Categories > Anime/Manga > Neon Genesis Evangelion > Evangelion Gear
Episode 2: The Legendary Soldier
One month earlier, following Shinji's return from Unit One's core...
Inside a secluded section of the city's park, Shinji Ikari sat on a bench, alone. To say that he was depressed was a total understatement.
Given the fact that he currently had Misato's service pistol in his hands, having pilfered it earlier from her belongings earlier that day, it was clear that he was suicidal.
It had started following Zeruel's attack on the Geofront. Never mind the fact that he had just saved everyone from Third Impact for the seventh time. He was still treated like dirt by Asuka (who had destroyed his cello earlier that day, saying that she was bored) and snubbed by Ritsuko. Even more worse, Touji and his family blamed him for what had happened with Zeruel. Not that Shinji could do anything about that, since it was his bastard of a father that had used the Dummy Plug and had nearly killed Touji. Even worse, Asuka had told everyone in class that it was Shinji's Unit One that had crippled Touji, effectively turning everyone against Shinji, while painting herself as the valiant heroine. Even Kensuke had turned his back on him.
But what hurt the most was Rei's reaction, following his return from the EVA's core, despite the fact that he had saved her life.
She had said only one word to him, after she had slapped him.
Coward.
Which is what led Shinji to where he was at now. Earlier that morning he had snuck into Misato's bedroom and had stolen her pistol while she slept in an alcohol-induced stupor. It was loaded, as it had always been. He made it through school, ignoring Asuka's heckling and the whispers and insults of the other classmates, all the while Misato's pistol was in his backpack, within distance. He wondered how many he could kill before turning the gun on himself.
He came close to revealing the pistol and putting a slug in Asuka's head, as well as Rei's. But he relented. Once school let out, he did not go back home. There were no synch tests to be done, so Shinji decided to head for the park.
Looking down at the pistol, he slid the slide back, making sure that a round was jacked into the chamber before snapping the slide shut.
'One bullet,' he thought. 'One bullet is all I need. It will be over. All over.'
Shinji flipped the safety off. After a moment, he closed his eyes and raised the gun to his head.
Or at least he tried to, since someone had clamped down on the gun's barrel with one gloved hand. Shinji opened his eyes and looked at the person that had stopped him from taking his life.
It was a man – American by the look of things. He was also very old, older than Fuyutsuki. Shinji guessed that he was in his eighties, but in excellent shape. His hair was white, combed back neatly, the beard also white and neatly trimmed. His one good eye looked down at the distraught Ikari, while the other one – his right eye – was concealed by an eyepatch. The man was dressed in a officer's uniform, similar to what the Japanese Strategic Self-Defense Force would wear save that the jacket, tie and pants were black, and the shirt white. His posture radiated authority. Shinji saw that his rank was that of a General – four stars.
The man gently removed the pistol from Shinji's hand. He ejected the clip and pulled the slide back, the bullet flying from the open chamber.
"No need for you to go just yet, son." The man's voice was grizzled, but calm. His Japanese was perfect.
"Why...?" Shinji whispered softly. "Why did you stop me?"
The man countered with a question of his own. "Why are you trying to kill yourself?"
"I...I..." Shinji began before finally breaking down in tears.
---
About 20 minutes later...
A teahouse near the park.
Inside one of the booths, Shinji sat facing the man, who was sipping at his tea, acting as if he had not stopped him from committing suicide.
"Feel like talking, kid?" the old man asked. "You must have some serious problems if you had plan on putting a bullet in your head."
"You don't know the half of it," Shinji replied darkly.
"You got a name?"
Shinji gulped slightly. "Shinji. Shinji Ikari."
The old man nodded. "Name's John. So tell me about yourself, son."
It was as if the floodgates had opened up. Shinji told the old man everything. From being abandoned as a child following his mother's 'death,' to being forced to pilot the Evangelion in defense of the city, up to the point where John had found him.
John listened on with great interest. He waited until Shinji was finished. "So you're one of the three pilots of the huge mecha that has been defending the city?"
Shinji nodded.
"A noble accomplishment," John said. "But piloting the EVA is something that you don't want to do, correct?"
Again, Shinji nodded.
"Life is never fair, Ikari," John said sagely. "Trust me. As a soldier myself, I know first-hand."
Shinji looked up. "You're a soldier?"
"Soldier, mercenary, commander, operative," John rattled on. "Oh I've been many things in my life. You can say that I'm a legend of sorts within the defense community. And I sympathize with you in your plight. You fight for other people, yet they don't appreciate your efforts. They simply see you as a means to an end."
John's mind flashed back to a key event some fifty years ago. Even after all this time, it still made him angry.
Angry at how the American government he had fought for had slandered his mentor, portraying her as a war criminal to save their own asses.
Angry at how he was the one to end her life. At least he was able to exonerate her in the end.
"So why do you pilot the EVA?" John asked.
"Because if I don't then everyone will die," Shinji explained.
"You place yourself before others," the old man surmised. "Very noble of you, Ikari. That is a rarity in this day and age. Even before Second Impact, there are those who look out for themselves."
"You have any kids?"
'Not that I would call them my kids,' John thought darkly, thinking of the unusual circumstances of their birth. But he decided to answer truthfully. "A son. I had three, but two of them died shortly after the Impact. As for the other one, we were estranged at first...but we're on speaking terms. He's in America at the moment. I've been in Japan since the Impact."
John studied the boy closely. He recognized the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder in a heartbeat. 'And they continue to use him as a pilot,' he thought. He had seen the effects that PTSD had on child soldiers, which was why EVA had taken an interest in them.
"Do you feel better now?" John asked.
Shinji slowly nodded. "A little."
John nodded. "That is good to hear, young Ikari." He looked at his watch. "It's getting late. You should head on home. Your guardian may be worried."
Shinji shook his head. "She works nights, so I got the place to myself. Better for me, anyway, since I really can't stand Asuka." He slumped back into his seat. "I planned on shooting her at school today. I almost did it too. But I didn't."
'Yeah, the kid's definitely got PTSD,' John thought. 'Next time Naomi calls, I'll see that he gets treated.'
"I'm just tired," Shinji said, head bowed, shoulders slumped. "I'm tired of being afraid. I'm tired of running away from my problems. Tired of being used as a scapegoat. I want to be strong."
"Strength without determination means nothing," John rebuked calmly. "Determination without strength is just as useless."
For a moment, Shinji reminded the old veteran of a young half-Vietnamese kid. That same kid that would grow up into one of the finest operatives to ever carry the codename of Fox under his tutelage.
John saw quite a bit of Frank Jaeger in Shinji.
He then made a decision. One that he had hoped would at least help Shinji in the long run. "There is a saying, young Ikari. 'When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.' Are you serious in your wish? To become strong?"
Shinji nodded.
"There is a lodge near the outskirts of Tokyo-3. Follow the highway. You'll see it. On the days you don't have to train, be there. I will teach you how to stand up for yourself. How to move, how to think. Be warned, Shinji Ikari, I am not one to be taken lightly. You wish to train with me, then you must have focus and dedication. Understand?"
Shinji nodded. "Yes, Sensei."
"Another thing," John added. "Don't call me sensei."
Shinji was puzzled. "What do I call you then, instead of Sensei?"
John smiled. It sent chills up Shinji's spine. "You can call me Big Boss."
---
Two weeks had passed since that day. Since then, there had been a lull in the Angel attacks on Tokyo-3. Aside from the synch tests, Shinji was a frequent visitor at Big Boss' home.
Misato had questioned him about his whereabouts whenever he came home late, to which Shinji replied that he was just simply walking. Since Shinji didn't run away, Misato decided to drop it for the time being. He ignored Asuka, at home, at the Geofront and at school.
It also helped that sneaking in his SDAT was useful in drowning out the German girl's proclamations about how superior she was. Rei ignored him, which suited Shinji fine.
On the days he trained with Big Boss, the old man not only taught Shinji how to fight, but he also taught the boy valuable life lessons, using his own life as an example. As it turned out, Big Boss was not just a warrior, but he also took a philosophical approach in his life, something he had began doing shortly before Second Impact.
Shinji, on the other hand, became very interested in the old man's fighting style. Big Boss was a good as his word. But even Shinji surprised him. The boy was a fast learner, and given the amount of physical training he had to undergo at Nerv, he was pretty strong for his age.
To Shinji, he had found the father figure he was looking for in Big Boss.
---
Three weeks had passed since Zeruel's attack on the Geofront. And Shinji was once again a guest inside Big Boss' mountain lodge.
The old man had excused himself to take a phone call, leaving Shinji alone in the living room. The collection of photos that were on the mantle caught his attention. Standing up from his spot on the sofa, Shinji walked over to the mantle and inspected them. The pictures themselves told a story, of a life forged in the battlefield. Most of them were from his younger days, as the eyepatch was a dead giveaway. Also placed on the mantle, was a medal – the Distinguished Cross, pre-Second Impact.
Several photos stood out in particular. The first one was a group photo, formal, six people in total – four men and two women. As always, Big Boss was easy to pick out because of the eyepatch and the formal military uniform (i.e., the same one he wore in the ending of Snake Eater). He wasn't the only one in uniform. The older-looking gentleman with the scar on his face and the gray hair neatly combed back was also in uniform, Shinji recognizing it as that of the British SAS (Kensuke showed him a picture of the uniform before Bardiel). The two remaining men – the tall, African-American and the blond man were dressed in suits. The dark-haired woman had a conservative evening dress on, while the attractive-looking blonde woman on Big Boss' arm was dressed in a red Chinese cheongsam.
The small caption on the photo read THE PATRIOTS – JULY 24, 1971.
Photo number 2 was also of Big Boss, this time without the eyepatch, along with another woman. Like the other one, she was also a blonde, but she looked older than the younger Big Boss. A drab gray bandanna was wrapped around her head. Both were dressed in olive gray camo fatigues. Both were armed; Big Boss toting an AK-47, while the woman was armed with a strange-looking weapon. To Shinji, it looked like a modified carbine with a double drum mechanism.
Funny thing was how the drum was shaped like the symbol for infinity.
'Huh. Who's she?' Shinji wondered.
Photo number three was another group photo – over a hundred men in total. The photo had an older Big Boss in the center, looking sharp as always in his military uniform. Another older man, clad in the same uniform and beret stood next to him, the name tag reading CAMPBELL. One guy stood out for Shinji.
The guy was clean-shaven, gray bandanna wrapped around his hair but could pass as a mirror image of Big Boss in his younger days. Shinji remembered that Big Boss mentioned having a son, and suspected that this guy must be it.
The last photo that caught Shinji's eye was that of Big Boss and the attractive blonde. Both were in casual clothes, and apparently enjoying the other's company. It was also snowing in the picture.
Shinji did not even notice Big Boss walk up from behind him. "I see you're into my photos," he said, scaring Shinji. The old man chuckled. "Each one tells a story. As I've said, I've gotten around in my youth. Traveled all over the world."
"I see," Shinji said. He pointed to the photo of Big Boss and the older woman. "Who's she?"
Big Boss turned to the photo in question. "That's my mentor – a spiritual mother, if you will. She taught me everything I know. How to fight, how to fire a gun, how to stay alive. She never told me her real name. She was known as The Boss," the one-eyed commando explained, looking at the picture fondly. "Most people in the armed forces don't know about this but she is known as 'The Mother of the Special Forces.' Before I became her student, she was the leader of the Cobra Unit – a crack team of commandos who led the Allied forces to victory in the Second World War. She was also known as The Joy and my personal favorite, Voyedova - Russian for 'Warlord.'"
"So what happened to her?" Shinji asked.
Big Boss was silent for a moment. "She died...over fifty years ago. Died on her last mission."
Big Boss remembered her words to him shortly before their epic battle on the shores of Rokovoj Bereg.
"One must die, and one must live. No victory, no defeat. The survivor will carry on the fight. It is our destiny. The one who survives will inherit the title of Boss. And the one who inherits the title of Boss will face an existence of endless battle."
Even after five decades, The Boss' words ring true to Big Boss. He had been fighting for most of his life, even now, and he was growing tired.
"About the same time I got this," Big Boss continued, gesturing to the eyepatch, "she died, in service to her country and to her government. That was when I was awarded this," he said, pointing to the medal, "and my present title."
/]
[/"You are above even The Boss. I hereby award you the title of Big Boss."
Shinji decided to change the subject. He pointed to the photo of the Patriots. "And this one?"
Big Boss picked it up and regarded it with a sad look on his face. "I don't know why I keep this photo. Maybe for sentimental value." He sighed. "We were all friends once." He pointed out the faces, identifying them by their names. "Zero, my former commanding officer. Dr. Clark, otherwise known as Para-Medic. Signt, his real name being Donald Anderson."
He tapped at the picture of the blond man. "Adamska, nicknamed Ocelot. He was a cocky little bastard, but I took him under my wing, like you, and trained him. Reckless at times but a good soldier." The last person was that of the blonde in the Chinese dress. "And that's EVA. We met around the same time that The Boss was killed. Loved motorcycles. Hell of a shot with a Mauser."
Big Boss's mind went back to that moment in the cave, in which EVA had consoled him following his first escape from Groznyj Grad.
"Snake...thank you. I'll be your eyes from now on..."
"You two were close," Shinji noted, pointing to the photo of the younger Big Boss and EVA.
The old man chuckled. "Can't put nothing by you, can't I, Ikari? Yes, we were together, on and off for many years." He stiffened slightly. "She died two years ago. I had her buried here in Japan. She always did love it here."
"So...what happened with those other guys?"
Big Boss was silent for a moment. "Back in those days, the United States and the Soviet Union were at each others' throats. East versus West – the Cold War. I was but one of the many players in that deadly game of tactical espionage action. After I was awarded the title of Big Boss, Zero came to me and pitched an idea. An organization dedicated to The Boss' ideas. The idea of a world united. Thus, the Patriots were formed." He gestured to the photo in his hand. "As you can see, I was also a member."
He placed the photo back on the mantle. "But..as the saying goes, 'power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.' Zero, Signt, and Para-Medic became drunk with power, thus corrupting The Boss' final wishes. They levitated my status as a soldier to the point that I was something of a messiah. I opposed them, along with EVA and Ocelot. Para-Medic was killed in a freak accident shortly after Second Impact. Zero was caught in the blast that leveled Old Tokyo. And Signt...well, he had heart problems. With EVA's death, Ocelot and myself are the remaining Patriots alive."
The old man regarded the photo for a moment, looking at Zero's image. "Even with so much bad blood between us...it's actually kind of funny. The hatred is gone. All I feel is a deep sense of longing. And pity. Even after all this time, I still wonder...did Zero really hate me? Or did he fear me? Either way, it's way too late to ask him now."
Big Boss then produced a worn book and handed it to Shinji. "Here. This should interest you. A true soldier does not rely on just brute force alone. War is always and will ever be based on deception."
Shinji looked at the title. The title read The Art of War.
"Are you familiar with Sun Tzu?" Big Boss asked. When Shinji shook his head, Big Boss continued. "He was a philosopher, a warrior and a general who lived in the era of warring states, back when China was still feuding kingdoms. The book you hold in your hands is his life's work. I applied his teachings to my daily life. You should do the same. There's a legend regarding Sun Tzu and the Emperor's concubines. Have you heard about it?"
Shinji shook his head.
"It was after he had completed writing The 'Art of War,'" Big Boss explained. "King Helu of Wu had read Sun Tzu's works and had challenged him to a test. Sun Tzu claimed that anyone could be trained as a soldier, so King Helu ordered him to train the one hundred and eighty concubines of the royal harem. Sun Tzu split them up two divisions, ninety women each, made the two senior concubines the division commanders and armed them with weapons. He showed them the maneuvers and ordered them to execute them when ordered. Instead, the concubines began to laugh. Sun Tzu turned to Helu and said, ' if words of command are not clear and distinct, if orders are not thoroughly understood, then the general is to blame.'
"When he ordered the concubines to perform the maneuvers again, they once again broke out in laughter. ' If words of command are not clear and distinct, if orders are not thoroughly understood, the general is to blame. But if his orders are clear, and the soldiers nevertheless disobey, then it is the fault of their officers,' Sun Tzu had said to Helu, right before decapitating the two concubines and appointing two more as the division commanders. Needless to say, the concubines performed the exercises flawlessly. Of course, Helu was upset that he had lost his concubines, but in the end, retained Sun Tzu as his general."
Shinji blanched slightly at the story.
"But it's a legend," Big Boss said, shrugging his shoulders. "No one knows that whether or not it's true. One of my favorite verses in that book is 'Be extremely subtle, even to the point of formlessness. Be extremely mysterious, even to the point of soundlessness. Thereby you can be the director of the opponent's fate.' That book will help you in how to live."
Shinji nodded. "Thank you, Big Boss."
The legendary soldier gave a small smile and patted Shinji on the head. "Now, it's time for you to return home. Start reading on that book."
Shinji nodded and placed the book inside his backpack.
---
Four weeks had passed since Zeruel's attack on the Geofront.
Gendou Ikari was mildly surprised to see Shinji strode into his office, thus interrupting his meeting with Ritsuko. "What is it, Third Child?" he asked, obviously annoyed. "I'm very busy."
Shinji stared down his father. In the past couple of weeks, even Gendou had taken notice of his son's change of attitude towards the other pilots and the senior Nerv employees, himself included. If Gendou Rokubungi Ikari was intimidating, then Shinji Ikari was like ice. It was as if he had stopped being meek and had simply closed everyone off, hiding his own emotions beneath a ice-cold mask that even sent chills down Gendou's spine...even if he didn't admit it.
Gendou also noted that Shinji was only civil to both his Deputy Commander and the Second Child's former guardian. In the back of his mind, he wondered that maybe using the Dummy Plug and knocking Shinji out by increasing the LCL pressure was a bad idea. If Shinji was starting to snap under the pressure, then his scenario – as well as his life, not to mention his subordinates – was in danger.
"I want a change in address," Shinji stated, plainly and coldly, his voice sending chills down Ritsuko's spine. "I want my own place."
Gendou responded with the same cold tone. "Your request is denied, Pilot. You will continue to reside with Major Katsuragi and Pilot Sohryuu, and that is your only option."
"Have it your way, Commander," Shinji replied, pronouncing Gendou's title with sarcasm as he retrieved his Nerv ID and tossed it onto Gendou's desk. Shinji was out the door just as the card slid to a stop in front of Gendou.
Gendou was unmoved. "Why am I not surprised? That boy always runs away. What a waste of time. We can still use the Dummy Plug for Unit One."
"That's the reason why I am here," the faux-blonde replied as she slipped a sheet of paper in front of the older man. "We have completed the tests on Unit One, and we got a problem. It appears that by using the Dummy Plug in Unit One, the core was weakened by 45 percent."
Gendou did not like where this was heading. "Meaning?"
"If we use the Dummy Plug one more time, then we risk losing the core," Ritsuko replied. "The MAGI just confirmed it three hours ago. There is no other way. Only Shinji can pilot Unit One."
Gendou digested the news with growing alarm. No core means no soul. No soul means that all his planning to get Yui back would be all in vain. Which meant that he needed his son to pilot.
He pressed a button on his desk, and spoke. "Find the Third Child and bring him to my office."
---
Shinji had made it to the lift that would take him to the city above when he met up with three of his father's Section 2 goons with orders to bring him back to Commander Ikari's office.
Within minutes, Shinji found himself standing before his father once again. This time, Ritsuko was not there, having returned to her labs not really wanting to deal with the younger Ikari. Gendou looked at his son for one long minute, trying to intimidate him as he always had done in the past. Only to find out that his withering glare was not working, as Shinji matched it with his own.
Gendou was out of options. In the back of his mind, he wondered whether or not his son would be a threat to his scenario. But for now, he would concede defeat.
"Third Child..." Gendou began, "if I agree to your demand for a residence transfer, will you remain employed with Nerv?"
"Yes," Shinji replied.
"Your request for a transfer is granted," Gendou conceded. "Anything else?"
"Two more requests," Shinji continued. "First, a transfer out of Class 2-A to another class, and a restraining order on Sohryuu. Outside of Nerv, she stays away from me."
Gendou contemplated these requests for a moment. Then he unlocked his hands and slid Shinji's ID towards his son. "Agreed. Your residence will be prepared by the end of the day."
Shinji retrieved his ID and exited the office.
Once Shinji was gone, Gendou sighed. Removing his glasses, his rubbed the bridge of his nose, feeling a migraine coming on. Up until twenty minutes ago, he was the undisputed commander of Nerv. Now, his own son had a ace up his sleeve. Should anything happen to Shinji, then he loses Yui.
Gendou placed his glasses back on and pressed another button on his desk. The image of Deputy Commander Fuyutsuki came up seconds later. "Professor."
"Sir?"
"Arrange a change in living quarters for the Third Child, effective immediately," Gendou ordered. "Second, arrange for his transfer out of his homeroom and into another classroom. Last, file a restraining order on the Second Child. She is to stay away from the Third Child at a distance no less than 500 feet. If she violates the order, then she will be stripped of her duties as an EVA pilot."
"Yes, Commander."
Fuyutsuki's image blinked out.
---
Katsuragi Asylum for the Drunk and Aggressive, later on that night.
Misato Katsuragi had seen the change in Shinji following the battle against Zeruel. And it worried her.
At first, Shinji grew more and more detached, and Asuka wasn't helping with her taunts and insults. Ritsuko even insulted him, despite the fact that it was Shinji that had saved their asses once again. Commander Ikari didn't give a damn, as usual. Add the fact that Asuka had stoked the fires at their school, effectively turning everyone against him in their classroom while painting herself as the heroine that had tried to rescue Touji, thus stoking her own oversized ego, Shinji was on the brink.
Then, it started several weeks ago.
The Shinji Ikari she knew was in layman's terms, a wuss. But now, Shinji had changed. It had started when Maya had tried to apologize to Shinji for using the Dummy Plug. The retort from Shinji could have stripped the paint job off of Unit One, and had sent Maya off running in tears. When Aoba and Hyuuga confronted Shinji about how he had treated Maya, they both were given the same treatment, the verbal barrage from the Third Child shocked even them.
Misato soon found out why. On Commander Ikari's orders, the Dummy Plug system was activated and his now-former best friend was nearly killed. Shinji had no love for his father, but this was the final straw. Whether it was either fear of his son piloting the massive bio-mecha or putting the Evangelion before Shinji, Gendou had knocked his son out by ordering the LCL's pressure increased.
Not even Misato herself was exempt. She was spared the verbal barrage, but Shinji's attitude towards the young Operations Director had all but cooled. But he did have several choice words for Ritsuko and his father. She knew that the Dummy Plug fiasco wasn't Shinji's fault, and Asuka's ego wasn't making things easier on him. Rei continued to ignore Shinji, who simply responded by giving her the cold shoulder. He refused to acknowledge the blue-haired girl's existence, which disturbed even the First Child.
Misato saw that Gendou's actions have all but destroyed his family. Not that he gave a damn. His main focus was getting Yui back at all costs. He never acknowledged Shinji as his son, to which Shinji responded in kind. He no longer saw Gendou Ikari as his father. In Shinji's words, he was nothing but 'a heartless bastard who breathed air,' and wondered what did his mother see in him, right before denouncing him in front of the Nerv bridge staff, saying that Gendou was 'a pathetic excuse for a father who does not deserve to have his mother's last name,' thus effectively forsaking him as his father. Gendou's response was 'irrelevant,' but even he was starting to grow concerned with Shinji's change in attitude.
Misato feared that Shinji was going to snap.
That was when Deputy Commander Fuyutsuki stepped in, offering to handle any and all matters in regards to the Third Child, thus defusing the tension between Shinji and Gendou, if for the time being. Fuyutsuki was away that day when Bardiel had struck, and thus, was spared Shinji's ire. He was also on good terms with her old flame, Ryouji Kaji. Even more so, he would come home late at night, and wouldn't say where he was at when asked.
Shinji had all but avoided talking to Misato. He even went as far as blocking her out during the synch tests, as well as Asuka. Since Misato still had problems in navigating around the facility, Shinji used that to his advantage, beating Misato out of the Geofront before she could corner him.
But not this time. Misato had finished her paperwork earlier than expected, meaning that Shinji would be at home by the time she would arrive. As she left the Geofront, she was stopped by Deputy Commander Fuyutsuki, who handed her a sealed envelope. Misato thanked the older man and made her way home.
Upon arriving at the apartment she shared with Shinji and Asuka, she received yet another shock.
A giddy Asuka Langley Sohryuu moving her stuff into Shinji's room. Shinji was nowhere to be seen. Pen-Pen had waddled back into his fridge, beer in flipper.
"Asuka, what's going on?" Misato demanded. "Where's Shinji?"
"Don't know, don't care," Asuka replied as she moved another box into her new room. "The spineless baka wasn't here when I came home, and his stuff was gone."
Misato groaned to herself. Shinji had ran away again. 'Wonderful. Commander Ikari's gonna have my head on a platter when he finds out about this,' she thought as she sat in her chair. 'Can't really blame him, though.'
Her cellphone began to ring. Upon looking at the ID, she saw that it was Kaji calling. She decided to ignore it. Right now, her main focus was to get Shinji back before Gendou found out that Shinji was missing.
Five minutes later, her cellphone rang again. It was Kaji. Again, Misato ignored the phone.
The third time her phone rang, Misato answered it. "What the hell do you want, Kaji?" she demanded. "Now is not a good time. Shinji's ran away again and I have no idea where he is."
"Actually, that's the reason why I'm calling," Kaji replied. His voice sounded serious.
Misato went rigid in her seat. "You know where Shinji is? Where is he?"
"He moved out," Kaji replied simply. "He moved to an apartment on the other side of Tokyo-3."
"How do you know?" Misato asked.
"I helped him move," was the reply. "And before you ask, I can't tell you where he is. He made me promise not to tell you. Can't really blame him for how he's feeling at the moment. He feels used, which is why he is acting so cold. He's also negotiated a transfer out of his homeroom, thanks to Asuka screwing him over by blaming the mess with Bardiel on him. Just give the kid some time to cool down. Give him some space. He already has enough on his shoulders with piloting EVA. Gotta go."
Kaji then ended the call. Misato slumped back in her chair, ignoring Asuka as she continued to move her belongings into the room once belonged to Shinji Ikari.
'I failed him,' Misato thought dejectedly. 'I failed as a guardian. I need a drink. I need several drinks.'
Misato rose from her chair and walked into the kitchen. After retrieving a six-pack of Yesibu, she trudged back to her chair. After draining two cans of beer, she noticed the envelope sticking out of her jacket pocket, and immediately remembered the aged Deputy Commander handing her an envelope before she had left for the night.
Misato retrieved the envelope and opened it. Pulling out a sheet of paper, she began to read. Her eyes widened at the realization as to what it was.
A notice regarding a restraining order.
TO: PILOT ASUKA LANGLEY SOHRYUU - DESIGNATION: SECOND CHILD
/]
[/FROM: NERV HIGH COMMAND
/]
[/RE: RESTRAINING ORDER
/]
[/Effective immediately, a restraining order has been placed against you by Pilot Shinji Ikari. Outside of the Geofront, you are to stay away from Pilot Ikari at a distance of no less then 500 feet. Failure to comply with this order will result in your duties as a EVA Pilot being revoked indefinitely. Continued harassment of Pilot Ikari will result in your immediate termination of employment with Nerv, along with you being sent back to Germany without your EVA.
/]
[/Gendou Rokubungi Ikari, Nerv Supreme Commander.
/]
[/Kouzou Fuyutsuki, Nerv Deputy Commander.
---
Asuka would find Misato slumped over in her chair the next morning, along with a dozen empty beer cans littering the floor around her chair as she prepared for the day. It had appeared that Misato had cried herself to sleep, given the puffy cheeks and the tear tracks down her face.
'She's shedding tears over that baka?' Asuka thought. 'She'll see soon enough that we're better off without him. Gott, I'm hungry. That baka better have my lunch ready when I get to school, or else he's gonna wish he was stuck back inside the 12th Angel!'
It was then that the half-German noticed the sheet of paper in Misato's hand.
---
Shinji Ikari's apartment, at the same time.
The scream could be heard from miles. Inside a small apartment (similar to Rei's apartment, only cleaner and not run-down), Shinji Ikari smiled to himself as he ate his breakfast. Apparently, Asuka had just discovered the restraining order he had placed on her.
Today, he didn't have to be at the Geofront, so he would go and train with Big Boss. Also, today would be the day that he would be transferred out of Class 2-A and into another homeroom. So long as he was away from the Red Devil, he was more than happy.
OMAKE!
What if Shinji had decided to gun down Asuka and Rei?
Tokyo-3 Junior High School.
The teacher continued to drone on about Second Impact, putting most of the students to sleep. With the exception of Asuka, who was pestering Shinji by tossing paper balls at the back of his head, and sending him personal messages on the classroom's private message system, along with several other people - mainly Asuka's friends, Hikari included - telling him that he was nothing but a joke, and that he should just simply die.
Rei, as usual, ignored Shinji. She was looking out the window.
Shinji simply closed the PMs as fast as they appeared. He knew what they said.
"I don't like this trash can," Asuka snickered as she pelted Shinji with another paper ball, the teacher continuing to drone on about Second Impact.
Hikari snickered, not really wanting to step in to stop the abuse.
Had anyone been paying attention, they would have noticed the loaded H&K P8 pistol in his lap. But he had it so that no one could not notice. But due to the fact that most of the class was put to sleep by the teacher's lecture and the fact that Asuka sat several desks behind Shinji, they failed to see the inevitable time bomb that was about to go off.
It was when Asuka had tossed a pencil at the back of his skull that Shinji had finally lost it.
He opened up the PM message system and sent Asuka a message.
'Sorry, Asuka. Don't take this personal.'
Sure enough, as he flipped off the safety and gripped the gun in his hand, Asuka reacted in predictable fashion.
"What the hell are you talking about, you spineless baka? I got nothing to forgive you for..."
Those were her last words, as Shinji abruptly stood up and spun around. Bringing the handgun to bear, he raised it and fired.
*]
[*BLAM!
The bullet tore into Asuka's throat, destroying her trachea and esophagus. Asuka's eyes widened in horror as she tried to stop the flow of blood coming from the wound. She choked to death on her own blood, as everyone watched in horror.
"Ikari..."
Shinji's head turned towards Rei. For the first time in her life, shock was the dominant expression on her face. Then Shinji calmly aimed his gun at her and fired.
BLAM!
The nine millimeter parabellum round drilled a perfect hole right between Rei's eyes, the window behind her shattering as the bullet exited the body, leaving a fist-sized exit wound in the back of her head.
As Rei sank to the floor, Shinji turned on his classmates as they tried to flee.
---
The call had came in minutes later. A shooting at Tokyo-3 Junior High School. Class 2-A.
Almost immediately, Misato, along with Ritsuko and Fuyutsuki rushed to the school. Gendou, of course, had remained behind.
Upon arriving at the scene, they saw that it was one of chaos. Numerous students injured, most of them were from being trampled as the school evacuated. But some of them were gunshot wounds. Section 2 was also present, doing a good job of keeping the press away from the scene.
Misato saw that one of the injured were Kensuke. He had caught a slug in the shoulder. Hikari was catatonic, having seen her friend being brutally murdered. He was being treated for his injuries in the back of an ambulance. Touji was there. Luckily, the bullet he caught had struck the prosthetic leg.
"What the hell happened here?" Misato demanded once she had reached the crippled jock and the injured otaku. "Aida...Suzuhara...what happened here? Where are the others?"
"He killed them," Kensuke whispered. "He killed them."
"What? What's he saying?" Ritsuko demanded.
Misato ignored Ritsuko for the moment. "Who, Aida? Who killed them?"
"Asuka kept prodding him," Hikari whispered. "Kept provoking him...we all did...Shinji...he...he..."
That was all she managed to say before pointing over to three bodies that were on the ground, each covered with a white blanket, Fuyutsuki talking to a trio of Section 2 agents, one of them handing him something in a plastic bag. Feeling a growing sense of dread in her gut, Misato walked over to the bodies, followed by Ritsuko.
"Sir?" Misato began.
Fuyutsuki looked even older than he really was when he gave them the bad news. "The Third Child had executed both the First and Second Children." He then raised the item in his hand. Misato blanched.
It was her handgun, inside an evidence bag.
"Oh, God," Ritsuko whispered.
"Is this your gun, Major?" Fuyutsuki asked.
Misato nodded. "It...I thought I had misplaced it, sir," she admitted.
"From what I managed to find out," Fuyutsuki continued, "Sohryuu had been harassing Ikari for the past month since his return from Unit One. Ikari had simply reached the breaking point and had murdered both Sohryuu and Ayanami, and injured at least five more people before turning the gun onto himself."
He turned to the three agents guarding the bodies and gave them a nod. They pulled the sheets back, allowing Ritsuko and Misato to identify the bodies. Sure enough, the still forms of Rei Ayanami, Asuka Sohryuu and Shinji Ikari greeted them. Each had gunshot wounds; Rei in the head, Asuka in the throat, and Shinji's self-inflicted wound on the temple.
Ritsuko paled. She knew that part of the blame was on her shoulders, as it was on everybody else since the Dummy Plug fiasco. The signs of Shinji snapping were there, but they refused to help him, after all he had done for them. They had branded him a coward, not realizing that they had led him down this path of self-destruction.
Now, it was too late.
Without the pilots, the world was screwed.
With the arrival of Arael, Third Impact was initiated. The world had all but ended.
One month earlier, following Shinji's return from Unit One's core...
Inside a secluded section of the city's park, Shinji Ikari sat on a bench, alone. To say that he was depressed was a total understatement.
Given the fact that he currently had Misato's service pistol in his hands, having pilfered it earlier from her belongings earlier that day, it was clear that he was suicidal.
It had started following Zeruel's attack on the Geofront. Never mind the fact that he had just saved everyone from Third Impact for the seventh time. He was still treated like dirt by Asuka (who had destroyed his cello earlier that day, saying that she was bored) and snubbed by Ritsuko. Even more worse, Touji and his family blamed him for what had happened with Zeruel. Not that Shinji could do anything about that, since it was his bastard of a father that had used the Dummy Plug and had nearly killed Touji. Even worse, Asuka had told everyone in class that it was Shinji's Unit One that had crippled Touji, effectively turning everyone against Shinji, while painting herself as the valiant heroine. Even Kensuke had turned his back on him.
But what hurt the most was Rei's reaction, following his return from the EVA's core, despite the fact that he had saved her life.
She had said only one word to him, after she had slapped him.
Coward.
Which is what led Shinji to where he was at now. Earlier that morning he had snuck into Misato's bedroom and had stolen her pistol while she slept in an alcohol-induced stupor. It was loaded, as it had always been. He made it through school, ignoring Asuka's heckling and the whispers and insults of the other classmates, all the while Misato's pistol was in his backpack, within distance. He wondered how many he could kill before turning the gun on himself.
He came close to revealing the pistol and putting a slug in Asuka's head, as well as Rei's. But he relented. Once school let out, he did not go back home. There were no synch tests to be done, so Shinji decided to head for the park.
Looking down at the pistol, he slid the slide back, making sure that a round was jacked into the chamber before snapping the slide shut.
'One bullet,' he thought. 'One bullet is all I need. It will be over. All over.'
Shinji flipped the safety off. After a moment, he closed his eyes and raised the gun to his head.
Or at least he tried to, since someone had clamped down on the gun's barrel with one gloved hand. Shinji opened his eyes and looked at the person that had stopped him from taking his life.
It was a man – American by the look of things. He was also very old, older than Fuyutsuki. Shinji guessed that he was in his eighties, but in excellent shape. His hair was white, combed back neatly, the beard also white and neatly trimmed. His one good eye looked down at the distraught Ikari, while the other one – his right eye – was concealed by an eyepatch. The man was dressed in a officer's uniform, similar to what the Japanese Strategic Self-Defense Force would wear save that the jacket, tie and pants were black, and the shirt white. His posture radiated authority. Shinji saw that his rank was that of a General – four stars.
The man gently removed the pistol from Shinji's hand. He ejected the clip and pulled the slide back, the bullet flying from the open chamber.
"No need for you to go just yet, son." The man's voice was grizzled, but calm. His Japanese was perfect.
"Why...?" Shinji whispered softly. "Why did you stop me?"
The man countered with a question of his own. "Why are you trying to kill yourself?"
"I...I..." Shinji began before finally breaking down in tears.
---
About 20 minutes later...
A teahouse near the park.
Inside one of the booths, Shinji sat facing the man, who was sipping at his tea, acting as if he had not stopped him from committing suicide.
"Feel like talking, kid?" the old man asked. "You must have some serious problems if you had plan on putting a bullet in your head."
"You don't know the half of it," Shinji replied darkly.
"You got a name?"
Shinji gulped slightly. "Shinji. Shinji Ikari."
The old man nodded. "Name's John. So tell me about yourself, son."
It was as if the floodgates had opened up. Shinji told the old man everything. From being abandoned as a child following his mother's 'death,' to being forced to pilot the Evangelion in defense of the city, up to the point where John had found him.
John listened on with great interest. He waited until Shinji was finished. "So you're one of the three pilots of the huge mecha that has been defending the city?"
Shinji nodded.
"A noble accomplishment," John said. "But piloting the EVA is something that you don't want to do, correct?"
Again, Shinji nodded.
"Life is never fair, Ikari," John said sagely. "Trust me. As a soldier myself, I know first-hand."
Shinji looked up. "You're a soldier?"
"Soldier, mercenary, commander, operative," John rattled on. "Oh I've been many things in my life. You can say that I'm a legend of sorts within the defense community. And I sympathize with you in your plight. You fight for other people, yet they don't appreciate your efforts. They simply see you as a means to an end."
John's mind flashed back to a key event some fifty years ago. Even after all this time, it still made him angry.
Angry at how the American government he had fought for had slandered his mentor, portraying her as a war criminal to save their own asses.
Angry at how he was the one to end her life. At least he was able to exonerate her in the end.
"So why do you pilot the EVA?" John asked.
"Because if I don't then everyone will die," Shinji explained.
"You place yourself before others," the old man surmised. "Very noble of you, Ikari. That is a rarity in this day and age. Even before Second Impact, there are those who look out for themselves."
"You have any kids?"
'Not that I would call them my kids,' John thought darkly, thinking of the unusual circumstances of their birth. But he decided to answer truthfully. "A son. I had three, but two of them died shortly after the Impact. As for the other one, we were estranged at first...but we're on speaking terms. He's in America at the moment. I've been in Japan since the Impact."
John studied the boy closely. He recognized the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder in a heartbeat. 'And they continue to use him as a pilot,' he thought. He had seen the effects that PTSD had on child soldiers, which was why EVA had taken an interest in them.
"Do you feel better now?" John asked.
Shinji slowly nodded. "A little."
John nodded. "That is good to hear, young Ikari." He looked at his watch. "It's getting late. You should head on home. Your guardian may be worried."
Shinji shook his head. "She works nights, so I got the place to myself. Better for me, anyway, since I really can't stand Asuka." He slumped back into his seat. "I planned on shooting her at school today. I almost did it too. But I didn't."
'Yeah, the kid's definitely got PTSD,' John thought. 'Next time Naomi calls, I'll see that he gets treated.'
"I'm just tired," Shinji said, head bowed, shoulders slumped. "I'm tired of being afraid. I'm tired of running away from my problems. Tired of being used as a scapegoat. I want to be strong."
"Strength without determination means nothing," John rebuked calmly. "Determination without strength is just as useless."
For a moment, Shinji reminded the old veteran of a young half-Vietnamese kid. That same kid that would grow up into one of the finest operatives to ever carry the codename of Fox under his tutelage.
John saw quite a bit of Frank Jaeger in Shinji.
He then made a decision. One that he had hoped would at least help Shinji in the long run. "There is a saying, young Ikari. 'When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.' Are you serious in your wish? To become strong?"
Shinji nodded.
"There is a lodge near the outskirts of Tokyo-3. Follow the highway. You'll see it. On the days you don't have to train, be there. I will teach you how to stand up for yourself. How to move, how to think. Be warned, Shinji Ikari, I am not one to be taken lightly. You wish to train with me, then you must have focus and dedication. Understand?"
Shinji nodded. "Yes, Sensei."
"Another thing," John added. "Don't call me sensei."
Shinji was puzzled. "What do I call you then, instead of Sensei?"
John smiled. It sent chills up Shinji's spine. "You can call me Big Boss."
---
Two weeks had passed since that day. Since then, there had been a lull in the Angel attacks on Tokyo-3. Aside from the synch tests, Shinji was a frequent visitor at Big Boss' home.
Misato had questioned him about his whereabouts whenever he came home late, to which Shinji replied that he was just simply walking. Since Shinji didn't run away, Misato decided to drop it for the time being. He ignored Asuka, at home, at the Geofront and at school.
It also helped that sneaking in his SDAT was useful in drowning out the German girl's proclamations about how superior she was. Rei ignored him, which suited Shinji fine.
On the days he trained with Big Boss, the old man not only taught Shinji how to fight, but he also taught the boy valuable life lessons, using his own life as an example. As it turned out, Big Boss was not just a warrior, but he also took a philosophical approach in his life, something he had began doing shortly before Second Impact.
Shinji, on the other hand, became very interested in the old man's fighting style. Big Boss was a good as his word. But even Shinji surprised him. The boy was a fast learner, and given the amount of physical training he had to undergo at Nerv, he was pretty strong for his age.
To Shinji, he had found the father figure he was looking for in Big Boss.
---
Three weeks had passed since Zeruel's attack on the Geofront. And Shinji was once again a guest inside Big Boss' mountain lodge.
The old man had excused himself to take a phone call, leaving Shinji alone in the living room. The collection of photos that were on the mantle caught his attention. Standing up from his spot on the sofa, Shinji walked over to the mantle and inspected them. The pictures themselves told a story, of a life forged in the battlefield. Most of them were from his younger days, as the eyepatch was a dead giveaway. Also placed on the mantle, was a medal – the Distinguished Cross, pre-Second Impact.
Several photos stood out in particular. The first one was a group photo, formal, six people in total – four men and two women. As always, Big Boss was easy to pick out because of the eyepatch and the formal military uniform (i.e., the same one he wore in the ending of Snake Eater). He wasn't the only one in uniform. The older-looking gentleman with the scar on his face and the gray hair neatly combed back was also in uniform, Shinji recognizing it as that of the British SAS (Kensuke showed him a picture of the uniform before Bardiel). The two remaining men – the tall, African-American and the blond man were dressed in suits. The dark-haired woman had a conservative evening dress on, while the attractive-looking blonde woman on Big Boss' arm was dressed in a red Chinese cheongsam.
The small caption on the photo read THE PATRIOTS – JULY 24, 1971.
Photo number 2 was also of Big Boss, this time without the eyepatch, along with another woman. Like the other one, she was also a blonde, but she looked older than the younger Big Boss. A drab gray bandanna was wrapped around her head. Both were dressed in olive gray camo fatigues. Both were armed; Big Boss toting an AK-47, while the woman was armed with a strange-looking weapon. To Shinji, it looked like a modified carbine with a double drum mechanism.
Funny thing was how the drum was shaped like the symbol for infinity.
'Huh. Who's she?' Shinji wondered.
Photo number three was another group photo – over a hundred men in total. The photo had an older Big Boss in the center, looking sharp as always in his military uniform. Another older man, clad in the same uniform and beret stood next to him, the name tag reading CAMPBELL. One guy stood out for Shinji.
The guy was clean-shaven, gray bandanna wrapped around his hair but could pass as a mirror image of Big Boss in his younger days. Shinji remembered that Big Boss mentioned having a son, and suspected that this guy must be it.
The last photo that caught Shinji's eye was that of Big Boss and the attractive blonde. Both were in casual clothes, and apparently enjoying the other's company. It was also snowing in the picture.
Shinji did not even notice Big Boss walk up from behind him. "I see you're into my photos," he said, scaring Shinji. The old man chuckled. "Each one tells a story. As I've said, I've gotten around in my youth. Traveled all over the world."
"I see," Shinji said. He pointed to the photo of Big Boss and the older woman. "Who's she?"
Big Boss turned to the photo in question. "That's my mentor – a spiritual mother, if you will. She taught me everything I know. How to fight, how to fire a gun, how to stay alive. She never told me her real name. She was known as The Boss," the one-eyed commando explained, looking at the picture fondly. "Most people in the armed forces don't know about this but she is known as 'The Mother of the Special Forces.' Before I became her student, she was the leader of the Cobra Unit – a crack team of commandos who led the Allied forces to victory in the Second World War. She was also known as The Joy and my personal favorite, Voyedova - Russian for 'Warlord.'"
"So what happened to her?" Shinji asked.
Big Boss was silent for a moment. "She died...over fifty years ago. Died on her last mission."
Big Boss remembered her words to him shortly before their epic battle on the shores of Rokovoj Bereg.
"One must die, and one must live. No victory, no defeat. The survivor will carry on the fight. It is our destiny. The one who survives will inherit the title of Boss. And the one who inherits the title of Boss will face an existence of endless battle."
Even after five decades, The Boss' words ring true to Big Boss. He had been fighting for most of his life, even now, and he was growing tired.
"About the same time I got this," Big Boss continued, gesturing to the eyepatch, "she died, in service to her country and to her government. That was when I was awarded this," he said, pointing to the medal, "and my present title."
/]
[/"You are above even The Boss. I hereby award you the title of Big Boss."
Shinji decided to change the subject. He pointed to the photo of the Patriots. "And this one?"
Big Boss picked it up and regarded it with a sad look on his face. "I don't know why I keep this photo. Maybe for sentimental value." He sighed. "We were all friends once." He pointed out the faces, identifying them by their names. "Zero, my former commanding officer. Dr. Clark, otherwise known as Para-Medic. Signt, his real name being Donald Anderson."
He tapped at the picture of the blond man. "Adamska, nicknamed Ocelot. He was a cocky little bastard, but I took him under my wing, like you, and trained him. Reckless at times but a good soldier." The last person was that of the blonde in the Chinese dress. "And that's EVA. We met around the same time that The Boss was killed. Loved motorcycles. Hell of a shot with a Mauser."
Big Boss's mind went back to that moment in the cave, in which EVA had consoled him following his first escape from Groznyj Grad.
"Snake...thank you. I'll be your eyes from now on..."
"You two were close," Shinji noted, pointing to the photo of the younger Big Boss and EVA.
The old man chuckled. "Can't put nothing by you, can't I, Ikari? Yes, we were together, on and off for many years." He stiffened slightly. "She died two years ago. I had her buried here in Japan. She always did love it here."
"So...what happened with those other guys?"
Big Boss was silent for a moment. "Back in those days, the United States and the Soviet Union were at each others' throats. East versus West – the Cold War. I was but one of the many players in that deadly game of tactical espionage action. After I was awarded the title of Big Boss, Zero came to me and pitched an idea. An organization dedicated to The Boss' ideas. The idea of a world united. Thus, the Patriots were formed." He gestured to the photo in his hand. "As you can see, I was also a member."
He placed the photo back on the mantle. "But..as the saying goes, 'power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.' Zero, Signt, and Para-Medic became drunk with power, thus corrupting The Boss' final wishes. They levitated my status as a soldier to the point that I was something of a messiah. I opposed them, along with EVA and Ocelot. Para-Medic was killed in a freak accident shortly after Second Impact. Zero was caught in the blast that leveled Old Tokyo. And Signt...well, he had heart problems. With EVA's death, Ocelot and myself are the remaining Patriots alive."
The old man regarded the photo for a moment, looking at Zero's image. "Even with so much bad blood between us...it's actually kind of funny. The hatred is gone. All I feel is a deep sense of longing. And pity. Even after all this time, I still wonder...did Zero really hate me? Or did he fear me? Either way, it's way too late to ask him now."
Big Boss then produced a worn book and handed it to Shinji. "Here. This should interest you. A true soldier does not rely on just brute force alone. War is always and will ever be based on deception."
Shinji looked at the title. The title read The Art of War.
"Are you familiar with Sun Tzu?" Big Boss asked. When Shinji shook his head, Big Boss continued. "He was a philosopher, a warrior and a general who lived in the era of warring states, back when China was still feuding kingdoms. The book you hold in your hands is his life's work. I applied his teachings to my daily life. You should do the same. There's a legend regarding Sun Tzu and the Emperor's concubines. Have you heard about it?"
Shinji shook his head.
"It was after he had completed writing The 'Art of War,'" Big Boss explained. "King Helu of Wu had read Sun Tzu's works and had challenged him to a test. Sun Tzu claimed that anyone could be trained as a soldier, so King Helu ordered him to train the one hundred and eighty concubines of the royal harem. Sun Tzu split them up two divisions, ninety women each, made the two senior concubines the division commanders and armed them with weapons. He showed them the maneuvers and ordered them to execute them when ordered. Instead, the concubines began to laugh. Sun Tzu turned to Helu and said, ' if words of command are not clear and distinct, if orders are not thoroughly understood, then the general is to blame.'
"When he ordered the concubines to perform the maneuvers again, they once again broke out in laughter. ' If words of command are not clear and distinct, if orders are not thoroughly understood, the general is to blame. But if his orders are clear, and the soldiers nevertheless disobey, then it is the fault of their officers,' Sun Tzu had said to Helu, right before decapitating the two concubines and appointing two more as the division commanders. Needless to say, the concubines performed the exercises flawlessly. Of course, Helu was upset that he had lost his concubines, but in the end, retained Sun Tzu as his general."
Shinji blanched slightly at the story.
"But it's a legend," Big Boss said, shrugging his shoulders. "No one knows that whether or not it's true. One of my favorite verses in that book is 'Be extremely subtle, even to the point of formlessness. Be extremely mysterious, even to the point of soundlessness. Thereby you can be the director of the opponent's fate.' That book will help you in how to live."
Shinji nodded. "Thank you, Big Boss."
The legendary soldier gave a small smile and patted Shinji on the head. "Now, it's time for you to return home. Start reading on that book."
Shinji nodded and placed the book inside his backpack.
---
Four weeks had passed since Zeruel's attack on the Geofront.
Gendou Ikari was mildly surprised to see Shinji strode into his office, thus interrupting his meeting with Ritsuko. "What is it, Third Child?" he asked, obviously annoyed. "I'm very busy."
Shinji stared down his father. In the past couple of weeks, even Gendou had taken notice of his son's change of attitude towards the other pilots and the senior Nerv employees, himself included. If Gendou Rokubungi Ikari was intimidating, then Shinji Ikari was like ice. It was as if he had stopped being meek and had simply closed everyone off, hiding his own emotions beneath a ice-cold mask that even sent chills down Gendou's spine...even if he didn't admit it.
Gendou also noted that Shinji was only civil to both his Deputy Commander and the Second Child's former guardian. In the back of his mind, he wondered that maybe using the Dummy Plug and knocking Shinji out by increasing the LCL pressure was a bad idea. If Shinji was starting to snap under the pressure, then his scenario – as well as his life, not to mention his subordinates – was in danger.
"I want a change in address," Shinji stated, plainly and coldly, his voice sending chills down Ritsuko's spine. "I want my own place."
Gendou responded with the same cold tone. "Your request is denied, Pilot. You will continue to reside with Major Katsuragi and Pilot Sohryuu, and that is your only option."
"Have it your way, Commander," Shinji replied, pronouncing Gendou's title with sarcasm as he retrieved his Nerv ID and tossed it onto Gendou's desk. Shinji was out the door just as the card slid to a stop in front of Gendou.
Gendou was unmoved. "Why am I not surprised? That boy always runs away. What a waste of time. We can still use the Dummy Plug for Unit One."
"That's the reason why I am here," the faux-blonde replied as she slipped a sheet of paper in front of the older man. "We have completed the tests on Unit One, and we got a problem. It appears that by using the Dummy Plug in Unit One, the core was weakened by 45 percent."
Gendou did not like where this was heading. "Meaning?"
"If we use the Dummy Plug one more time, then we risk losing the core," Ritsuko replied. "The MAGI just confirmed it three hours ago. There is no other way. Only Shinji can pilot Unit One."
Gendou digested the news with growing alarm. No core means no soul. No soul means that all his planning to get Yui back would be all in vain. Which meant that he needed his son to pilot.
He pressed a button on his desk, and spoke. "Find the Third Child and bring him to my office."
---
Shinji had made it to the lift that would take him to the city above when he met up with three of his father's Section 2 goons with orders to bring him back to Commander Ikari's office.
Within minutes, Shinji found himself standing before his father once again. This time, Ritsuko was not there, having returned to her labs not really wanting to deal with the younger Ikari. Gendou looked at his son for one long minute, trying to intimidate him as he always had done in the past. Only to find out that his withering glare was not working, as Shinji matched it with his own.
Gendou was out of options. In the back of his mind, he wondered whether or not his son would be a threat to his scenario. But for now, he would concede defeat.
"Third Child..." Gendou began, "if I agree to your demand for a residence transfer, will you remain employed with Nerv?"
"Yes," Shinji replied.
"Your request for a transfer is granted," Gendou conceded. "Anything else?"
"Two more requests," Shinji continued. "First, a transfer out of Class 2-A to another class, and a restraining order on Sohryuu. Outside of Nerv, she stays away from me."
Gendou contemplated these requests for a moment. Then he unlocked his hands and slid Shinji's ID towards his son. "Agreed. Your residence will be prepared by the end of the day."
Shinji retrieved his ID and exited the office.
Once Shinji was gone, Gendou sighed. Removing his glasses, his rubbed the bridge of his nose, feeling a migraine coming on. Up until twenty minutes ago, he was the undisputed commander of Nerv. Now, his own son had a ace up his sleeve. Should anything happen to Shinji, then he loses Yui.
Gendou placed his glasses back on and pressed another button on his desk. The image of Deputy Commander Fuyutsuki came up seconds later. "Professor."
"Sir?"
"Arrange a change in living quarters for the Third Child, effective immediately," Gendou ordered. "Second, arrange for his transfer out of his homeroom and into another classroom. Last, file a restraining order on the Second Child. She is to stay away from the Third Child at a distance no less than 500 feet. If she violates the order, then she will be stripped of her duties as an EVA pilot."
"Yes, Commander."
Fuyutsuki's image blinked out.
---
Katsuragi Asylum for the Drunk and Aggressive, later on that night.
Misato Katsuragi had seen the change in Shinji following the battle against Zeruel. And it worried her.
At first, Shinji grew more and more detached, and Asuka wasn't helping with her taunts and insults. Ritsuko even insulted him, despite the fact that it was Shinji that had saved their asses once again. Commander Ikari didn't give a damn, as usual. Add the fact that Asuka had stoked the fires at their school, effectively turning everyone against him in their classroom while painting herself as the heroine that had tried to rescue Touji, thus stoking her own oversized ego, Shinji was on the brink.
Then, it started several weeks ago.
The Shinji Ikari she knew was in layman's terms, a wuss. But now, Shinji had changed. It had started when Maya had tried to apologize to Shinji for using the Dummy Plug. The retort from Shinji could have stripped the paint job off of Unit One, and had sent Maya off running in tears. When Aoba and Hyuuga confronted Shinji about how he had treated Maya, they both were given the same treatment, the verbal barrage from the Third Child shocked even them.
Misato soon found out why. On Commander Ikari's orders, the Dummy Plug system was activated and his now-former best friend was nearly killed. Shinji had no love for his father, but this was the final straw. Whether it was either fear of his son piloting the massive bio-mecha or putting the Evangelion before Shinji, Gendou had knocked his son out by ordering the LCL's pressure increased.
Not even Misato herself was exempt. She was spared the verbal barrage, but Shinji's attitude towards the young Operations Director had all but cooled. But he did have several choice words for Ritsuko and his father. She knew that the Dummy Plug fiasco wasn't Shinji's fault, and Asuka's ego wasn't making things easier on him. Rei continued to ignore Shinji, who simply responded by giving her the cold shoulder. He refused to acknowledge the blue-haired girl's existence, which disturbed even the First Child.
Misato saw that Gendou's actions have all but destroyed his family. Not that he gave a damn. His main focus was getting Yui back at all costs. He never acknowledged Shinji as his son, to which Shinji responded in kind. He no longer saw Gendou Ikari as his father. In Shinji's words, he was nothing but 'a heartless bastard who breathed air,' and wondered what did his mother see in him, right before denouncing him in front of the Nerv bridge staff, saying that Gendou was 'a pathetic excuse for a father who does not deserve to have his mother's last name,' thus effectively forsaking him as his father. Gendou's response was 'irrelevant,' but even he was starting to grow concerned with Shinji's change in attitude.
Misato feared that Shinji was going to snap.
That was when Deputy Commander Fuyutsuki stepped in, offering to handle any and all matters in regards to the Third Child, thus defusing the tension between Shinji and Gendou, if for the time being. Fuyutsuki was away that day when Bardiel had struck, and thus, was spared Shinji's ire. He was also on good terms with her old flame, Ryouji Kaji. Even more so, he would come home late at night, and wouldn't say where he was at when asked.
Shinji had all but avoided talking to Misato. He even went as far as blocking her out during the synch tests, as well as Asuka. Since Misato still had problems in navigating around the facility, Shinji used that to his advantage, beating Misato out of the Geofront before she could corner him.
But not this time. Misato had finished her paperwork earlier than expected, meaning that Shinji would be at home by the time she would arrive. As she left the Geofront, she was stopped by Deputy Commander Fuyutsuki, who handed her a sealed envelope. Misato thanked the older man and made her way home.
Upon arriving at the apartment she shared with Shinji and Asuka, she received yet another shock.
A giddy Asuka Langley Sohryuu moving her stuff into Shinji's room. Shinji was nowhere to be seen. Pen-Pen had waddled back into his fridge, beer in flipper.
"Asuka, what's going on?" Misato demanded. "Where's Shinji?"
"Don't know, don't care," Asuka replied as she moved another box into her new room. "The spineless baka wasn't here when I came home, and his stuff was gone."
Misato groaned to herself. Shinji had ran away again. 'Wonderful. Commander Ikari's gonna have my head on a platter when he finds out about this,' she thought as she sat in her chair. 'Can't really blame him, though.'
Her cellphone began to ring. Upon looking at the ID, she saw that it was Kaji calling. She decided to ignore it. Right now, her main focus was to get Shinji back before Gendou found out that Shinji was missing.
Five minutes later, her cellphone rang again. It was Kaji. Again, Misato ignored the phone.
The third time her phone rang, Misato answered it. "What the hell do you want, Kaji?" she demanded. "Now is not a good time. Shinji's ran away again and I have no idea where he is."
"Actually, that's the reason why I'm calling," Kaji replied. His voice sounded serious.
Misato went rigid in her seat. "You know where Shinji is? Where is he?"
"He moved out," Kaji replied simply. "He moved to an apartment on the other side of Tokyo-3."
"How do you know?" Misato asked.
"I helped him move," was the reply. "And before you ask, I can't tell you where he is. He made me promise not to tell you. Can't really blame him for how he's feeling at the moment. He feels used, which is why he is acting so cold. He's also negotiated a transfer out of his homeroom, thanks to Asuka screwing him over by blaming the mess with Bardiel on him. Just give the kid some time to cool down. Give him some space. He already has enough on his shoulders with piloting EVA. Gotta go."
Kaji then ended the call. Misato slumped back in her chair, ignoring Asuka as she continued to move her belongings into the room once belonged to Shinji Ikari.
'I failed him,' Misato thought dejectedly. 'I failed as a guardian. I need a drink. I need several drinks.'
Misato rose from her chair and walked into the kitchen. After retrieving a six-pack of Yesibu, she trudged back to her chair. After draining two cans of beer, she noticed the envelope sticking out of her jacket pocket, and immediately remembered the aged Deputy Commander handing her an envelope before she had left for the night.
Misato retrieved the envelope and opened it. Pulling out a sheet of paper, she began to read. Her eyes widened at the realization as to what it was.
A notice regarding a restraining order.
TO: PILOT ASUKA LANGLEY SOHRYUU - DESIGNATION: SECOND CHILD
/]
[/FROM: NERV HIGH COMMAND
/]
[/RE: RESTRAINING ORDER
/]
[/Effective immediately, a restraining order has been placed against you by Pilot Shinji Ikari. Outside of the Geofront, you are to stay away from Pilot Ikari at a distance of no less then 500 feet. Failure to comply with this order will result in your duties as a EVA Pilot being revoked indefinitely. Continued harassment of Pilot Ikari will result in your immediate termination of employment with Nerv, along with you being sent back to Germany without your EVA.
/]
[/Gendou Rokubungi Ikari, Nerv Supreme Commander.
/]
[/Kouzou Fuyutsuki, Nerv Deputy Commander.
---
Asuka would find Misato slumped over in her chair the next morning, along with a dozen empty beer cans littering the floor around her chair as she prepared for the day. It had appeared that Misato had cried herself to sleep, given the puffy cheeks and the tear tracks down her face.
'She's shedding tears over that baka?' Asuka thought. 'She'll see soon enough that we're better off without him. Gott, I'm hungry. That baka better have my lunch ready when I get to school, or else he's gonna wish he was stuck back inside the 12th Angel!'
It was then that the half-German noticed the sheet of paper in Misato's hand.
---
Shinji Ikari's apartment, at the same time.
The scream could be heard from miles. Inside a small apartment (similar to Rei's apartment, only cleaner and not run-down), Shinji Ikari smiled to himself as he ate his breakfast. Apparently, Asuka had just discovered the restraining order he had placed on her.
Today, he didn't have to be at the Geofront, so he would go and train with Big Boss. Also, today would be the day that he would be transferred out of Class 2-A and into another homeroom. So long as he was away from the Red Devil, he was more than happy.
OMAKE!
What if Shinji had decided to gun down Asuka and Rei?
Tokyo-3 Junior High School.
The teacher continued to drone on about Second Impact, putting most of the students to sleep. With the exception of Asuka, who was pestering Shinji by tossing paper balls at the back of his head, and sending him personal messages on the classroom's private message system, along with several other people - mainly Asuka's friends, Hikari included - telling him that he was nothing but a joke, and that he should just simply die.
Rei, as usual, ignored Shinji. She was looking out the window.
Shinji simply closed the PMs as fast as they appeared. He knew what they said.
"I don't like this trash can," Asuka snickered as she pelted Shinji with another paper ball, the teacher continuing to drone on about Second Impact.
Hikari snickered, not really wanting to step in to stop the abuse.
Had anyone been paying attention, they would have noticed the loaded H&K P8 pistol in his lap. But he had it so that no one could not notice. But due to the fact that most of the class was put to sleep by the teacher's lecture and the fact that Asuka sat several desks behind Shinji, they failed to see the inevitable time bomb that was about to go off.
It was when Asuka had tossed a pencil at the back of his skull that Shinji had finally lost it.
He opened up the PM message system and sent Asuka a message.
'Sorry, Asuka. Don't take this personal.'
Sure enough, as he flipped off the safety and gripped the gun in his hand, Asuka reacted in predictable fashion.
"What the hell are you talking about, you spineless baka? I got nothing to forgive you for..."
Those were her last words, as Shinji abruptly stood up and spun around. Bringing the handgun to bear, he raised it and fired.
*]
[*BLAM!
The bullet tore into Asuka's throat, destroying her trachea and esophagus. Asuka's eyes widened in horror as she tried to stop the flow of blood coming from the wound. She choked to death on her own blood, as everyone watched in horror.
"Ikari..."
Shinji's head turned towards Rei. For the first time in her life, shock was the dominant expression on her face. Then Shinji calmly aimed his gun at her and fired.
BLAM!
The nine millimeter parabellum round drilled a perfect hole right between Rei's eyes, the window behind her shattering as the bullet exited the body, leaving a fist-sized exit wound in the back of her head.
As Rei sank to the floor, Shinji turned on his classmates as they tried to flee.
---
The call had came in minutes later. A shooting at Tokyo-3 Junior High School. Class 2-A.
Almost immediately, Misato, along with Ritsuko and Fuyutsuki rushed to the school. Gendou, of course, had remained behind.
Upon arriving at the scene, they saw that it was one of chaos. Numerous students injured, most of them were from being trampled as the school evacuated. But some of them were gunshot wounds. Section 2 was also present, doing a good job of keeping the press away from the scene.
Misato saw that one of the injured were Kensuke. He had caught a slug in the shoulder. Hikari was catatonic, having seen her friend being brutally murdered. He was being treated for his injuries in the back of an ambulance. Touji was there. Luckily, the bullet he caught had struck the prosthetic leg.
"What the hell happened here?" Misato demanded once she had reached the crippled jock and the injured otaku. "Aida...Suzuhara...what happened here? Where are the others?"
"He killed them," Kensuke whispered. "He killed them."
"What? What's he saying?" Ritsuko demanded.
Misato ignored Ritsuko for the moment. "Who, Aida? Who killed them?"
"Asuka kept prodding him," Hikari whispered. "Kept provoking him...we all did...Shinji...he...he..."
That was all she managed to say before pointing over to three bodies that were on the ground, each covered with a white blanket, Fuyutsuki talking to a trio of Section 2 agents, one of them handing him something in a plastic bag. Feeling a growing sense of dread in her gut, Misato walked over to the bodies, followed by Ritsuko.
"Sir?" Misato began.
Fuyutsuki looked even older than he really was when he gave them the bad news. "The Third Child had executed both the First and Second Children." He then raised the item in his hand. Misato blanched.
It was her handgun, inside an evidence bag.
"Oh, God," Ritsuko whispered.
"Is this your gun, Major?" Fuyutsuki asked.
Misato nodded. "It...I thought I had misplaced it, sir," she admitted.
"From what I managed to find out," Fuyutsuki continued, "Sohryuu had been harassing Ikari for the past month since his return from Unit One. Ikari had simply reached the breaking point and had murdered both Sohryuu and Ayanami, and injured at least five more people before turning the gun onto himself."
He turned to the three agents guarding the bodies and gave them a nod. They pulled the sheets back, allowing Ritsuko and Misato to identify the bodies. Sure enough, the still forms of Rei Ayanami, Asuka Sohryuu and Shinji Ikari greeted them. Each had gunshot wounds; Rei in the head, Asuka in the throat, and Shinji's self-inflicted wound on the temple.
Ritsuko paled. She knew that part of the blame was on her shoulders, as it was on everybody else since the Dummy Plug fiasco. The signs of Shinji snapping were there, but they refused to help him, after all he had done for them. They had branded him a coward, not realizing that they had led him down this path of self-destruction.
Now, it was too late.
Without the pilots, the world was screwed.
With the arrival of Arael, Third Impact was initiated. The world had all but ended.
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