I stared at the telephone receiver in my hand. My human hand.
"What?" I asked out loud, and started. This was not my voice! I dropped the receiver, letting it dangle on its cord, and backed away. "What???"
My voice sounded vaguely familiar. I had definitely heard it somewhere before. But where?
I sat down on the pavement, grabbing my head. What had happened? I remembered... Lilith! Yes, of course! The Third had betrayed us! She sided with Gendo and began Instrumentality! Gods, our Scenarios were in tatters now, were they not?
But how did I get here? I remembered facing her. All of us! Asuka, Rei, Pilot Ayanami... Even Lily and Misa-chan! What the hell happened?
Wait... Lilith had faced us. She had struck down at us! Lily did something...
...and I woke up here. Had she tried to save us? What had happened? What the hell did Lilith do?
Something exploded somewhere nearby. I reflexively looked towards the source. A pair of VTOLs flew into view, shooting at... What?
That... That was Sachiel. Third Angel. What the hell? Where am I? When am I? Who am I?
A VTOL crashed nearby. I reflexively tried to raise an AT-field and discovered, to my horror, that I could not.
I scrambled backwards. What had Lilith done? Sent me back to Sachiel's attack as an ordinary civilian, so that I would perish? Why? That seemed a bit contrived. What if I survived? A plan like that would have too many variables.
A car screeched to a halt next to me. "Sorry I'm late! Come with me if you want to live."
I climbed into the vehicle without hesitation. A car, with a driver crazy enough to drive around Sachiel's feet without fear, would be perfect to escape from his immediate vicinity. I looked at the driver, and froze.
Misato Katsuragi grinned back at me. "Nice to meet you at last, Shinji Ikari! I'm Misato Katsuragi, and I'm here to take you to your father."
All color drained from my face as my mind kicked into overdrive. The Third had passed Lilith even more information than I thought! Lilith didn't send me back to Sachiel's attack as a random civilian. She sent me back as Pilot Ikari, knowing full well that Yui would never synchronize with anyone who wasn't Pilot Ikari or Pilot Ayanami! She sought to have Sachiel initiate Third Impact, counting on the fact that NERV would not have a single Evangelion to stop him, given that Rei and... Mother... would be in stasis, that Pilot Ayanami would be critically injured, and that by replacing me with Pilot Ikari, he would not be available...
I swallowed. This would be bad.
Misato noticed. "Hey. You okay?"
I pondered for a moment. "I am thinking about the end of existence as we know it. What about you?"
She chuckled. "Ha! Don't be so gloomy, Ikari-kun. We're gonna kick that Angel's ass, you'll see!"
I looked out of the window, towards the rapidly diminishing form of Sachiel. "Will we?" The VTOLs were withdrawing. Fleeing? The car rounded a mountain.
"Stop."
My voice was deathly calm.
"Katsuragi-san. Stop the car. Now."
To her credit, she pulled the handbrake immediately. "Why'd you ask me to-"
A sun bloomed.
No, not a sun. An explosion. The shockwave crested the mountain, blowing above the car, but miraculously leaving us intact. I exhaled. "The pilots were fleeing. Something was about to happen near the Angel, something with a tremendous shockwave. I felt it prudent not to get caught in it."
Misato was breathing heavily. "They actually used an N2 mine. Good call, Ikari-kun."
I did not reply.
-----
The car was methodically making its way down the GeoFront elevator. Were I Pilot Ikari, I suppose I would most likely be enamored with the view. As it stood, however, my mind was occupied with thinking up ideas for how to survive.
I glanced at the Operations Director. "Tell me, Katsuragi-san. What are the odds of us actually getting through this alive?"
She tilted her head. "Ordinarily, I'd say low. But we're at NERV now, and that is certain to improve our odds!"
I exhaled sharply. "Ever the optimist, Katsuragi-san?"
She laughed and ruffled my hair. "You know it, Ikari-kun!"
I sighed. "Optimism or not. This will end in injury."
The elevator halted. Misato perked up. "We're here!" She hopped out of the car. I followed.
She led us into the twisting maze of NERV HQ. Past this door, down the elevator, onto that floor, straight through corridors... did we not pass this door before?
"We are lost. Are we not?"
"No we're not!"
She sounded affronted. I sighed. "It is okay to admit it, Katsuragi-san. The uniform hallways do not seem to help, either. Are you certain we are on the right floor?"
She huffed, tossing the map she had been scrutinizing at me. "Fine then! You make sense of this!" She crossed her arms and pouted. I rolled my eyes.
The map seemed very haphazard. Entire sections on it were clearly censored. Gods, who designed this piece of garbage? And who decided to censor it?
I lead us to an elevator. "We were not on the right floor, Katsuragi-san." I pushed the button. "According to this admittedly very poorly designed piece of paper loosely called a "map", we are supposed to be much lower than that." I shook my head. "What kind of genius censors a map?"
The elevator doors slid open. We were both treated to the disapproving visage of Doctor Ritsuko Akagi. My former sort-of confidante. Who I could not even accurately speak to, due to being in the past. I sighed.
Holding up the "map", I waved it. "Please tell me you know how we can get to where we need to go. Some imbecile has censored this thing. Who creates censored maps? Who gives them out to authorized officers?" I heard Misato snort behind my back.
Ritsuko looked unamused, but I could tell she was suppressing a smile. She quirked an eyebrow. "I'm afraid you're going to have to take that up with the Commander." I nodded sagely. Misato seemed to be having a coughing fit.
We stepped into the elevator. As it dropped towards our destination, so did the pit in my stomach. "Doctor?"
Ritsuko tilted her head. "I don't recall telling you I was a doctor. What is it, Third Child?"
I waved my hand irritably. "You actively wear a lab coat. You obviously have some kind of doctorate. And that was not my question." I turned and looked up at her. "Please tell me. What are the odds of us actually getting through this alive?"
Misato butted in. "Never actually ask the odds, Ikari-kun! We make our own odds here!"
Both Ritsuko and I glared at her. "That wasn't what he-" "Katsuragi-san-"
We paused and glanced at each other. I quirked a smile at Rits. "No, go ahead."
She narrowed her eyes at Misato. "That wasn't what he was asking, Misato. The kid's a realist. And to answer his question, rather low."
I nodded. "I expected as much."
The elevator arrived with a loud clunk. The doors opened to total darkness. I stepped out.
My eyes took a moment to adjust. There was a catwalk leading into the darkness. I exhaled, and stepped forwards.
The lights came on, in what was obviously an attempt to impress me. The horned visage of Yui glared down at me. I stared back at her, impassively. "This will end in injury."
I turned back at Rits and Misato. "Third Child is a title. Most likely a job title." I pointed a thumb at Yui. "Is that the job?"
"That is correct."
That voice came from behind me. I turned around. A small observation booth above Yui's horn was lit. The face of the Bastard King of NERV stared down at me. I stared back.
"Gendo Ikari."
"Third Child."
I glanced at Yui. "I doubt this will work."
He glared down. "You will make it work."
I exhaled. "She will reject me."
Gendo narrowed his eyes. "She will not."
My eyebrows quirked. "Are you willing to bet on it?"
The light shut off. I sighed. That... did not go brilliantly. I glanced at the women. Misato looked like she was about to ask a million questions. Ritsuko's eyes were narrowed, and she looked like her mind was working overdrive.
I smiled sadly. "Let's get this over with, shall we?"
-----
Despite my continued protests, I found myself in the Entry Plug of Yui Ikari. It felt cold, as I had expected. "How is it looking out there?"
"Not well." That was Ritsuko's voice. "We're getting some interference. I'll send the plug deeper."
The coldness intensified. Someone swore off-screen. Then Ritsuko's voice was back. "You're synchronizing at a perfect zero. That shouldn't be possible! There should be at least a few fluctuations of percentages!"
I sighed. "I was afraid of that. Do we have any other options?" Distantly, I heard something rumble. Sachiel was getting closer.
Ritsuko swore. "I wish! Unit Zero is in cryostasis, it'll take at least ten hours to unfreeze, pilot Ayanami is critically injured, and now you synch at zero percent!" I could hear tears in her voice.
My eyes narrowed. "Doctor Akagi. Do not cry. I am going to try something. Can you keep an eye on the synchronization readings for me?"
There was momentary silence from the other end. Then... "Yes. I can."
I bared my teeth, and reached out towards the core of the petulant lump of flesh. "Listen to me!"
The cold feeling got colder. I snarled. "Pull yourself together and listen to me, you foolish machine! I am not what you expected. So what! We do not always get what we expect! You do not go to war with the army you want, you go with the army you have!"
The coldness receded a little. I got the feeling she was at least listening. I plowed on. "Face the facts! This Angel attacked at exactly the right moment where we were the weakest! And the fact stands, I am the only functional pilot while you are the only functional war machine! WE DO NOT GET THE FREEDOM OF CHOICE!"
I was panting. "So please. Just this once. Work with me."
Ritsuko's voice cut through my thoughts. "Synchronization at 20%! The Evangelion has activated!"
I peeled my lips back in a snarl. "Then launch me. Launch us! I cannot do this for long! Let me take advantage of what we have!"
The Evangelion launched. The G-forces pressed me down onto the seat. I gripped the butterfly controls tightly. Work with me here, Yui. Just this once. Do not let Sachiel win. Do not let Lilith win. I beg of you. Just this once.
The Eva surfaced. Across me stood the lanky form of Sachiel. Misato's voice echoed through the comms. "Concentrate on walking, Shinji-kun!"
I snarled. "Will do!" The two-hundred-foot war machine took a step. Then another. Sluggish ones. I gripped the controls. "I am either walking through molasses or piloting a cow. This damned Evangelion is not cooperating at all!" The plug interior felt colder. Ritsuko cut in.
"Calling it a cow does not help matters, Pilot. Your synch ratio is dropping."
I growled. "Fine! Let us fucking finish this!" I grabbed a Progressive Knife from the shoulder pylon. It felt like I was running a marathon the whole time. Sachiel regarded me derisively.
I launched forward, tripped, and crashed straight into Sachiel's AT Field. He retaliated by grabbing the Eva's arm and squeezing.
I growled. Synchronization rate that low meant less pain, but it also meant worse reflexes. I could not rely on any of my previous experience in being Unit Zero. I had to make do with this heap of petulant-
I cut off the train of thought. That got me nowhere. I gripped the knife, and plunged it towards Sachiel's core.
And smacked it against his AT-Field. I gave it a few experimental punches; it held strong. Then Sachiel grabbed my head, Impact Lance no doubt ready.
I swept his feet out from under him. Angel and Evangelion both lost their respective balances and dropped on top of each other. But while Sachiel was pinned under me, he still had a firm grip on my head. And the Impact Lance struck.
I roared, clutching my eye. Gods that hurt! I dimly heard Misato exclaiming something over the comms. I paid it no heed. I had a job to do.
Sachiel, while powerful, was still weaker than most angels. He could not multitask. He could not attack and defend at the same time. So I directed most of my concentration into controlling the left arm. The one that held the Progressive Knife. And I drove the it into his core.
Something cracked in there. Sachiel dropped his Lance, and rushed forward. His damaged core glowed brightly.
The plug got colder. My synchronization was dropping rapidly. Yui had clearly had enough of me. The images were fading. And then Sachiel wrapped himself around us.
I smiled grimly. "He is done with. Good luck, Unit-01." I tapped in the emergency eject sequence. The plug detached, rocketing away from the suicidal Angel. And then I felt the explosion of a detonating Core, even mid-air.
-----
The plug landed roughly. Were it not for the LCL, I would certainly have been more heavily injured. As it stood, getting the hatch open was a relatively simple task. Coughing out the LCL was not. It was in fact highly unpleasant, and I found myself pitying the pilots for having to go through that every time.
"Hey!"
I glanced at the noise. A human child was struggling to remove a piece of debris from a smaller human child. He glared at me. "Stop gawking and help!"
I clambered out of the hatch, and strode over. The combined strength of the two of us removed the offending chunk of concrete easily. The male human was panicking, however. "S-Sakura! Oh God, your leg!"
I looked. The appendage was indeed at an odd angle. I narrowed my eyes. "Stay put." I ripped off my sleeve, and ripped that into a makeshift bandage. "Here." I shoved it into the boy's arms and stalked off to the Entry Plug. I had spotted some exposed rebar earlier. The force of the plug landing had pulverized the concrete from around it. I knocked it against the plug a few times, checking its reliability, and nodded. Good. I then returned to the panicking boy. "Splint," I explained.
He looked skeptical. "Do you even know how to add a splint?"
I nodded. "Mother knew. I have her memories. Treating a human based on that should not be that difficult."
"O... Kay..." He sounded perturbed. Strange. I set the bone, bandaged the wound to the best of my ability, and added the splint. I smiled. "It should be fine until paramedics arrive. What happened?"
The boy scowled. "The giant robot happened, that's what."
I looked over towards the battle site. It was rather far away. "Are you certain?"
"Well-" He hesitated. "It was the battle between the giant robot and that monster!"
I sighed. "The monster, specifically the Angel, sought to kill us all and replace us with lifeforms based on himself." The boy froze. "The "giant robot" as you so eloquently put it, was a sluggish, petulant lump of flesh, and attempting every movement was like running a marathon." I looked at him. I figured I looked pretty tired. "Honestly I am surprised we are all still here."
He swallowed. "Was it... Bad?"
I tilted my head. "I was lucky Sachiel could not attack and defend at the same time. Were he capable, he would have defeated me." I sat down next to my Entry Plug, and patted the ground next to me. He sat, hesitantly, holding his sister in his arms. "Even as it is, I barely got out of there in time. The Angel self-destructed in the Evangelion's face. Even with the synchronization score dropping, it would have been bad."
I paused, and stared down at the hand he suddenly offered me. I looked at him. He looked determined. "You did a good thing."
I snorted. "I made do with the tools I had." I gripped his hand. "Call me Zero."
We shook. "Touji Suzuhara. That's my sister, Sakura. What kind of a name is Zero?"
I smiled faintly. "My true name. Most humans call me Shinji Ikari, however."
He eyed me. "Ya gonna have to explain that part."
I glanced at the approaching lights. "That is a long story I do not think we have time for, Suzuhara-kun." I rose. "I will, however, look you up."
Facing the approaching mass of headlights, I smiled grimly. "NERV is here."
So. I'm writing. And I'm writing an Eva fic. An Eva fic that probably won't make much sense. But it will! In later chapters. Hopefully. Yeah. Tell me what you think?
So this is the Rei in unit zero Peggy-sued into Shinji? I can safely say that this is the first time I've ever seen this premise and I'm interested to see more. Watched.
On a side note, is anyone else getting an I'm fucking done vibe from Zinji?
After some NDAs, the probable Fifth Child and his sister had been shuffled off into a NERV hospital, leaving me alone with Ritsuko, Misato, and Gendo. I looked at each in turn.
Misato looked nervous. Her hands were clenching and unclenching, she was fidgeting, and her eyes were fixed on me.
Ritsuko looked like she had a thousand questions, starting from my excessive knowledge and, likely, how the hell had I managed to command a resisting Evangelion anyway.
Gendo looked as unreadable as ever.
I clicked my tongue. "I take it you have questions."
Rits cracked first. "How the fuck did you do that?"
I tilted my head. "I am afraid you are going to have to specify."
She hissed at me. "Don't play dumb, Third Child! How the Hell did you make that Evangelion move? Your synch was zero! And when you stabbed the Angel in the core, it was less than six percent! Far less than the activation threshold! How the ever-loving fuck did you pull that off?"
I exhaled through my teeth. "To answer the first half of your question, you saw it yourself. I yelled at her. For the other half... I do not have a clue. But I suspect it might stem from my directing all my concentration to that one arm. The old hag and I were rather beat by the end of it."
I looked at Gendo. "That reminds me, Commander Ikari. The Evangelion made it clear. It will no longer accept me. I request taking over the piloting of Evangelion Unit Zero."
He regarded me with cool eyes. "Doctor. Captain. Leave us."
Misato of course raised protest. "But Commander-"
Gendo raised his hand. "That is an order, Captain. I wish to converse with my son alone."
Misato still looked like she was about to protest. I intervened. "Katsuragi-san." She looked at me. I inclined my head. "Please."
She looked long and hard into my eyes. Then she nodded. "I'll see you outside." She then turned and left, leaving me alone with Gendo Ikari.
-----
We looked at each other, Commander and Pilot. I maintained a neutral expression. His eyes were narrow. "Pilot Ikari." He was staring at me evenly. "Why did you refer to your Evangelion as an 'old hag'?"
I tilted my head. "She is. She is uncooperative, she is petulant, and she is a megalomaniac with delusions of grandeur." I crossed my arms. "Also, I am rather certain she abandoned you deliberately."
Gendo rose. "What do you know?"
I tilted my head once again. "Less than I would like, but more than you would like. Neither of us is happy with that situation, I suspect."
Gendo leaned back, exhaling harshly. "You aren't my son, are you."
I raised an eyebrow. "Did you figure that out before or after Yui rejected me?"
He glared. "During. Who are you?"
I steepled my hands. "Mm. Not Shinji Ikari. He has been dead for a long time, I suspect, but I actively replaced him this afternoon. But that was not what you were asking, were you?"
He glared. "You're stalling."
A corner of my mouth quirked. "I suppose. Who I was... I was a failed daughter. I was an enemy of Lilith. I was an attempt to play God. And I suppose I was a success in playing God?" I looked straight into Gendo's eyes. "I am Zero. Zerogoki. And I want to be me again."
His eyes widened slightly. "You were an Evangelion? When?"
I felt my mouth curl into a smile. "Third Impact."
He sat down onto the floor. "The future..." I observed him looking at his hands, breathing heavily. Then he looked up. "Did I succeed? Did I reunite with Yui?"
I shrugged. "I have no idea, Ikari. I was kind of busy rescuing Pilots from SEELE's Evas. And fighting Lilith. And getting our collective asses kicked by Lilith. And being sent back in time to an unwinnable situation by Lilith."
I sat down next to him. "Frankly, I am amazed we are all still alive, at this point."
He glanced at me. "What do you mean, an unwinnable situation?"
I shrugged again. "By replacing me with Shinji, Lilith set us up for a battle we could not win. Yui would reject me, Rei and Mother would be out of commission, Pilot Ayanami would likewise be out of commission, and the only option left would be to lay down and die. Thank the stars I could convince Yui to go on this one single mission. Or that Sachiel was incapable of attacking and defending simultaneously. Or that I was even able to kill him with synchronization far below the threshold." I clapped the Bastard King on the back. "Face it, Commander. The fact we are all still here is pure fucking luck."
Gendo Ikari rose. "I will arrange you a synchronization test with Unit-00 for tomorrow. Good day, pilot Ikari." He walked out of the door.
I blinked. That had gone rather well. Kind of too well, in fact. There was no doubt in my mind that I just got added into some form of Scenario. He would not be Gendo Ikari if he did not plot something, after all.
I rose. Time to face Misato.
-----
To my surprise, Misato was not bursting with questions at all. She merely wanted to know if I was okay, if the Commander was too harsh with me, and if piloting the Evangelion had scared me too much. It was nice of her to be concerned on my behalf.
I told her that the Commander and I had come to an agreement, and I was going to be tested with Unit Zero the following day. Then she invited me to stay with her. Foolishly, I accepted.
The place was a sty. As someone who was used to the orderly bridge of Zerogoki's Core Dogma, or the well-maintained Pribnow Box, stepping into an apartment full of trash and empty beer cans was a jarring experience. I told her as much.
"Katsuragi-san, this place is a sty."
She did not appreciate that. "Oh, I'd like to see you do better!"
I blinked. "I could not. I have never learned any basic human survival skills, as I am a... child... and therefore no one has taught me. What is your excuse?"
She crossed her arms and huffed. "My excuse is shut up. Shut up is why."
I smiled. "It is okay to not have an excuse, Katsuragi-san. I simply will have to get used to it, as I have had to everything else."
She exhaled. "Okay, two things. One, please stop calling me Katsuragi-san. Just call me Misato. Ain't that hard. Two. Are you trying to guilt-trip me into cleaning up?"
I tilted my head. "I am not trying to trip you anywhere, Misato-san."
She grabbed a can of Yebisu. "And another thing. What's with the Ayanami impression? You were far snarkier when I picked you up, Shinji-kun."
I leaned back onto the chair. "My apologies for that. I tend to lose some of my control during hectic circumstances. I shall endeavour to not let that happen again."
Misato glowered at me. "I don't want you to be a perfect little robot. Why don't you let loose? Live a little?"
I tilted my head. The corner of my mouth quirked. "Does my robotic behavior annoy you, Misato Katsuragi-san?"
She opened her mouth. Then she closed it and narrowed her eyes. "You're messing with me, aren't you?"
I allowed myself a small smile. "Indubitably."
Misato snorted. "Devious little sense of humour, eh?"
I nodded. "I prefer the term 'subtle'."
Seemed that I could get along with Misato Katsuragi, after all.
-----
Later, I visited the Suzuharas in the hospital. The doctor taking care of Sakura at first scolded me for splinting a broken leg with no prior training, but admitted that my presence had been largely positive towards her getting help fast. It left me with a strange feeling of both accomplishment and chastisement.
Touji let me know that Sakura would be getting out in a few months, and gave me something he called a "bro-hug". It felt kind of nice. Reminded me of Rei's mind-hugs. I sniffed.
Touji pulled back. "Hey, man. You okay?"
I shook my head. "No. I am not. Everything is wrong. Everything is wrong and I do not know how to fix it."
The Suzuhara exhaled. "Wanna talk about it?"
I sat down. "I do not know how to begin. I do not know where to begin." I started breathing heavily. "I do not even know if it makes sense to anyone."
He patted me on the shoulder. "C'mon, Zero. It's okay. Take your time, man."
I felt my heart constrict in my chest. "I... Okay. Okay." I looked at him. He honestly looked just concerned. For my sake? It did not make sense to me. But I felt like I could talk to him. "Please. Do not call me a man. It is... It is wrong. It feels wrong. It does not feel like me. I do not feel like me."
"So what do you feel like?"
Such a simple question, yet so devastating! I grabbed my head in my hands. "I feel wrong. I feel fragile. I feel small." I was panting. When did I start panting? I looked at my hand. Not my hand. "I feel like this is not my body. And I am completely correct. This is not my body." I swallowed. "It belongs to this complete stranger named Shinji Ikari, and I cannot be him. I want to be me." I ran the hand through my hair. His hair. Shinji's hair. Not mine.
I looked at Touji. Gods, that poor fucker still looked supportive. Hah, no wonder the Fourth fell for him. I licked my suddenly dry lips. "I almost died last night. This has never happened to me before. I am supposed to be the strong one. I am supposed to be the defender, who swoops in and saves the day by the skin of-" I was panting again. "I am not supposed to be terrified. I am. I am supposed to be the mature one. I am not. I am supposed to be me. I am NOT!"
I let out a humorless laugh. "I keep saying that. Gods, I miss Rei. I miss Lily and Misa-chan. Hell, I even miss Mother!" I clenched my eyes shut. "I should not miss her. She tried to kill us. I should not miss that woman!" My face felt wet. Why was my face wet?
And then it went dark around me. I opened my eyes. My eyes were wet? Why?
It had gone dark, because Touji had enveloped me into a hug. I could not help but quirk a smile. Lovable jock.
I hugged him back. It felt like we both needed that.
-----
Both Touji and I agreed that nothing happened between us. I had a nervous breakdown and he was there, offering a shoulder to cry on. He said he would be willing to be a good listener again. Nothing else happened, and anyone, named Sakura, who happens to be claiming otherwise, is a filthy lying liar who lies.
I ended up simply killing time, sitting on the balcony and waiting for the next day, when I made a worrying discovery.
The moon was different.
Now, I was not the sort of person who would just stop and stare at the moon. I had better things to do. I was the Evangelion. I fought Angels. But even I would have noticed a big red streak on the Moon. A streak of blood, at that. When had this appeared? Whose blood was it? And why did the sight of it fill me with such dread?
I put those questions out of my mind. head. I- I could not get bogged down with another existential crisis. I did not think I could come back from it.
Soft footsteps behind me distracted my spiral of existentialism. I did not turn around. "Hello, Misato-san."
She sat down next to me. "You did good, you know."
I sighed. "Barely."
She hesitated for a moment. Then she drew me into a hug. "It's going to be okay."
I looked at the moon. "I am nervous. Yu- I mean, Unit-01 barely accepted me. A-after that battle..." I swallowed. "It will never let me pilot again. I-if Unit Zero rejects me too... That is it. We are done for."
Misato hugged me tighter. "Then screw regulations, Shinji-kun. I'll jump in and pilot one of them myself."
I could not help it, I snorted. "Misato-san! Do not be ridiculous. The Bastard King would never let you anywhere near his precious Yui, and Zero..." I shook my head in mirth. "No, it would not work."
I felt Misato pause in her hug. "Who's Yui?"
My mind caught up with what I had said. "I... Apologies, Misato-san. I am not used to..." I paused. "...what am I even saying?"
Misato withdrew from the hug to look me in the eye. "You can talk to me. Whatever it is, you can tell me."
I looked at her in the eyes. Nothing but honest truth shone in them. I sighed. "Even if I tell you things that would most likely shatter your worldwiew?
To my surprise, she actually laughed. "After being shown an Angel in the basement? I doubt much could shock me."
My train of thought halted. "Wait. They actually told you about Lilith?"
She nodded. "Mhmm. Which raises the question of how you know about Lilith."
I exhaled. "I come from 2016. I come back from the site of Third Impact. And I was sent back by Lilith, to die at the hands of Sachiel, ensuring that NERV would be powerless to stop him." I quirked my lips. "It is only through sheer luck and steel determination that I was able to defeat the Third Angel."
"Fourth."
I paused. "Excuse me?"
Misato was staring at me, looking confused but determined. "The one you defeated was the Fourth Angel. The Third is being studied under Bethany Base."
I swallowed. "That is... Potentially bad. But... The rest of it..." I looked at her pleadingly. "You believe me?"
She thought for a second, then nodded. "I do, Shinji-kun. It explains how you were able to pilot the Evangelion as if you've done it before; you have."
I smiled sadly. "Yes, well... I have never piloted Yui. It was always Zero that was my home."
Misato was staring at me with narrowed eyes. "Yui... Is the name of Unit-01?"
I shook my head. "Not quite. Yui is the name of the soul inside Unit-01. The soul of Yui Ikari."
She swallowed. "So... You had to pilot your mother? And she rejected you?"
I grimaced. "About that." I grabbed her shoulders. "You trust me? No matter what?"
She nodded. "I trust you."
I took a deep breath. "You never knew Pilot Ikari. I am not Pilot Ikari. Pilot Ikari would have synchronised with Yui with ease. I could never have." I looked down. "It is okay if you hate me. I would. I am... sorry that you never got to know him."
There was a pause. Then she grabbed me into a tight hug. "I could never hate you! Not even now! I can't hate you for something that isn't your fault! And I'm so sorry you had to go through all that." She withdrew, smiling. "So, introductions time, for real! My name is Misato Katsuragi! What's yours?"
I smiled back. "Well met, Misato Katsuragi-san. My name is Zero Akagi."
Next chapter, as promised!
...uh. What do people usually put in these A/Ns anyway?
"Connect the main power supply and all circuits together." That was Ritsuko's voice. I was sitting in the entry plug, preparing myself. Preparing myself for experiencing that moment from the other side.
At first she had laughed herself sick. After I had clarified a few points, she had turned murderous.
"The main power supply connected. Start the activation system." That was Maya. I swallowed in excitement. I was close. So fucking close.
I had been frightened of her rage. I did not realize she could be capable of it. She had said she was going to call off the test.
"Start the second phase of the activation system." I exhaled. Breathe, Zero. And was that not a strange thought? To have to breathe. I probed out, but the connection was still too far away.
I had barely convinced her to let me try, anyway. I could not not know, I had explained her.
"You're doing okay in there, Shinji-kun?" Misato was there. She insisted to be. I could not deny her that. I nodded.
"I am fine, Misato-san." She agreed to call me Shinji in public. Less questions from people we did not want questions from. Not that the cat was not out of the bag anyway; I should not have blurted everything out to the Bastard King.
"Start System Phase II." I swallowed. The Evangelion could surely detect my presence now. Was I in there, somewhere? Was it someone completely new? What if it did not accept me? I exhaled. In the background of the comms, I could hear the technicians chattering.
"Synapses inserted. Junction started."
"Pulses transmitted."
"All circuits are operational."
"The initial contact has no problems."
I opened my heart to Zerogoki. I poured out all my dreams, my worries, my hopes, my sorrows. I gave it everything I had, and I hoped it listened.
It did. Warmth flooded the Entry Plug, and I sensed a presence. A familiar presence. A singular presence.
"Rei...?"
The presence hesitated. And then a torrent of feelings poured out towards me. Recognition. Hope. Joy. Acceptance. ZERO! YOU'RE HERE! YOU EXIST!
I choked back tears. "Rei... You exist... You're here... with me..."
The comms blared. "You're synchronizing, Shinji-kun! 87% and rising rapidly!"
Tears of joy flowed freely from my eyes, mixing with the LCL. "I know! She accepts me! I can go so much further! Please let me!"
The plug jolted, sinking deeper into the Evangelion. A familiar sight greeted me - the familiar fusion of an Entry Plug and Central Dogma. I smiled. "Rei... You recreated it?"
She materialized, in her familiar guise of a mischievous little girl. OF COURSE I DID. I DIDN'T HAVE MUCH ELSE TO DO IN HERE. BEING ALONE. AND ALL.
Ritsuko's face materialized in a comm window. "I don't believe it, Shinji-kun! Your synchronization is at 150% and holding! You're a walking contradiction, you are!"
I smiled, a genuine smile. "I told you, doctor Akagi. She accepts me."
She clapped her hands. "Congratulations then, Shinji-kun! You're an Evangelion pilot! Are Are you ready to come back now?"
I looked at Rei. She waved a hand. GO. THEY ACCEPTED YOU AS MINE. YOU CAN VISIT LATER. WHEN YOU NEXT SYNCHRONIZE.
I pulled her into a semi-mental hug anyway. "I will see you then. And we will talk more then. Be seeing you, Rei."
The plug started withdrawing. The Dogma began getting hazier. Rei waved. I smiled, and waved back. Then the entry plug ejected completely, and I lost sight of her.
-----
Misato cornered me as soon as we were alone. "Alright, spill. Who was in there? Who did you synchronize with? And are you doing okay?"
I pulled her into a hug. "It went magnificently, Misato-san. It was Rei and only Rei. And she has come back too!" I frowned. "There was no one else in there. This is not my past, I suspect. Rei was alone."
She hummed. "Troubling. That might mean your advance knowledge will soon be useless. Or already is."
I ended the hug. "I do not plan to rely on it, Misato-san. What complicates matters is that Gendo knows. I accidentally let it slip when we were alone. I have no idea what he is planning."
Misato let out a barking laugh. "Who does? The only person who knows what Gendo Ikari is up to is Gendo Ikari himself. But that's bad news. We will have to make our own luck here."
I smiled. "Did you not say you were the type of person who does that anyway?"
She grinned. "You're damn right I do! Now c'mon. Let's go find something to eat."
Misato's cooking produced a wild array of tastes, especially to one who had never eaten anything before. I found this palate quite delectable, if I was being honest with myself. Where else would I get such an extraordinary experience of taste?
But it was not her own cooking she treated me to, today. It was food produced by something that described itself as a "cheap curry place". I ordered something called "teriyaki".
It is supposed to be customary to chat over a meal. But I did not have a clue what to talk about. So I asked. "Misato-san, what does one usually talk about over a meal?"
She blinked at me. "Haven't you ever...?"
I blinked back. "I am an Evangelion. We do not usually eat. Or talk with each other."
She nodded in comprehension. "Oh, of course. I forgot. But now you've gotten me curious. What does an Evangelion... Do?"
I took a moment to think about it. "In my case, I communed with the other souls. I am a special case, in that regard. Normally, an Evangelion is supposed to have a single soul within. We had three in the beginning and six-" I stopped myself. "Not six. Not six. Five. Five by the end."
I blinked back tears. "I- I will not talk about that. I am sorry. I cannot."
Misato smiled sadly. "It's okay. I'll respect your boundaries on that matter."
I nodded. I did not trust myself to speak yet.
Our curries arrived. Misato dug in immediately. I took a hesitant bite.
It was... good. No, it was great! The sensations dancing across my tastebuds... I took another bite. And then another. Each one giving me a new explosion of taste. I began devouring it with gusto.
The plates soon became empty. Misato and I were staring at each other across the table in contentment. I was the first to speak. "We plot."
Misato blinked at my apparent non-sequitur. "Excuse me?"
I blinked back. "You asked what an Evangelion does, Misato-san. The answer is that we plot."
She put her chin on her hands and leaned forward. "So what does an Evangelion plot about?"
I quirked a rueful smile. "World domination."
She tilted her head. "You... what?"
I nodded. "We plot world domination. I and the MAGI would construct elaborate Scenarios of taking over NERV and leaving Gendo to rot. We were also constructing plans to expand outwards and let us, the Machine Intelligences, take over as the new benevolent world leaders." I took a sip of water. "Rei would occasionally assist us, but I rather suspect she would have preferred to have a body first." I looked down. "Mother..." I swallowed. "I would rather not talk about Mother right now. Okay?"
Misato took my hand. "It's okay, and I don't fault you for it. Whatever happened... I'm here for you."
I smiled sadly. "Thank you, Misato-san."
She grinned conspiratorially. "So! Do you happen to have any gossip on the other Evangelions?"
I blinked. "Uhm... Certainly. But it might be factually out of date, considering the timeline inconsistencies..."
She waved a hand. "Pish. I just want some dirt on Commander Ikari's little toys."
I smiled. "Who am I to argue, then. Yui's identity you already know, of course; what you might not know - we found it completely by accident - is that she is a complete and utter megalomaniac..."
Gossip, I later decided, was neat.
-----
"So!" Misato clapped her hands together. "We've fed, we've watered, we've gossiped, we've done the synch tests, and there's still half a day left. Whaddya wanna do?"
I stroked my chin. "I think I would like to visit Pilot Ayanami."
Misato was quick to spot the train of thought. "Wanna see if she "came back" too?"
I hesitated. "...Yes. But... for another reason as well." I tapped my fingers together. "I wish to make amends. Make them regardless of if she has come back or not." I sighed. "I have been consistently treating her the same as anyone else." I looked Misato in the eye. "As a tool."
She blinked. "As a- what do you mean?"
I exhaled. "I only saw her as a tool I could use to gain leverage over Gendo Ikari. In a way, I suppose she still is; "Rei Ayanami" is a series of clones used to further Gendo's goals. I think my treatment of her may have played a factor in..." I cut myself off. "No, that does not matter."
Misato was inhaling and exhaling deeply and angrily. "The more I hear, the more disgusted I am with the machinations of that... man."
I nodded. "Indeed. Shall we go?"
We did. Pilot Ayanami was still in the NERV hospital. The nurse, although hesitant to let us in at first, caved as soon as Misato pulled rank.
Pilot Ayanami was laying in the hospital bed, staring at the ceiling. She turned her head slightly towards us when we stepped in.
Misato was of course the first to speak. "Hello, Ayanami-san! How are you doing today?"
The pilot blinked slowly. "As I reported to Commander Ikari earlier, my recovery is proceeding at an acceptable rate. Soon I will be able to attempt re-synchronization with Unit-00 again."
Misato and I exchanged glances. I motioned towards her. She shook her head and pointed at me. I inclined my head in defeat. "Pilot Ayanami," I addressed her. "I am afraid you will not be synchronizing with Unit-00, as I have been assigned its designated Pilot. My synchronization test was a resounding success."
Her eyes widened minutely. I quirked my lips. "However." I bowed. "Point one. I apologize for taking your Unit from you. Point two. It is highly likely that you will be named the designated Pilot for Unit-01. I am not a viable Pilot for it."
Pilot Ayanami blinked. "I see. Was there anything else?"
I glanced at Misato. She gave me a thumbs up. I nodded. "Yes. I wish to ask you a question. And I would like you to answer as honestly as possible."
She turned to look back at the ceiling. "If I am ordered to, I will."
I eyed Misato. She seemed to be seething. I tried my luck nonetheless. "Misato-san...?"
Said woman inhaled angrily. Then she exhaled just as angrily. "No. You know what, no. I will order her. But you know what? I believe in free will around here." She turned to the injured Pilot. "Rei Ayanami? I am ordering you, as your Tactical Commander and a superior officer, to decide something for yourself for once. You got that?"
Pilot Ayanami raised a single eyebrow. "Very well. I decide to do that, Pilot Ikari. Ask your question."
I swallowed. This was it. "Please tell me if any of the following names or phrases sound familiar to you. Misa-chan. Lily-chan. Contingency Zero-Alpha. Dirac Restoration. Core Dogma."
Misato was staring at me as if I had grown another head. Pilot Ayanami blinked at me.
"...I am sorry, Pilot Ikari. They do not."
I closed my eyes. "Damn." I stepped forward and gathered her into a hug. She stiffened. "Pilot Ikari, what are you...?"
I smiled, not that she saw it. "I am giving you a hug, Pilot Ayanami. It seemed like we both needed one."
Damnation. She hadn't come back. Was it truly just me and Rei? What had happened to the others? And what had Lily been trying to do?
Bit of a shorter one, this one. Next update, I'm gonna say next Monday. Gonna have to work up the backlog again.
The premise reminds me a little of The Strength of Three, in a weird way. Weird because the only thing that comes to mind as being alike is the time travel.
Three weeks passed by without much incident. I visited the Suzuharas fairly often, learning much about human family dynamics, comparing them with my own, and finding my experiences woefully inadequate. I also visited Pilot Ayanami several times, gaining much insight into what she was doing when not piloting an Evangelion. Unsurprisingly, she did not do much aside from read.
When not doing either of those things, I was sneaking around in Terminal Dogma, learning the positions of the cameras, noting surveillance-blind rooms, and exploring the air ducts. It was highly productive, and I could not wait to put my new master plan in motion.
Misato's cooking was as delicious as ever. I even learned some tricks from her, like combining curry with Yebisu. Or coffee. Coffee was also an amazing beverage. I could drink so much of it and never have enough. And it left me with so much energy to use! It almost made up for not having an AT-field.
I was able to speak more with Rei. She was not much help with the travel business, but she was relatively certain Lilith had targeted us specifically. She also suspected that Lilith had been aiming for something even worse, but whatever Lily had done had thrown her off. I was suspecting the same, although the thought of the rest of us trapped in various corners of the Dirac Sea was not exactly comforting.
I was able to steal some hairs from Ritsuko, but to my great dismay, they did not have nearly as much usable DNA as I was hoping. I would have to find some other sources of DNA.
And then, when I had finally scouted out a secret laboratory, and equipped it with scrounged equipment, Misato decided to send me to school. She used several excuses, from "Touji will be there" to "you need to socialize some more" or even "I'll sic Rits on you".
That last one got me. Ritsuko still had not cornered me, and I dreaded the moment it would happen. Thus, I found myself standing in front of a rectangular building, full of creatures as alien to me as I most likely was to them.
Misato had said that those creatures were called "teenagers".
"Zero-chan?"
I turned, smiling. "Hello, Touji-kun. How are you?"
He scratched the back of his head. "Uh, fine I guess... What're you doin' here?"
I sighed. "Misato-san insisted I go to school. So here I am."
He blinked. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"
I hummed. "I do not know. I did find something to do, so I would rather be doing that. However, since Pilot Ayanami has been released from the hospital and is in fact going to this school, I should at least see how she is doing."
Touji snickered. "Do you have a crush on her, Zero-chan?"
I felt affronted. "I do not. And do not call me Zero in public. I am supposed to be 'Shinji Ikari' still, am I not?"
He scowled. "That ain't right. You should be going by the name you chose, not the name you were given."
I sighed. "Well, we do not always get what we want, Touji-kun. Shall we?"
He nodded reluctantly. And so I went to school for the first time.
The first few moments were not as bad. I met with Pilot- I mean, Class Representative Horaki, got introduced to the class, and gave Pilot Ayanami a respectful nod. And then Touji introduced me to Kensuke Aida.
If I could describe him in one word, it would be "Enthusiastic". Another would be "Excitable". A third might be "Brilliant". He figured out my connection to NERV within seconds. It was, however, rather foolish of me to start answering his questions.
I was doomed the moment I mentioned the Evangelions. I was even more doomed when I mentioned being the designated pilot of Unit-00. Doubly so once I threw Pilot Ayanami under the bus by referring to her as "Pilot" Ayanami.
In my defense, I was caught off guard. Pilot Ayanami did not consider that as a viable excuse. And Touji was too preoccupied by laughing himself sick to be of any help whatsoever.
My phone beeped. I fished it out of my pocket. "Oh look," I laughed nervously. "The MAGI have discovered a Blue Pattern. I should leave. To standby. Or something. Just in case. Goodbye." With all the quiet dignity and grace I could muster, I fled. From Aida and Ayanami both.
In retrospect, I had forgotten that Ayanami would follow me as soon as I mentioned the words "Blue Pattern". As it was, she was running right behind me.
"Pilot Ikari."
I did not look back. "Yes, Pilot Ayanami?"
I could hear irritation in her voice. "Why did you disclose our Pilot status to Kensuke Aida?"
I cringed, not that she could see my face. "I panicked, Pilot Ayanami. He deduced my connection to NERV the moment he saw me, and my status as Pilot the moment I mentioned an Evangelion." Stars, this was tiring! How was she keeping up so effortlessly?
She hissed behind me. "Then why did you mention it in the first place?"
I sputtered. "He called it a 'giant robot'! They are not machines! They are beings with souls!" I paused. "I did not tell him that particular detail. But he needed to be corrected!"
She was silent for a moment. "Acceptable reasoning."
I flagged down the nearby Section 2 vehicle I had been running towards, and jumped in. Pilot Ayanami climbed on right after me. "Possible Angel Attack," she instructed them. "NERV. Now." The vehicle tore off, tires screeching against the asphalt.
-----
I was sitting in my Entry Plug, ready to connect with Rei. Every synchronization test had come back with a score of at least 100%, occasionally rising up to 150% at particularly high emotions. Ritsuko was ready to tear her hair out, over that. She simply could not accept anything as 'unscientific' as 'opening one's heart to an Evangelion'. I hoped Misato would find something to calm her down eventually.
The activation sequence began. I opened my heart.
Rei was lounging on her Throne, chewing on an imaginary toothpick. HEYA, ZERO-CHAN. OUR FIRST FIGHT AS EVA AND PILOT, YES?
I smiled. "It is strange to think about it that way, Rei-chan. I am used to being the Evangelion, not being her Pilot. But I think we are going to have fun."
She grinned, and gripped her own copy of the butterfly controls. THEN LET'S GO, ALREADY. LET'S BATTLE. LET'S TEAR THAT ANGEL APART!
I chuckled. "I convinced Misato to convince R&D to build us a Progressive Sword. And then I convinced Rits to let me test it out in the Simulations. Shamshel is not going to know what hit it."
A giant waldo passed us the sword. As one, we grabbed it, testing its weight. "This will do." The external speakers were switched on. I saw Misato wince from the observation booth. "Just get up there, Pilot. Evangelion: Launch!"
We felt the G-s. We released the explosive bolts. As the launch platform stopped, we used the remaining momentum to launch ourselves high in the air, unsheathing our sword. Factually, it had no sheath, but it felt good to pretend.
Shamshel was right underneath us. It was quickly rising to a combat position.
We landed on its head, knocking it down on the ground. It lashed out with its Energy Whips, seeking to slice us in half. We dodged, parrying the whips with our sword. We grinned as one. "Come now, beast! Is that all you have? Was this display all you got? Pathetic!"
Our voice echoed across the city. The Angel lashed out again, seeking to grab our wrist.
We flash-stepped just out of its range. "What you get from us is a pity kill, Angel."
It speared us right through the shoulder, and beyond. A display of numbers began counting down at the bottom of the screen. We growled. "Lucky shot, beast. Now, you shall perish."
We blurred. Our synchronisation was spiking. We appeared behind the Angel, sword held high. "Die." We plunged the sword down, through its AT-field, its hard outer shell, and its fragile core.
A massive cross-shaped explosion bloomed, and the streets were filled with blood. I stared at it, as we untangled ourselves from the synchronisation. "The Angels have red blood, here."
Rei hummed. INDEED. WONDER IF IT'S IN ANY MANNER SIGNIFICANT.
I shrugged. "We may never know." I glanced at her. "That was fun, though, was it not?"
Rei grinned. HELL YES. WHAT WAS WITH THE DRAMATICS, BY THE WAY?
I acted affronted. "Rei-chan! How even dare you assume. Those were clearly from you!"
NUH-UH.
"Yes they were!"
NUH-UH!
Gods, I had missed her.
-----
Emerging from the Entry Plug, I was greeted by the same Inquisition Triumvirate as the last time. Misato, with stars in her eyes. The Bastard King, looking as emotionless as ever. Ritsuko, tearing her hair out.
I took one look and groped for the latch. "I think I will sleep in the Evangelion."
The Ikari sounded incredibly unamused. "Get down here, Third Child."
I chose to sit on a shoulder pylon instead, looking down at them while remaining at a comfortable height. Out of reach of Ritsuko. She looked rather intimidating in her current state.
"I would rather stay up here," I remarked. "How did I do?"
Misato jumped up, clasping her hands in front of her. "You did amazing, sweetie! You were wonderful out there!"
I smiled. "Thank you, Misato-san. It is high praise, especially from you."
She grinned widely. "You're welcome, Shin-chan!" Gendo, I saw, was glaring at her coolly.
"Third Child," he growled. I gazed impassively towards him.
"Yes?"
He did not look very impressed. "Explain yourself. Why do you persist on remaining up there?"
I tilted my head. "Because I believe that doctor Akagi would rip me apart and examine the resulting pieces in extensive detail. Sir."
Misato was snickering conspicuously. Ritsuko exploded. "OF COURSE I WOULD! YOU MAKE NO GODDAMN SENSE! HOW THE HELL DO YOU SYNCHRONIZE LIKE THAT?" She was breathing heavily through her teeth. "What the Hell are you?"
I narrowed my eyes. "I am a Pilot."
"False." Gendo stuck his hands in the his pockets of his jacket. "He is an Evangelion in human form."
I froze. A glance showed me that that Misato was frozen, too. The Bastard King adjusted his glasses, smirking. "If you will excuse me?"
He turned away and walked off. I slowly turned my head towards the predatory look on Ritsuko's face.
She looked like she was about to dissect myself, Rei, and perhaps even Yui, in that order. I grabbed the shoulder pylon into a fearful hug. "Rei! Protect me!"
She did. The Evangelion's eye glowed a brilliant red. A gigantic arm ripped itself out its restraints, grabbed Ritsuko, and raised her to the level with the helmet. Misato shrieked. My eyes felt like they were about to drop out of their sockets. Ritsuko suddenly looked paler than Pilot Ayanami.
The external speakers clicked on, and Rei's voice came snarling out of them. "LEAVE. HER. ALONE." The gigantic fist unclenched, dropping Ritsuko into the LCL below. Rei's arm also dropped, repositioning itself near the broken restraints. The glow from the single eye winked out.
I picked my jaw off the metaphorical floor. "Oh what the fuck."
I slid myself down the arm, across the elbow, and flung myself to the catwalk. Ritsuko was dragging herself out of the LCL, coughing violently. Misato was helping her. I extended my hand. "Do you need some assistance, doctor Akagi?"
Staring at me as if I was an Angel, she grabbed my hand nonetheless, letting me heave her up. Coughing out the last of the LCL, she slid onto the catwalk. "What the fuck..." she whispered softly.
Misato looked at me. I shrugged. She indicated at Rits' shaking form. "Let's get her out of there."
I nodded. We supported her from underneath each shoulder, and helped her into her office. From there, we manoeuvred her onto her chair. She was panting. "D-don't leave me alone. Please."
Misato and I exchanged glances. I opted for concern. "Is she all right, Misato-san?"
Misato raised an eyebrow. "Does she look alright to you, Zero-chan?"
I paused. I looked Ritsuko over. She was still paler than Pilot Ayanami. She was still shaking, and she was breathing heavily. Her eyes were wide. She was whispering under her breath. I shook my head. "You are correct, Misato-san. She does not look all right. What can we do?"
Misato bit her lip. "We stay here. Keep her company. Help her get through this panic attack your Evangelion sprung on her."
I frowned. "She looked like she was about to dissect me and her both, Misato-san. The fact that Rei was able to move at all, much less threaten anyone, came as a complete surprise to me."
Misato raised both eyebrows. "In that case, we'll call it even and help out Rits. We'll see what happens after."
I looked down at Ritsuko. The woman was still shaking. "I suppose we will have to bring her into the fold, then."
And that's Chapter Four! Shamshel has been battled, and soundly curbstomped. Gendo got in his asshole quota. Rits has been traumatized, and may even end up with some answers.
What happens next, find out in Chapter Five! It will be posted Wendesday.
Tomorrow, however, I will be posting a Surprise~!
Nice reference to Nobody Dies (I think), with the ducts.
I was expecting randomness, but not quite this much. Not certain how I feel about what I see projected here, but there is quite a bit that I don't know yet, so benefit of the doubt given. It does look like you may be drawing on some of the alternative content out there as reference as well. That will be enjoyable to see.
Overall, good quality writing, with an easy to read and follow style. Looks quite a bit like a plot-as-you-go, but some authors can get excellent results from their target audiences that way, though it isn't always to my taste. Promising, though.
plot-as-you-go works for everyone except Gendo and Sele. Those two needs some sort of general scenario. Everyone else can try to have small plots, but this isn't exactly a setting where they'll go off flawlessly.
I think it's more that just that. I think Zero actually is from the Nobody Dies timeline. The Progressive Sword, the overdramaticts, the casual ability to reach above 100% synch, the mentions of Lily (Liliel) being an Ally, Zero being different from Rei... There's a lot here I recognize from ND.
A/N: I promised a Surprise for today, did I not? The surprise is a Sidestory!
Way back in Chapter 1, Zero mentioned five Allies. A "Rei", an "Asuka", a "Pilot Ayanami", a "Lily", and a "Misa-chan". The "Rei" was revealed to be traveled back with Zero, and is Unit-00. What about the others, though?
Well. There are four Allies we haven't yet met. How about we meet two of them?
-----
0.0
-----
It was dark. And cold. And it smelled of blood.
Asuka found herself thinking dark thoughts again. She couldn't say she was surprised, however. Dark thoughts were an almost constant companion of hers, after that fateful battle.
She couldn't tell how long it had been. Neither could she tell how the fuck was she still alive. The universe hating her, she supposed. What else was new.
It was dark.
No, she didn't want to fall into a loop of those thoughts again. Spiralling downwards was how she got there in the first place. Sitting in an abandoned Evangelion. Feeling sorry for herself.
She tried connecting with the Evangelion again. She could tell there was a spark of some sort in there, but she never seemed to be able to connect with it, pulling back at the last second before being absorbed. She wasn't ready to spend an eternity trapped even deeper in an Evangelion.
Yep, the spark was still there. Deliberately trapped. She supposed it might have been another rogue Angel the Ayanami had trapped in there. Before the whole company had fucked off to parts unknown. Leaving her trapped in a soulless Unit-00. Possibly in the company of another Angel. Fucking typical.
She sat back and exhaled... something. Honestly, she had no bloody clue what the Hell was she even breathing. LCL, sure. But an Entry Plug could only hold so much oxygen, and she was pretty sure she had breathed the last of it weeks ago.
"What should I spend my time with?" she asked, and started. Was that her voice? Had she been there long enough to be startled by her own voice? She narrowed her eyes. "Talking to myself, am I? Fuck. That."
If she was going to start talking to herself, she might as well do that whilst trapped in an Evangelion anyway. She gripped the butterfly controls. "Synchronizing!"
The plug dove deeper, and deeper. She could feel herself appraching the deep borderline. Normally, she would be pulling back right then. Now, however, she gripped the controls and dove right past it. And something swam into place. It was... Central Dogma?
Her seat connected with a shunk to an established slot. She spied four other similar seats on the bridge. One was under a black cover.
Asuka rose from her seat, looking around. Everything seemed empty. All the lights were off. She sighed. "Fucked off and didn't touch anything. Fucking fantastic."
"Oh. Hello, beautiful stranger."
She whirled around. Right behind her, mounted onto a cross, was a Rei Ayanami. Her hair was white, her skin was also white, and her eyes, too, were glowing white. She was also completely naked. Asuka's eyes widened. "Was... zur Hölle?"
The Ayanami smiled faintly at her. "Are you my Princess Charming, come to rescue me?"
Asuka stared, aghast. "Who... Who are you?"
The white being tilted her head. "My name is Armisael. They used to call me Misa-chan. Nice to meet you, Princess Charming!"
Asuka swallowed. "You're the Sixteenth Angel."
Armisael shrugged. "What's left of her. My real body has become the nervous system for this body, for what you Lilim call an Evangelion. My mind, however, is trapped here." She indicated her cross. "As you can clearly see, my Princess Charming."
Asuka crossed her arms. "My name is Asuka Zeppelin Sohryu."
Armisael blinked at her. "Oh. I have heard of you. Wasn't one of your names Langley?"
Asuka closed her eyes. "So it was. I don't want to talk about it."
Armisael blinked once more. "Very well, then, Princess Asuka. I will not bring it up again, unless of course you wish to bring it up yourself. Do you wish to do something else?"
Asuka rolled her eyes. "Well, I would like to get out of this stupid Dirac Sea, but that isn't happening, is it?"
The Angel regarded her with a calculating gaze. "It would not be happening as things currently stand, no. However, circumstances can change."
Asuka matched the Angel's gaze. "Let me guess. It involves getting you off this cross."
Armisael smiled. "But of course. Once free, I will be able to assist you with ease!"
"Able to?" Asuka raised an eyebrow. "Sure, I can believe ability. But I highly doubt willingness."
The Angel's eyes glowed brightly. "Do not mistake me, Princess Asuka. I have been trapped here by the Reigoki Council because my attack on them inadvertedly ended up making one of them a murderer. That was not my fault. I will simply be happy to do something."
Asuka stared at the Angel. Long, and hard. Then she sighed. "What must I do?"
-----
Freeing Armisael from the Cross was easier than she thought. Dealing with a naked overly-affectionate semi-Ayanami was rather a lot harder.
She glared at the Angel. "Must you hang all over me?"
It shrugged. "Even if it's just an illusion, I'm happy to touch something again!"
Asuka sighed. "Didn't you say you had a way out of this, "Misa-chan"?"
The Angel became serious immediately. "Oh. Yes. Right. Well, if you would withdraw from Deep Synchro..." It led Asuka to her Entry Plug Seat. "Also, if you would please stop referring to me as an "it", it's very rude of you."
Asuka glared at it-her. Glared at her. "Up. Shut." She sat down. "Now whaaAAA-"
The plug shot upwards. Her vision was a blur of streaking colors for a fleeting moment, before it jolted to a stop. The Central Dogma once again appeared around her, but this time only as framing. Armisael was sitting on a Plug Seat right next to her, faintly transparent. "There we go! Your Plug is now fully in Synch with Reigoki's Core. And by that I mean me. Because I am Reigoki's Core now."
Asuka was panting. "Warn me next time when you do something like that!"
She recieved a smirk in return. "Will do, Princess."
Asuka glared. "So, Einstein. How are you going to get us out of here?"
"Very simply," answered the Angel. "I am Armisael, Angel of the Womb. I contain within me the potential, and the abilities of all fifteen preceding Angels. Including those of the Angel of the Night. Observe." She pushed her own controls forwards. "Instrumemory Configuration: Hole of the Worm!"
A series of clunks sounded. Armisael grinned. "There we go. The Evangelion is reconfigured for detecting and travelling through wormholes. We can use that ability to escape the Dirac Sea!"
A Heads-up Display appeared. A series of dots began blooming and almost immediately extinguishing on it. "Those," Armisael explained, "are wormholes travelling through the Dirac Sea. Most of those are tiny, and exist only for microseconds. However, I am reasonably certain we can hijack one of those and leave this damned place for once!"
Asuka shrugged. "If you say so." She worked her controls. The Evangelion began making swimming motions, finally moving from whatever place it had remained motionless at for so long.
It passed tiny flickers. It passed larger flickers. And then Asuka noticed something. Thin, tall... and stable. "There!"
Armisael was snarling. "I see it! Just a little closer..."
The shape warped, rapidly gaining in size. Soon enough, it was the size of an Evangelion. Angel and human both wore savage grins. "Here we go." Massive hands gripped the edges of the portal. A single eye glowed a hellish red. The Evangelion stepped out of its prison.
-----
As Armisael powered down the Instrumemory Configuration, Asuka took a look around the exit site. Dozens of humans in various colorful/dreary costumes, standing around looking cautious. Several of those present were either flying or floating. Some expressed strange energy readings. Others exhibited inhuman shapes. A swarm of insects was curiously poking around at the Evangelion.
Asuka reached the inevitable conclusion. "Misa-san, I think we ended up in a superhero world."
The Angel hummed. "Statistically speaking, any kind of ridiculous theme was possible. Are they showing any signs of wanting to beat us up?"
Asuka shook her head. "I think they're a bit intimidated. Hang on, I'll turn on the external mics..."
Pretty much immediately, the Entry Plug was filled with a low murmur of primarily concern. A single individual was slowly flying upwards.
Asuka waited patiently. The individual, tentatively identified as a female, coughed for a moment, and addressed her. "Unknown Parahuman or Parahuman creation! Identify yourself, or be assumed hostile!"
Asuka rolled her eyes. "Oh great, they're American. I hate having to speak English... Oh well." She activated the external speakers and crossed the Evangelion's arms. "I have no clue what a "Parahuman" is, but I'm assuming it's something like one of you lot." She took a pose. "My name is Asuka Zeppelin Sohryu, and I am an Evangelion Pilot." She lowered the Eva's head and peered at the "Parahuman". "And you?"
She opened her mouth, and was about to say something, when a dark green shape blew past her and flattened itself against Asuka's AT-field.
Asuka just looked at it. "So much for the tentative truce, then. Unless whatever that was wasn't associated with you. Or something."
The "Parahuman" launched herself at the Evangelion. Asuka sighed, and plucked her out of the air. "Look. I've been in a deep dark blood-smelling coffin for weeks. I'm not actually in the mood for a fight, you know. Can't we just, I don't know, fucking chill for a sec?"
The "Parahuman" glared. "You won't get away with this!"
Asuka just stared incredulously. "Get away with- you know what, no." She clicked the external communications off. "Got any AoE attacks, Misa-san?"
Armisael made a face. "Pretty much just Matarael and Arael."
Asuka shuddered. "No thanks to the Arael. Which one was Matarael again?"
Armisael smirked. "The crybaby."
Rolling her eyes, Asuka shrugged. "You know what, fine. Let's throw acid all over a bunch of trigger-happy supers, I'm sure that'll go over well."
She received a raised eyebrow. "Are you getting sarcastic on me, little Princess?"
Asuka gave the Angel a Look. "Eyup."
"EnOuGH!"
Angel and human both looked outside. The... giant swarm of bugs... had risen to eye level with the Evangelion. And it was... speaking?
"ThE PiLoT oF THiS... EVaNgElioN... cLAiMS TO nOt WaNT tO FiGHt. I sAY wE gIVe HeR THe beNEfIt Of A DoUBt."
Staring incredulously, Asuka thumbed her external speakers back on. "Thank you, uh, giant swarm of bugs." She peered at her fist. "I'm willing to stand down if you are." She unclenched it.
The Parahuman hesitated for a moment, then flew forwards, smacking against the AT-field. Asuka rolled her eyes. "You know what fine, new plan. Since you want to fight so badly, I fight with you and only you, and the rest of that lot can fuck off for all I care. Sounds fair?"
"SoUNdS FAir," confirmed the giant swarm of bugs. The mass of humans down below started retreating. Asuka glared at the fighty Parahuman. "Look. I've killed four Angels, and five enemy Evangelions. At least try to stand down, yeah?"
The Parahuman smacked against her AT-field again. Asuka sighed. "Misa-san, do you have anything against a small, fast target?"
Armisael smirked. "My own abilities, of course. Instrumemory Configuration: Becoming One!"
The Eva's left arm split into five glowing tentacles, before reconfiguring into one single one. Asuka gripped the controls with a savage grin. The appendage shot forward.
The Parahuman tried to dodge the glowing limb, but her efforts were futile. Unerringly, the tentacle touched her. And didn't let go.
Asuka felt a part of her consciousness dragged through the link, as she curiously examined the form of the Parahuman. "Well then," she spoke. "You look oddly human under that mask of yours."
"Not quite," remarked Armisael from the other side. "She has this strange connection to something highly not human."
"What is this?" That was the Parahuman. At precisely that moment, Asuka learned that her name was Rebecca. "What are you doing?!"
"We're in your mind, Becky," noted Asuka.
"Poking around," added Armisael, looking entirely too pleased with herself.
Rebecca looked furious. "Get out of my head at once!"
Asuka tilted her head. "In a moment."
"We wanna know what makes you such an unreasonable bitch," added Armisael. "I thought Princess was perfectly reasonable in asking you not to fight. Father damn it," she added, "Extracting reasons from biology is so much harder than getting them directly from the mind..."
Asuka tilted her head as Rebecca furiously raged in the background. "Then why didn't you get them directly from the mind?"
Armisael gestured. "Cause I know you have a lot of leftover trauma from Arael, and thus I didn't bother. Oh!" she exclaimed, "I think I found something!"
Asuka floated over. "What do you have?"
Armisael grinned. "Turns out this one's hormonal development halted at fifteen. She's essentially been a teenager for decades!"
Asuka looked over at the fuming Rebecca. "She's only a year older than me? Hah, no wonder she's unreasonable! Just, I don't know, knock her out or something and let's get back."
Armisael gave her a brilliant smile. "Will do!"
As Asuka found herself back in the Entry Plug, she could observe the unconscious Rebecca laying in the palm of the Eva's reformed hand. She set her Evangelion down on one knee, and laid the palm flat on the ground. "Here's your foolish teenage hero. Do whatever with her." She unceremoniously dumped the sleeping body onto the pavement.
"So! Who's in charge here?
-----
A/N: And here we are! We met Asuka, who seems to have some pointed differences about her, and we met Misa-chan, who turned out to be the Angel Armisael! And then they proceeded to Negative Space Wedgie themselves into Worm, through Tattletale's portal, just after the defeat of Echidna. Oh dear.
It was the next morning after the 'Rei Incident', as Misato had taken to calling it. I, personally, considered it a stupid way to address what had happened, but that was simply my opinion.
"You are a soul of an Evangelion."
Ritsuko was sitting on her office chair, scowling incredulously at Misato and I, and taking deep calming drags from her cigarette.
"Moreover, you are one of several souls of a single Evangelion, which should be physically impossible."
She took another drag.
"Atop that impossibility, you are from a future, whose past differs from ours in a significant manner, yet the people within are essentially the same."
She blew a smoke ring.
"And, apparently, you're my half-sister?"
Rits carefully extinguished her cigarette, folded her arms, and glared at me.
"Now, that part doesn't quite make sense to me. You'd think that as the Head of Project E, I'd be qualified to make heads and tails of soul mechanics, but this doesn't sound right. At all. Who are you really?"
I flinched. "I-it is very simple, r-really. W-when the soul of-" I closed my eyes. "T-the s-soul o-of-"
I collapsed onto the floor. "I... I cannot. I cannot let her." I could feel tears flowing down my cheeks. My lips peeled back into a snarl. "I c-cannot let the m-mere mention of THAT... WOMAN turn m-myself into a sobbing wreck! I will not let her! I WILL NOT!"
I rose, growling. Misato was staring at me with wide, tearful eyes. Ritsuko was frowning. I punched the wall. "When." I let out a hiss through my teeth. "The soul of." I clenched my fists. "NAOKO AKAGI." I was seething. "And Rei Ayanami. Are thrown into the same Evangelion."
I punched the wall again. "Their."
And again. "Mutual."
And again. "Hatred."
And again. "Will fester."
I was panting. "And rot."
There were tears rolling down my cheeks. "And churn."
I curled up, grabbing my head.
"And it will detach from them."
Someone was grabbing me into a hug.
"And it will attach to the dormant instincts of an Evangelion."
I did not care.
"And it will grant them sentience. And it will grant them self-hatred."
Someone was stroking my back.
"A-and you will grow up t-thinking y-you will never be g-good for anything, a-and you will be s-surrounded with hatred y-your w-whole l-life, and y-you think t-that it is a n-normal f-family, and t-then you m-meet s-someone who c-can show y-you that it is n-not, and you m-make a t-true friend f-for the f-first time, a-and you a-are h-happy for once, and t-then... t-then..."
I was sobbing openly by now. I was surrounded by warmth, my limbs were shaking, and I was just... letting it all out. All my fears, my sorrows... Everything suddenly went black.
-----
When I came to, I felt warm. Upon awakening further, I determined that the warmth came from a body next to me. Continued examination revealed that the warm body was female, asleep, and possessed short hair. I shrugged mentally, hugged Rits back, and fell asleep.
Next time I awoke, it was to a flash. I rolled over, discovering Misato holding her phone like a camera, grinning like a loon. I blinked slowly. "Greetings, Misato-san. What brings you here?"
She held up the phone. "Saw the half-sisters cuddling, thought it was adorable, and snapped a few photos." She pocketed it. "How about you, though? Are you doing okay? Feeling alright?"
I thought for a moment. "I believe I am fine, Misato-san. The hugs helped. Immensely."
She grinned. "I'm glad."
There was a groan next to me. Ritsuko, it seemed, had awoken, and was looking around blearily. I stroked her hair. "How are you doing, Ritsuko-san?"
She lifted her hand, examining it. "The shaking seems to have abated, but I'll be jittery around your Evangelion for a while, I suspect." She looked up at me. "But enough about me. What about you?"
I paused. "I..." I took a deep breath. "I will be fine. Mentioning... Mother... takes a lot out of me still. It is not a simple fix solved by a single... a single... breakdown." I swallowed. "I... she cannot hurt me again. Not y-you either. I..."
I found a finger on my lips. "It's okay. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to." Rits was smiling at me. "I had to live with that woman too. I can sympathize."
I smiled back. "Thank you, Ritsuko-san." We hugged. It was nice.
Misato awwed in the background. "You two are adorable!" Flashes lit up the room.
I withdrew from the hug, giving Rits a look. She indicated towards Misato. I nodded. We both jumped her at the same time.
"What the- Hey!" "Gimme the camera. Gimme the camera!" "It is pointless to resist, Misato-san."
Having Rits back was... nice. Nicer, even, now that we were actually around each other, and not just communicating over the MAGI. Yes, I thought, watching Rits and Misato wrestling over possession of the phone, This is nice.
-----
Going to school, after that battle, was a mistake. It turned out that Kensuke had snuck out of the shelter and filmed the entire thing, posting it on several media websites afterwards. Everyone had seen me utterly demolish Shamshel. "Now, you shall perish" had become something called a "meme". Everyone was quoting it, under the most stupid circumstances. And given that Kensuke knew I was a Pilot...
As soon as I was brought up to speed with the situation - thank you forever, Touji - I rose, turned towards the door, and with all the quiet dignity and grace I could muster, I fled.
I did not get far. I found my way out blocked by Representative Horaki. I swallowed. "Representative Horaki. Greetings. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
Representative Horaki had her arms crossed. "And where do you think you're going, Shinji Ikari?"
I glanced behind me. "Fleeing from Kensuke Aida, Representative Horaki. He is overwhelming and a little bit scary."
She smirked. "Is the badass Evangelion Pilot really that afraid of a tiny little geek?"
I sputtered. "Of course! You cannot melee away a social situation. Those are terrifying on a completely different level!"
Representative Horaki smiled. "It's okay, Ikari-kun. Tell you what. Ayanami-san is not in today for some reason. Can you please take those printouts to her? I'll overlook your, ah, fleeing."
I accepted the sheaf of papers. "Pilot Ayanami is terrifying on a completely different level, Representative Horaki. But I will see what I can do."
She smiled knowingly. "Have a safe journey then, Ikari-kun."
I left.
The trip to Pilot Ayanami's address did not take too long. Arguing with Section 2 about the right for Pilots to visit each other took longer, but they caved after I pulled Misato's rank. Now, I was standing in front of Pilot Ayanami's door, knocking.
She did not answer. I pushed the door open. It was not locked. I entered.
The place was a sty. I briefly entertained the thought of Pilot Ayanami learning life skills from Misato.
I explored further. The lack of empty beer cans pointed towards Pilot Ayanami not learning alcoholism from Misato, at the very least. I spied a pair of glasses on the bedside cabinet.
Two or three long strides had me across the room. The glasses looked familiar. I picked them up. Where had I seen them before...?
Gendo Ikari. I dropped the glasses. They clattered on the floor. Why would Pilot Ayanami keep mementos of the Bastard King?
There were footsteps behind me. I turned. Pilot Ayanami was standing right there, wearing a towel and nothing else.
My eyes narrowed. "Pilot Ayanami." My voice was deceptively calm. I picked up the glasses. "Why, in the name of all things sane, would you keep souvenirs of the Bastard King? Was his mere presence not enough?"
She almost snarled. Quick strides crossing the floor, she raised her hand and attempted to slap me. I caught her hand. She tried with the other hand. I caught that one too. Her eyes were narrow.
I pushed her against the wall. "Even now, you defend him. Was a single seemingly selfless act truly enough to ensure your loyalty to a man who does not deserve it?"
She snarled at me. "What would you know of it, Pilot Ikari?"
I leaned in close. "I know he sees you as a tool. I know that his every interaction with you is calculated to ensure your maximum loyalty. And I know, that you know, that you have replacements waiting in the wings."
She looked strangely flushed. I learned in further, to whisper in her ear. "You do not need replacements for a person. You only need them for a tool."
I withdrew, releasing her. "You know," I remarked, withdrawing the sheaf of papers from my bag, "I only came here to deliver your printouts for school. I did not expect to fall into an argument over Gendo Ikari." I put the papers on her desk. "It is as Misato said. Think of yourself for once, okay?"
With that statement, I left.
-----
That evening, the Pribnow Box was filled with an angry tension. It was time for Pilot Ayanami's syncronization test.
The Bastard King was in a nearby observation booth with Rits and Misato. I was standing on Rei's shoulder pylon, ready to pilot at the first sign of trouble. Pilot Ayanami's Entry Plug was slowly being inserted into Yui.
Pilot Ayanami had glared at me before her Plug's hatch had closed. It did not feel like there was anything good coming forth from her. Which was worrying, if I was being honest with myself. Yui already hated me. Pilot Ayanami was angry with me. The Bastard King was being his usual manipulative self.
I was in Yui's direct line of sight.
Pilot Ayanami's Entry Plug sunk into the depths of the Evangelion. Showing more precaution, I climbed into my own Entry Plug and synced with Rei, idly patching into the communications between Observation Deck and Unit-01. Rits seemed to be telling something to Pilot Ayanami. "...at 75%, well done, Rei! How are you doing in there?"
Pilot Ayanami's voice was quiet, but determined. "This Evangelion seems to like me, doctor Akagi. We are not completely one, but we can agree on some points." The communications switched to visual, and she looked me straight in the eye. "Commander Ikari, requesting permission to beat the crap out of the Third Child."
My eyes widened. I could hear the grin in Gendo's voice. "Permission granted, First Child."
Rits and Misato raised their protests immediately, but I was not listening. My focus was on Yui, as she tore through her restraints and bore down towards us.
Rei and I became one once again. We raised our AT-field, as our first act of defense. She tore through it.
We flash-stepped behind her. AT-field might have been useless against a determined monster like Yui, but we were still faster. We gripped the umbilical cord, and pulled it out.
She roared, locks of her jaw tearing, Pilot Ayanami audibly snarling within. In response, we flash-stepped even further backwards, still holding the umbilical cord. We activated the external speakers. "Yui Ikari! Rei Ayanami! CALM DOWN!"
Pilot Ayanami activated her own external speakers. "Who is Yui Ikari?"
We caught Gendo's suddenly panicked gaze from his observation booth, and we laughed savagely. "Hah! Has your commander told you nothing? She is your mother! She is the Evangelion you now pilot!" We paused. "She is also rather ticked off at us. Yet, did we not tell you..."
We appeared behind them. "CALM."
We grabbed them around the waist. "THE FUCK."
And we suplexed them both. "DOWN!"
An alarm went off. Ritsuko's pale face was suddenly on my screen, as I felt myself disentangle from Rei. "Enough playing around, you two! The MAGI just detected a Blue Pattern. An Angel is coming!"
Rei and I looked at each other, mental representation to physical form. We swore. "Ramiel."
And that was Chapter 5! Bit shorter, but full of feels and other things. Also, some explanations of what exactly Zero is.
