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CHAPTER 2: THE EVANGELION

Shinji knew they were lost long before they passed the same point three times. But he didn't say anything because he wanted to see how long it would take Misato to figure that out or how long it would take someone to come to their rescue. "It's because of these doors that I hate to wear a skirt around here," Misato said as they went through another sliding door with the breeze coming through due to pressure changes between rooms.

"Then why do you wear one, genius?" Shinji asked rhetorically. Misato then growled at him for the remark. 'This place looks like it has been built to take a severe beating,' Shinji took note of the reinforcements on all the walls. 'Probably to withstand the attacks of that monster or something like it.' He was also examining the security they had in place. 'Doesn't look like they're all that prepared to fend off a man-made attack like an armed assault. Most likely they rely on automated computer sensors instead.' He opened the employee handbook and looked at the map. 'Weapons caches are few and far between.' As they passed another checkpoint he took note of the cameras and motion sensors. 'As I expected they do have a lot of electronic security. That means they built this place to battle only one thing.' He then noticed something odd from the layout as they stepped onto an elevator.

The map looked incomplete. Like there were supposed to be more levels going further down but there was nothing. But on the lowermost level was extensive security, heavier than anywhere else. 'Now that is interesting.'

At that moment the elevator stopped and the doors opened revealing a blonde haired woman who looked rather upset. Misato shivered in fear. "Uh, hi there, Ritsuko," Misato muttered.

"You're late, Major," Ritsuko snapped as she stepped inside.

"Eh, sorry," Misato replied sheepishly.

"You do know we're short on time and manpower?"

"Okay! Sorry!" Misato snapped back. "Cut me some slack, Rits! We were only delayed by a fucking N2 mine." The doctor sighed in annoyance.

"Is this the boy?" Ritsuko said looking over at Shinji who remained silent and passive.

"Yup, according to the Marduk Report he's the Third Child." Shinji locked eyes on the Major wondering what she meant by 'Third Child'. "Shinji Ikari."

"Nice to finally meet you," Ritsuko said smiling.

"Yeah," Shinji replied.

"He's got the same moody attitude as his father," Misato whispered. "But with a touch of sarcasm mixed in."

"Please don't compare me to my so called 'father'," Shinji said having heard that. "I'd like to keep any association I may have with him to a minimum."

"I see," Ritsuko said folding her arms.

"Yeah that's also a touchy subject with him it seems," Misato continued to whisper.

"You do know you're not very good at whispering right?" Shinji spoke up causing Misato to shrug and fold her arms as well.

XXXXX

"Fuyutsuki," Gendo Ikari, Commander of NERV, said to his Vice-Commander. "Take over here. I'm going down to the EVA cages."

"You're not going to have Rei pilot are you?" The older man asked.

"She's not ready to pilot again," Ikari said. "But a spare has just been delivered."

"A spare? You mean…your son?"

"Yes," Ikari smiled as he exited the bridge.

"Their first meeting in ten years…" Fuyutsuki muttered to himself.

Meanwhile, the double doors behind the group closed, dumping them in total blackness. "Just so you know," Shinji spoke up. "I don't scare easily. And certainly not by the dark." Ritsuko then hit a button and the lights kicked on. "Son of a bitch!" Shinji recoiled from the giant face in front of him. "Okay, now that I was not expecting." Shinji looked closer. Judging from what he saw he guessed it was roughly the same size as the 'angel' he saw earlier; about 80 to 90 meters tall. "What is it?"

"This is the only effective weapon we have against the angels," Ritsuko explained. "The Humanoid Biomechanical Life-form, Evangelion Unit-01."

"So this is the big über-secret thing my father was so busy with all this time?" Shinji asked.

"Correct!" A voice announced from above. Shinji looked up and saw his father standing alone in an observation room behind thick Plexiglas. "You've grown."

"You sure do like your theatrics," Shinji said taking note of the scene.

"Heh," Ikari smirked at the comment. "We're deploying."

"What!" Misato snapped. "But Unit-00 is still in cryo-sta…" She finally put two and two together. "You're going to use Unit-01!" 'It's unpredictable at best.'

"We have no alternative," Ritsuko replied.

"But Rei's too injured to pilot. We don't have a…"

"Yes, we do," Ritsuko interrupted her.

"You…you're serious…"

"Shinji," the scientist turned to Shinji. "You will pilot it."

"Fuck that!" Shinji burst out. "I've never even seen this thing before! And you expect me to pilot it just like that!"

"Yes."

"But he just got here!" Misato stood up for him. "You can't really expect him to perform to any kind of standard."

"He just needs to sit in the cockpit," Ritsuko explained. "Nothing else."

"But it took Rei weeks to be able to pilot…"

"So," Shinji said turning his gaze to his father. "This is why you called me here? Because you have a use for me? Like I was some kind of tool?"

"That's correct," the asshole replied.

"Well here's my reply: Go to hell, you son of a bitch!" Shinji shouted back at him. "You never even wanted me unless it was for a reason!"

"I have no time for these childish antics," Ikari replied. "You will pilot the Eva."

"You don't have time except for yourself!"

"Shinji," Misato spoke up softly. He looked over at her. "I'm sorry but…we don't have a choice." Shinji read her eyes. She really was sorry for him; she was a good person. But she was also a soldier. "Please. Get in."

"Why me?" Shinji asked.

"Because no one else can," Gendo Ikari replied. "Now you will pilot the EVA."

"I said 'no'! Why should I?"

"You will be paid for your services."

"Fuck you!" Shinji shot back. "I'm not your fucking mercenary! I'm a US citizen. And don't even think about pulling that United Nations Authority bullshit on me. I have zero respect and no loyalty to them."

"Doctor Akagi, Major Katsuragi," Ikari growled. "Put him in the EVA." Before Misato could object Shinji twisted her left arm to the side had shoved his left palm into her gut and as she stumbled back he removed her H&K USP40 from its shoulder holster. He flipped the safety off and took a step away from both women.

"Don't even think about it," Shinji growled as he stood in a modified Weaver stance keeping both women in his sight.

"Shinji-" Misato spoke up but he pointed the pistol at her and she backed off, holding her hands at shoulder height. 'Damn he's fast.'

'So…that's the way it's going to be?' Gendo asked himself. 'He'll pilot. He just doesn't know it yet.' "Fuyutsuki," he brought up a communications channel.

"Sir?"

"Bring up, Rei."

"Can we use her?" The Vice-Commander asked skeptically.

"She's not dead, yet," Gendo replied. Fuyutsuki nodded and patched him through. "Rei."

"Yes, sir?" A soft voice replied.

"Our spare is unusable, you will try again."

"Yes, sir."

"Reconfiguring Unit-01's parameters," a female's voice announced on the overhead.

"Shinji," Misato said keeping her hands where they were. "This isn't necessary. We need your help."

"You could've asked for it at the beginning," Shinji barked. "Instead, you lied to me about why I was here."

"I never lied, Shinji," Misato replied. She took a heavy sigh, "Yes, I admit that I didn't tell you the truth either. But it wasn't my decision. I only followed my orders."

"I follow my conscience," Shinji said keeping the Major's sidearm leveled at her. At that moment the doors at the end of the catwalk opened up and two medics wheeled a gurney into the cage. Shinji happened to glance over and saw something surprising. 'It's her.'

Lying on the gurney, wrapped up in bandages covering her right arm and right eye was the girl he thought he had seen on the street. But she looked like she had just been pulled from a bad car accident. Her other eye was bright red and looked at him with a dull expression. She said nothing to him as she was wheeled past. 'Why is she…?' His eyes shot open at what he realized was going to happen. With the speed of a bullet his arm shot and grabbed the gurney with an iron grip, stopping it. "You bastard!" He shouted up at his father, surprising everyone with the volume of his voice. "You are one sick, motherfucker to send an injured girl out there to die!"

"You have a better suggestion?" Gendo smirked cruelly down at his son.

But before Shinji could reply an explosion shook the facility. Everyone fell to the ground and the gurney tipped over and threatened to drop the girl on the ground. With lightning reflexes Shinji dove over to her and caught her in his arms. He heard something above him and saw several I-beams falling towards them. But before he could do anything something shot over his head. As he ducked, covering the girl's body with his he heard the debris bounce off the object that shielded him and the girl.

"Unit-01 activated itself!" A male technician called out over the P.A. Sure enough, the right hand of the machine had broken free of its restraints and arched over the walkway, shielding both Shinji and Rei.

"No!" Ritsuko shouted. "It was offline and there was no power running to it! That's Impossible!"

"You mean the EVA moved all by itself?" Misato asked. She then saw Shinji was unharmed. "It's him. It was protecting him." Shinji knelt down and observed the girl in his arms. It was quite obvious she was in pain.

"AH!" The girl shivered and yelped as Shinji felt something damp on his hand. He looked and saw fresh, warm blood. The fall and his evasive actions had reopened wounds.

'She can't pilot,' Shinji said to himself as he looked over his shoulders at the Evangelion. 'She'll die for sure.' The girl tried to sit up in his arms but he stopped her with his hands. "No," he said softly. She looked up at him and her red eye locked with his. He felt something in the look; a bond of some kind, a kinship with it. "You're too injured to fight," he whispered to her. "I'll pilot it." He said with resolve in his voice. "You hear me!" He shouted up at his manipulative father. "I'll pilot it!"

"Prepare Unit-01 for battle," Gendo ordered.


I do not own the story