Meh. Couldn't get through Shinji's scene until late, and that didn't leave enough time to get the rest right. Here's a short version, but I'll try to post more tomorrow before my flight home.
Art?
Chapter 10.4
Choices and Sacrifices
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The triple cuffs were back around his wrists. And again, his father required him to stand a good 20 meters back from his desk, like he was afraid of what might happen if he let Shinji any closer.
'All skinny 51 kg of me is going to Hulk out, snap three sets of handcuffs, leap 20 meters, and attack my father, who is 35cm taller and stronger. Right. Paranoid much, father? At least this time they let me shower and change out of my plugsuit first.'
Shinji waited, glaring at his father, trying to push as much anger and fire out his eyes as possible. So far, though, he had failed to make his father's head explode. He kept trying.
The silence dragged on. It was at least two minutes before Gendo suddenly said, "Why are you here?"
Shinji fought not to scowl. "Because I am of
use to you. As the Pilot of Unit-01," he said, calm but bitter.
"Correct. And a Pilot who cannot follow orders is not useful."
"I protected my friends and helped defeat the Angel," Shinji shot back.
"Disobeying orders, personal occupation of an Eva, childish intimidation... These are all criminal offenses. Do you have anything to say?"
Shinji bit down on his rising anger. His father's tone hadn't shifted at all. "Rei was screaming. She needed help. I know you've rushed to save her before too!"
Gendo was silent, staring back. "Rei would agree with me that you should have followed orders. She is aware of the risks of being a Pilot. If I had ordered her not to deploy in similar circumstances, she would have obeyed. You failed to do so."
'You don't know her at all, father. She'd have done the same for me or Asuka, I know it.' Shinji kept his face as calm as possible. He knew he was failing to keep all the anger off it. He wanted to scream at him, but Misato's advice kept popping up. "Yes, sir," he bit out.
"Your responsibility is to follow orders and Pilot Unit-01 as directed. You have no idea what that Angel might have done to Unit-01. You have no right to risk vital assets to the world's defense on your personal whims," the Commander of NERV said coldly. "You will not be allowed to disobey orders again. Extra systems are being installed in Unit-01 to ensure this."
Shinji stamped down on the urge to scream at his father's hypocrisy.
'My personal whims?! MINE?! You ordered me not to help Rei because I might risk mother!' "Vital assets," Shinji echoed.
"You will follow all orders from now on to the letter. Major Katsuragi has assured me she will be taking further disciplinary measures once you leave here. Since you have decided to act as a petulant child, you will be treated as one. You pay for this month and the next is reduced by half, and any disciplinary lapses of any degree will result in confinement to the brig. Do you understand?"
Shinji grit his teeth. "Yes, sir."
"Let me be clear, Third Child: Any insubordination will result in serious measures. If you are unreliable, I have no use for you. I will send you away before I let you unnecessarily risk Unit-01 again. I have five Pilots and four Evangelions now. If you are not of use, you are superfluous."
Shinji's fists clenched. "I will follow orders. I do not wish to leave. I am the Pilot of Unit-01."
"Then you will do as you are ordered. Or I will separate you and the Second Child permanently."
Shinji's heart stopped. He felt all the blood drain out of his face. "W-what?! I... we... I don't know what you-"
"I am aware of everything that happens in NERV and Tokyo-3. Security teams have you under constant guard. Did you really think you and the Second Child could conceal what you are doing from me?" His father didn't sound amused. His low, cold tone was unchanged. "I have been aware of your infatuation with her for some time. If you disobey orders in battle one more time, you will never see her again."
'No no no no no no! Don't take her away don't take her away no no no!' Shinji's head swam. He felt his skin go cold. "I... I... don't... don't separate...us. I will follow orders."
A sliver of a smirk appeared on the Commander's face. "Good. You have no idea how important Unit-01 is to NERV's mission. You will do nothing that jeopardizes that. Unit-01 is your mother's ultimate work. You will respect that."
Suddenly, Shinji's anger roared back in, wiping away the shock that had paralyzed him. Every word of caution Misato had tried to impress on him fled as well. "Re..respect... mother's work?" he growled. "
You took her from me!"
Gendo went even more still. "I did not. The Contact Experiment was an unforeseen disaster."
"Then why did you destroy all her pictures?! I can't even remember her face! I have nothing! You took everything!" His voice broke. "Why?!"
His father was motionless as a statue. "....You cannot possibly understand. Leave."
"Why did you do it?! Why?!" Shinji demanded.
"Go." Gendo dipped one hand below the edge of his desk and pressed a button.
The door to the office silently opened behind Shinji and a hulking Section 2 guard entered and dropped a hard hand on Shinji's shoulder. "You have been dismissed. You are leaving."
"You took her away from me!" Shinji shouted over his shoulder one more time.
Gendo's glasses glowed in the shadows at the far end of the room.
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The Section 2 guards said almost nothing as they drove him home. This time they didn't even remove the cuffs until they arrived at the apartment door.
"You are hereby confined to your quarters, Pilot Ikari, until Major Katsuragi arrives. Then you are under her orders," The one not opening his cuffs said. "You are not to leave or attempt to communicate with anyone without her authorization. Understood?"
Shinji gave them a sullen look, but nodded. He fished his keycard out of his pocket and opened the door. It closed behind him with a hiss, and he faintly heard they footsteps of the guards leaving.
He sighed, and headed for the kitchen. They hadn't bothered with breakfast, so he-
-would get tackled halfway into the kitchen by a charging redhead. "SHINJI!" He was abruptly smothered in kisses and a fervent embrace. Eventually Asuka pulled back enough to say, "Welcome home!
Gott, I've been worried! Are you ok? I love you! Where's Rei? Did you see her?"
Shinji just held on to her and shook, burying his face in her neck. "I'm home," he said weakly. "I'm ok. But... we've got trouble."
"Trouble?" Asuka searched his face. "What now?"
"He knows. About us."
Asuka paled. "Oh...
Scheiße..."
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