shinji-kun! We can’t have a party without food!”
She beckoned for me to follow her inside. I did, and Misato quickly ran for the aisles, grabbing random foods that caught her eye. Her basket was full within seconds. As we stood at the checkout counter, I could hear the couple next to us speaking in worried tones.
“So, you’re going to move after all?” the first asked.
“Yes, I’d never have dreamt that this city would become a battlefield.”
“Yeah.”
“My husband’s saying that our kid and I should move, at the very least.”
“Don’t I know it. This city may be a fortress, but that’s no guarantee of safety.”
“Just remembering it gives me the chills…”
Their words were true; why would anyone bother staying when their lives were in danger?
But hang on…won’t they be safer here in Tokyo-3 than anywhere else? It’s a fortress, after all. And this is where the Evangelion is…if the Angels attacked somewhere else, it’d be all over for them.
After a while, we returned to the car. It was getting late; the sun was about to set. Naturally, Misato had loaded all of the bags onto my lap, so I was anxious to get out.
“I hope you don’t mind if we make a little stop along the way.”
Of course…where does she want to go now? Can’t we just go to our destination?
“Where?”
“Someplace really cool.”
Vague…why must adults always be so vague?
We stopped at a viewpoint that overlooked the city. After much difficulty, I moved the bags off of my lap and managed to squeeze out of the car. I stood by the railing, and looked over the landscape.
“So desolate,” I said, “This city seems so lonely…”
And it was true. The city seemed devoid of life, entirely machine. No signs of human habitation were immediately visible. It lived up to its reputation as a fortress.
“It’s time,” Misato said as she looked up from her watch.
Time for what? I wondered. My wondering didn’t last long, however, as a siren began to sound. I stared out over the city, and I began to hear the rumble of distant machinery. Soon after, buildings began to rise from the ground. Full fledged skyscrapers simply rose majestically, growing to staggering heights. These skyscrapers rose far above the rest of the city. They were incredible to look at, especially with the setting sun reflecting off of their metal outer walls.
“Amazing! The buildings are growing!” I said, awed.
As the buildings locked into place, all the lights turned on throughout the city. Within seconds, the city seemed to be teeming with life.
“This city is a fortress, designed to protect against the Angels. This is Tokyo-3. This is our city.”
She turned to look at me, looking directly into my eyes.
“And it’s the city you saved.”
***
Finally, we arrived at Misato’s home. It was an apartment, inside a large block of similar apartments. We took the elevator to Misato’s floor, and walked over to her door. It was identical to the others, save for the “M Katsuragi” stamped on a nameplate. A few boxes stood in an uneven pile next to the door.
“Your things should have already been delivered, Shinji. I just moved into this apartment, too.”
She pushed a button next to the door, and it slid open. She walked right inside, but I hesitated. She looked back at me, and smiled again.
“Come on in.”
“Pardon the intrusion.” I said humbly. I went through the ritual; adults usually were impressed with my formality, and left me alone.
“Shinji, this is your home now,” she reassured me.
Well, OK…maybe I actually could find a home here. Maybe she doesn’t have a motive, maybe she actually cares.
Hesitantly, I stepped over the threshold and into her apartment.
“I…I’m home.” I said, blushing slightly.
“Welcome home.”
The door slid shut behind me, and I stepped forward, inside. Misato turned on the lights, and I walked out of the entrance hallway into what appeared to be the kitchen. As I did, a noxious odor hit my nose. In front of me, on what looked like the dinner table, sat a large pile of beer cans, bags of Doritos, and other random snacks. I laid the bags down on the floor.
“As you can see, the place is a little bit messy. Make yourself comfortable!”
I looked around, and saw that the rest of the house was just as messy. Piles of boxes were stacked haphazardly in the corners, half-closed bags of trash littered the floor, random bottles covered the shelves.
“You call this ‘a little bit’ messy?” I muttered to myself.
How can she live like this? This is crazy! I can barely BREATHE in here! What have I gotten myself into…
“Oh! Sorry! Could you put the food in the fridge?” she called from another room.
“Erm…sure.” I said.
I opened the fridge, and pulled out the shelves.
“Ice…”
“Snacks…”
“And tons of beer!” I exclaimed. “What kind of life does she lead?”
After shoving the food into the fridge—there was barely enough room amongst all the beer—I saw that there was a second fridge on the opposite side of the room.
“Excuse me, what’s in the other fridge?”
“Oh, don’t mind that. He’s probably still sleeping.”
“Sleeping…?”
Sleeping? There’s an ANIMAL that lives in all this too?
As soon as Misato finished changing her clothes—she was now dressed in a pair of shorts and a tanktop—we prepared the food. All of the food Misato had purchased was instant food, so she threw it all into the microwave and heated it up. She grabbed a couple of beers, and then we sat down to eat.
“Itedakimasu!” she said, excited.
“…itedakimasu.”
Immediately, she grabbed her beer and gulped the entire can in one go. I didn’t touch my food; I wasn’t hungry after today’s events. I just sat and stared at the table. As soon as her beer can was empty, a change came over her. She let out a high-pitched shriek, and her face twisted into an enormous grin.
“Yahaaaa! Kyaaaaa! Life just doesn’t get any better than this!”
Her face immediately changed back to a calm, regular expression.
What is with her? She drinks way too much…and she gets intoxicated so easily…
“Don’t you want to eat? It’s good, even if it is all instant,” she asked, as she grabbed another beer.
“I’m sorry, I’m just not used to it.”
Apparently this triggered something, as she slammed her beer on the table, and her expression changed to one of anger. She leaned forward over the table, and put her face directly in front of mine.
“No, that’s not what I…well…”
She immediately smiled again, and all trace of anger was gone.
“Isn’t this nice,” she said happily.
“Erm…”
Yep, definitely drunk. What is with her? Getting drunk during her first dinner with her new, underage roommate? So irresponsible…
“Having two for dinner instead of eating alone!”
“Yeah…”
This went on for several more minutes, until Misato decided it was time to divide the chores. By this time, there was a pyramid of beer cans next to us, some full, some empty, some partially full.
“And to do it fairly, we’ll play Rock Paper Scissors. OK?”
“Fine…” I sighed.
I seemed to have the worst luck at this; Misato won almost all of the games. Misato ended up with only one or two chores per day, while I was stuck with everything else. After making it into a chart, and pasting it on the wall, she sat down for more beer.
“OK! That was a pretty fair way of splitting up our daily chores!”
“…yeah.”
Fair? Come on. She’s just lazy, and now she’s gonna use me to take care of her house, too. Jeez.
“This is your home now, so make yourself comfortable, and take advantage of everything here, except me!”
Yeah, like I’d ever do that.
“Yes…” I replied, grimacing.
“Man, yes, yes, yes. Is that all you say? It’s getting on my nerves!”
She jumped up onto the table, and grabbed my head. Her angry expression returned, and ruffling my hair, she yelled,
“You’re a boy, aren’t you? Act like a man! Okay?”
“Uh…yes…”
She lifted her hand and sat back down, happy again.
“Okay, that’s just the way you are. Well, why don’t you go take a bath and scrub away all those bad memories?”
Wagging her finger, she continued, “Bathing cleanses the mind and soul.”
Fine…maybe I can get some time to myself…
Misato pointed towards the bathroom, and I headed over there. I undressed myself, then walked to the shower. Bras and panties littered the floor, and some were suspended by a rack off the ceiling. I blushed slightly, and moved towards the shower to turn it on, then realized I had forgotten a towel. I walked back to the door and opened it. I was about to walk forward, when I heard a strange, ducklike sound coming from the ground. Looking down, I saw a penguin, shaking to dry itself off.
Wait…a penguin? A PENGUIN?
“Aaaaaaaaaah!!!”
I ran for the door to the bathroom, and threw it open.
“Mi…mi…mi…Misato-san!”
“What?” she asked, completely calm.
“A p…a p…a p...” I began, unable to continue.
It waddled past me, heading for the second refrigerator. It seemed to possess intelligence unlike that of a normal penguin. Something about the way it walked made it seem distinctly humanlike.
“Oh, him?” Misato said, amused. “He’s one of those new warm-water penguins.”
A claw extended from its flipper, and pushed a button on the fridge. A door slid open, revealing a penguin habitat. It looked back at me, almost mockingly. Its eyes were bright green, and it had two red frills extending from its nostrils. It wore a silver collar that read, “PEN^2.” It walked back inside. I looked back to Misato, still wearing a shocked expression.
“What was that?”
“His name’s Pen-pen. He’s your other roommate.”
She lifted another beer from the table, and took a sip before continuing.
“Why don’t you cover up?”
I looked down, and remembered that I was undressed. My face turned beet red. I reached down to cover myself, and sheepishly walked back inside.
***
As I lay in the bath, allowing the warm water to comfort me, I finally allowed my mind to wander.
Katsuragi Misato-san…
What is there to say about her? She’s so…weird! Everything about her is so childish, and ridiculous! But…she seems to have a caring personality, too…
She’s not a bad person… I decided.
But that doesn’t mean that she’s anything more than another adult. Just because she’s a nice person doesn’t mean that she won’t hesitate to use me when she sees fit. She DOES work for HIM after all. And everyone else at Nerv is so cold…
“Bathing cleanses the mind and soul!” I heard again in my head.
But bad memories always seem to find me when I’m in the bath…I sighed.
Images flashed before me. The Evangelion. Ayanami Rei. A boy crying on the sidewalk. My father.
Like my father…and Ayanami Rei…
As soon as I had finished, I dried off and re-dressed myself. I walked outside to find Misato still sitting there, drinking more beer.
“Misato-san?”
“Yes?”
“I’d like to go to bed now. Could you show me where I’ll be staying?”
Without standing up, she pointed to a door. I walked to it, and I saw that she had taped up a sign to it, that read “Shin-chan’s room,” with a little heart next to it.
Shin-chan, huh? Whatever. Adults always like to call me Shin-chan…it’s really not that funny or cute…whatever. There’s no point in protesting it, after all.
I walked inside, to find a simple room with a bed against the far wall, next to a window, with a few boxes of clothes littered around the room. In the corner sat a small box of my possessions.
I wonder if it’s still there…
I walked to the box and dug around until I found what I was looking for. My SDAT music player.
Even the tape’s still inside…good.
I plugged in the headphones, and put them on. Lying down on my bed, I set it to track 25 and spaced out, not even listening to the music. It simply helped tune out the rest of the world. It was my escape. I had long ago grown tired of the songs on the single tape I owned, but tracks 25 and 26 were especially effective at helping me escape, so I continued to play them.
I lay there, completely out of synch with the rest of the world. I sat there and stared into space, not thinking, not caring. The SDAT switched to track 26. I continued to stare. I rolled over onto my back, and stared at the ceiling.
“Another unfamiliar ceiling…Of course. In this whole city, there’s not one place that’s familiar…”
“This is your home!” I heard Misato say.
Why am I here? I wondered. I have no place here. I’m not really needed. As soon as Ayanami Rei is healthy again, they can just use her.
I heard the sounds of today’s battle in my head. The crashing of the Angel’s weapon against my head. It grew louder with every passing second. Images from the fight flashed through my head, including images I didn’t recognize. I saw them just as vividly as I saw the ceiling above me. I saw the Evangelion attack the Angel, rip its arms off, smash its core. I saw the Angel self-destruct. I saw the eye. That horrible, loathsome eye. I rolled over onto my side, and stared out the window into the blackness.
“Shinji-kun, can I come in?” I heard Misato ask from outside. I didn’t move. I didn’t respond. I was too lost in my thoughts. Her voice barely registered in my head.
I vaguely heard her open the door and step inside.
“I forgot to tell you something. You did a very good thing today. You should be proud of yourself.”
I wasn’t listening. I didn’t hear anything more than a buzz in my ears.
“Goodnight, Shinji-kun. Hang in there.”
***
***
We were driving through a dark tunnel; we had just left Nerv HQ, and were headed for Misato’s home. I sat in the passenger seat, clutching the packet of handouts I had been issued before leaving. I didn’t speak to her, but she was determined to engage me in conversation.
“Well, we’ll have to have a party tonight, right?” she asked happily.
“What for?”
“What for? A welcoming party for my new roommate, of course!”
She seems very determined to get me to be happy. And yet I still don’t know why she even bothered taking me in…I’d be better off by myself…I don’t want to be a bother to other people…
We passed out of the tunnel and into the light. The tunnel had taken us out of the Geofront, and now we were back in Tokyo-3. We drove through the city and stopped at a small 24-hour food mart.
“Come on, Shinji-kun! We can’t have a party without food!”
She beckoned for me to follow her inside. I did, and Misato quickly ran for the aisles, grabbing random foods that caught her eye. Her basket was full within seconds. As we stood at the checkout counter, I could hear the couple next to us speaking in worried tones.
“So, you’re going to move after all?” the first asked.
“Yes, I’d never have dreamt that this city would become a battlefield.”
“Yeah.”
“My husband’s saying that our kid and I should move, at the very least.”
“Don’t I know it. This city may be a fortress, but that’s no guarantee of safety.”
“Just remembering it gives me the chills…”
Their words were true; why would anyone bother staying when their lives were in danger?
But hang on…won’t they be safer here in Tokyo-3 than anywhere else? It’s a fortress, after all. And this is where the Evangelion is…if the Angels attacked somewhere else, it’d be all over for them.
After a while, we returned to the car. It was getting late; the sun was about to set. Naturally, Misato had loaded all of the bags onto my lap, so I was anxious to get out.
“I hope you don’t mind if we make a little stop along the way.”
Of course…where does she want to go now? Can’t we just go to our destination?
“Where?”
“Someplace really cool.”
Vague…why must adults always be so vague?
We stopped at a viewpoint that overlooked the city. After much difficulty, I moved the bags off of my lap and managed to squeeze out of the car. I stood by the railing, and looked over the landscape.
“So desolate,” I said, “This city seems so lonely…”
And it was true. The city seemed devoid of life, entirely machine. No signs of human habitation were immediately visible. It lived up to its reputation as a fortress.
“It’s time,” Misato said as she looked up from her watch.
Time for what? I wondered. My wondering didn’t last long, however, as a siren began to sound. I stared out over the city, and I began to hear the rumble of distant machinery. Soon after, buildings began to rise from the ground. Full fledged skyscrapers simply rose majestically, growing to staggering heights. These skyscrapers rose far above the rest of the city. They were incredible to look at, especially with the setting sun reflecting off of their metal outer walls.
“Amazing! The buildings are growing!” I said, awed.
As the buildings locked into place, all the lights turned on throughout the city. Within seconds, the city seemed to be teeming with life.
“This city is a fortress, designed to protect against the Angels. This is Tokyo-3. This is our city.”
She turned to look at me, looking directly into my eyes.
“And it’s the city you saved.”
***
Finally, we arrived at Misato’s home. It was an apartment, inside a large block of similar apartments. We took the elevator to Misato’s floor, and walked over to her door. It was identical to the others, save for the “M Katsuragi” stamped on a nameplate. A few boxes stood in an uneven pile next to the door.
“Your things should have already been delivered, Shinji. I just moved into this apartment, too.”
She pushed a button next to the door, and it slid open. She walked right inside, but I hesitated. She looked back at me, and smiled again.
“Come on in.”
“Pardon the intrusion.” I said humbly. I went through the ritual; adults usually were impressed with my formality, and left me alone.
“Shinji, this is your home now,” she reassured me.
Well, OK…maybe I actually could find a home here. Maybe she doesn’t have a motive, maybe she actually cares.
Hesitantly, I stepped over the threshold and into her apartment.
“I…I’m home.” I said, blushing slightly.
“Welcome home.”
The door slid shut behind me, and I stepped forward, inside. Misato turned on the lights, and I walked out of the entrance hallway into what appeared to be the kitchen. As I did, a noxious odor hit my nose. In front of me, on what looked like the dinner table, sat a large pile of beer cans, bags of Doritos, and other random snacks. I laid the bags down on the floor.
“As you can see, the place is a little bit messy. Make yourself comfortable!”
I looked around, and saw that the rest of the house was just as messy. Piles of boxes were stacked haphazardly in the corners, half-closed bags of trash littered the floor, random bottles covered the shelves.
“You call this ‘a little bit’ messy?” I muttered to myself.
How can she live like this? This is crazy! I can barely BREATHE in here! What have I gotten myself into…
“Oh! Sorry! Could you put the food in the fridge?” she called from another room.
“Erm…sure.” I said.
I opened the fridge, and pulled out the shelves.
“Ice…”
“Snacks…”
“And tons of beer!” I exclaimed. “What kind of life does she lead?”
After shoving the food into the fridge—there was barely enough room amongst all the beer—I saw that there was a second fridge on the opposite side of the room.
“Excuse me, what’s in the other fridge?”
“Oh, don’t mind that. He’s probably still sleeping.”
“Sleeping…?”
Sleeping? There’s an ANIMAL that lives in all this too?
As soon as Misato finished changing her clothes—she was now dressed in a pair of shorts and a tanktop—we prepared the food. All of the food Misato had purchased was instant food, so she threw it all into the microwave and heated it up. She grabbed a couple of beers, and then we sat down to eat.
“Itedakimasu!” she said, excited.
“…itedakimasu.”
Immediately, she grabbed her beer and gulped the entire can in one go. I didn’t touch my food; I wasn’t hungry after today’s events. I just sat and stared at the table. As soon as her beer can was empty, a change came over her. She let out a high-pitched shriek, and her face twisted into an enormous grin.
“Yahaaaa! Kyaaaaa! Life just doesn’t get any better than this!”
Her face immediately changed back to a calm, regular expression.
What is with her? She drinks way too much…and she gets intoxicated so easily…
“Don’t you want to eat? It’s good, even if it is all instant,” she asked, as she grabbed another beer.
“I’m sorry, I’m just not used to it.”
Apparently this triggered something, as she slammed her beer on the table, and her expression changed to one of anger. She leaned forward over the table, and put her face directly in front of mine.
“No, that’s not what I…well…”
She immediately smiled again, and all trace of anger was gone.
“Isn’t this nice,” she said happily.
“Erm…”
Yep, definitely drunk. What is with her? Getting drunk during her first dinner with her new, underage roommate? So irresponsible…
“Having two for dinner instead of eating alone!”
“Yeah…”
This went on for several more minutes, until Misato decided it was time to divide the chores. By this time, there was a pyramid of beer cans next to us, some full, some empty, some partially full.
“And to do it fairly, we’ll play Rock Paper Scissors. OK?”
“Fine…” I sighed.
I seemed to have the worst luck at this; Misato won almost all of the games. Misato ended up with only one or two chores per day, while I was stuck with everything else. After making it into a chart, and pasting it on the wall, she sat down for more beer.
“OK! That was a pretty fair way of splitting up our daily chores!”
“…yeah.”
Fair? Come on. She’s just lazy, and now she’s gonna use me to take care of her house, too. Jeez.
“This is your home now, so make yourself comfortable, and take advantage of everything here, except me!”
Yeah, like I’d ever do that.
“Yes…” I replied, grimacing.
“Man, yes, yes, yes. Is that all you say? It’s getting on my nerves!”
She jumped up onto the table, and grabbed my head. Her angry expression returned, and ruffling my hair, she yelled,
“You’re a boy, aren’t you? Act like a man! Okay?”
“Uh…yes…”
She lifted her hand and sat back down, happy again.
“Okay, that’s just the way you are. Well, why don’t you go take a bath and scrub away all those bad memories?”
Wagging her finger, she continued, “Bathing cleanses the mind and soul.”
Fine…maybe I can get some time to myself…
Misato pointed towards the bathroom, and I headed over there. I undressed myself, then walked to the shower. Bras and panties littered the floor, and some were suspended by a rack off the ceiling. I blushed slightly, and moved towards the shower to turn it on, then realized I had forgotten a towel. I walked back to the door and opened it. I was about to walk forward, when I heard a strange, ducklike sound coming from the ground. Looking down, I saw a penguin, shaking to dry itself off.
Wait…a penguin? A PENGUIN?
“Aaaaaaaaaah!!!”
I ran for the door to the bathroom, and threw it open.
“Mi…mi…mi…Misato-san!”
“What?” she asked, completely calm.
“A p…a p…a p...” I began, unable to continue.
It waddled past me, heading for the second refrigerator. It seemed to possess intelligence unlike that of a normal penguin. Something about the way it walked made it seem distinctly humanlike.
“Oh, him?” Misato said, amused. “He’s one of those new warm-water penguins.”
A claw extended from its flipper, and pushed a button on the fridge. A door slid open, revealing a penguin habitat. It looked back at me, almost mockingly. Its eyes were bright green, and it had two red frills extending from its nostrils. It wore a silver collar that read, “PEN^2.” It walked back inside. I looked back to Misato, still wearing a shocked expression.
“What was that?”
“His name’s Pen-pen. He’s your other roommate.”
She lifted another beer from the table, and took a sip before continuing.
“Why don’t you cover up?”
I looked down, and remembered that I was undressed. My face turned beet red. I reached down to cover myself, and sheepishly walked back inside.
***
As I lay in the bath, allowing the warm water to comfort me, I finally allowed my mind to wander.
Katsuragi Misato-san…
What is there to say about her? She’s so…weird! Everything about her is so childish, and ridiculous! But…she seems to have a caring personality, too…
She’s not a bad person… I decided.
But that doesn’t mean that she’s anything more than another adult. Just because she’s a nice person doesn’t mean that she won’t hesitate to use me when she sees fit. She DOES work for HIM after all. And everyone else at Nerv is so cold…
“Bathing cleanses the mind and soul!” I heard again in my head.
But bad memories always seem to find me when I’m in the bath…I sighed.
Images flashed before me. The Evangelion. Ayanami Rei. A boy crying on the sidewalk. My father.
Like my father…and Ayanami Rei…
As soon as I had finished, I dried off and re-dressed myself. I walked outside to find Misato still sitting there, drinking more beer.
“Misato-san?”
“Yes?”
“I’d like to go to bed now. Could you show me where I’ll be staying?”
Without standing up, she pointed to a door. I walked to it, and I saw that she had taped up a sign to it, that read “Shin-chan’s room,” with a little heart next to it.
Shin-chan, huh? Whatever. Adults always like to call me Shin-chan…it’s really not that funny or cute…whatever. There’s no point in protesting it, after all.
I walked inside, to find a simple room with a bed against the far wall, next to a window, with a few boxes of clothes littered around the room. In the corner sat a small box of my possessions.
I wonder if it’s still there…
I walked to the box and dug around until I found what I was looking for. My SDAT music player.
Even the tape’s still inside…good.
I plugged in the headphones, and put them on. Lying down on my bed, I set it to track 25 and spaced out, not even listening to the music. It simply helped tune out the rest of the world. It was my escape. I had long ago grown tired of the songs on the single tape I owned, but tracks 25 and 26 were especially effective at helping me escape, so I continued to play them.
I lay there, completely out of synch with the rest of the world. I sat there and stared into space, not thinking, not caring. The SDAT switched to track 26. I continued to stare. I rolled over onto my back, and stared at the ceiling.
“Another unfamiliar ceiling…Of course. In this whole city, there’s not one place that’s familiar…”
“This is your home!” I heard Misato say.
Why am I here? I wondered. I have no place here. I’m not really needed. As soon as Ayanami Rei is healthy again, they can just use her.
I heard the sounds of today’s battle in my head. The crashing of the Angel’s weapon against my head. It grew louder with every passing second. Images from the fight flashed through my head, including images I didn’t recognize. I saw them just as vividly as I saw the ceiling above me. I saw the Evangelion attack the Angel, rip its arms off, smash its core. I saw the Angel self-destruct. I saw the eye. That horrible, loathsome eye. I rolled over onto my side, and stared out the window into the blackness.
“Shinji-kun, can I come in?” I heard Misato ask from outside. I didn’t move. I didn’t respond. I was too lost in my thoughts. Her voice barely registered in my head.
I vaguely heard her open the door and step inside.
“I forgot to tell you something. You did a very good thing today. You should be proud of yourself.”
I wasn’t listening. I didn’t hear anything more than a buzz in my ears.
“Goodnight, Shinji-kun. Hang in there.”
***
- Sailor Star Dust
- Kept you waiting, huh?
- Age: 38
- Posts: 23063
- Joined: Aug 13, 2006
- Location: 私の中いる自分の心
- Gender: Female
Actually, the line about "take advantage of everything here except me" should exclude the "Except me" bit. Misato's original line implied that she wouldn't CARE if he took advantage of her, yet another hint at the particular Misato & Shinji Big Irony Bomb silently ticking away until 23' and going off once more in 25'.
Other than that, kickass job. And though Misato cheated(??) at Jan Ken, from what I understand, Shinji has bad luck with that anyway. :P
And btw, yes, the toothpicks scene DOES make it's way in Rebuild. Apparently the only funny moment in the film.
(btw, PM me if you'd be interested in the actual Tracks 25 and 26 used in the series.)
And although seems like Shinji-kun didn't hear Misato-san's words, he did as Episodes 16 and 20 show.
Other than that, kickass job. And though Misato cheated(??) at Jan Ken, from what I understand, Shinji has bad luck with that anyway. :P
And btw, yes, the toothpicks scene DOES make it's way in Rebuild. Apparently the only funny moment in the film.
(btw, PM me if you'd be interested in the actual Tracks 25 and 26 used in the series.
)And although seems like Shinji-kun didn't hear Misato-san's words, he did as Episodes 16 and 20 show.
~Take care of yourself, I need you~
Oh, really? I've been lifting dialogue directly from ADV's subs, so if something's inaccurate, then I'll have to fix it. I didn't include that she cheated because it wasn't shown directly in the series. It's impossible to tell.
And at the last thing, that's why I included
"I wasn’t listening. I didn’t hear anything more than a buzz in my ears. " at the end.
Thanks for positive comments, it really means a lot to hear that my stuff doesn't suck.
And at the last thing, that's why I included
"I wasn’t listening. I didn’t hear anything more than a buzz in my ears. " at the end.
Thanks for positive comments, it really means a lot to hear that my stuff doesn't suck.
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