This truth has shaped the world that was shattered by a Second Impact, whether it is known or not. Even still, such a truth cannot fully heal the wounds of the heart and mind caused in its wake.
But when a single man, forged by worlds uncounted, enters the lives of two Children with such wounds deep within them, what comes next will change the fate of not only Tokyo-3, but those that seek to save, dominate, or plunder the world. And all things shall be revealed.
(The 'Rebuild', as it were, of my first published long-form Evangelion fic)
It is said that there is truth, however small, in every story ever told. So few that you and I know realize how true this is. Even fewer still realize how many variations there are to those stories. They are Echoes, so familiar sometimes and yet each so unique. Such a little thing can change one of those Echoes, one of those stories, forever…
From my perspective and others, I mean to tell you such a tale.
- 'Where I've Been', 1st Entry
Yamanakako, Japan, 2009
It was quiet, nearly silent, in the small house that sat alone in the woods, away from the town that helped keep it, and those that lived within it, supplied with everything that they needed.
Shinji Ikari, a thin boy of only 9 with dark brown hair and surprisingly deep blue eyes, a rarity in Japan, liked it that way. His room was the most quiet of all the house, a neatly ordered space just like Sensei had taught him to keep it.
He wondered for a moment sitting on his bed, as he sometimes did, if his old home was like this at all. He could remember so little of it. Of what had come before. All he could really recall on his own for certain was…
A train platform. It was rainy. Cold. He didn't know where he was. What had happened this time. Someone was missing, still. Someone…
He couldn't remember where Mother had gone. Papa might have. But he didn't say anything. Why was he turning away? Where was he going?
"Papa? Papa!"
The words he shouted, the tears mixing with the rain they threatened to get lost in, seemed so small as the man walked back onto the train.
When would he come back? They'd packed him a bag, so he had to be staying wherever he was for a while. But it still hurt. He'd lost someone he couldn't fully remember. Now, it seemed he was also losing the only person that he did.
Even now, so many years removed, the memory ached within him. Time had dulled the pain, once Sensei and his wife had finally found him under the cover of the station proper, a crumpled, somewhat damp note clutched in his hand for them. The Azumas.
Shinji leaned back on his bed as he considered them. Sensei, and such was the only thing he wished to be called, was a smart man, probably a professor, or a scientist like Father had been. Father must have trusted Sensei to leave him with a young boy. But even then, he'd kept his distance, made it clear that Shinji was a student first. And every so often, with Sensei having taught him in part how to study people, he'd catch glimpses of some strange resentment. Like Shinji had somehow made him angry, but didn't remember how. He'd learned to tread carefully, make sure that, even if Sensei wouldn't be happy, he would at least be satisfied.
Mrs. Azuma was a little more welcoming, at first. But she'd grown distant as well. He saw that she hurt at times. He'd seen a picture of a boy, happier times for the Azumas as they smiled within the frame. But he was gone. The balance was already so delicate here. He'd never asked. They'd never told.
But, for the most part, they'd left him alone. Kept him fed and clothed, warm and decently educated, but alone nonetheless. He went to primary school, did his learning, came home, and rarely left his room. Part of him was grateful for that. Part of him had, in the beginning, been confused. After some time, he'd been angry, an unfocused thing that seemed to gnaw on his heart. That had been snuffed out the one time he'd ever been in a fight. Both Sensei and Mrs. Azuma had been so disappointed then.
Now, he was simply ambivalent to it all. It didn't hurt, as long as he didn't think too much about the particulars of his life.
Besides, that he was alone meant that he could occupy himself however he wanted. The cello, an instrument that was required for his music class, sat in a corner, well-maintained. Some people at school thought it was his favorite. It was just a requirement, though. No one had told him he should stop. Mostly because no one really paid attention to him playing, he'd realized. It was starting to not even be a requirement, now. It just… was.
But there was another distraction. One that he'd found in the bottom of his bag, carefully wrapped up to protect it, more than he'd been that day. It sat in his hand now as it sometimes did, so small and yet seemingly so heavy. It was an SD card, filled with music. Seemingly the only thing left from his father.
His hand twitched, seemingly ready to throw it as he'd tried to do before, and succeeded once. He could lose it, permanently. Just like Father had decided to lose him. But…
He sighed quietly and began the now almost rote ritual of putting the card back in his phone. He plugged in his earbuds, put them in, and pressed shuffle on the music player. It played one of the classical songs on the card now, a single part of an eclectic mix of genres, each inclusion as much a mystery now as the man who had put the songs together.
He let it carry him away as he closed his eyes. Deep breaths. He almost felt like he was floating, flowing along the songs like a boat in a vast ocean. Alone. Untouchable. The one consolation life seemed to grant him.
Then, someone did touch him, and he tensed for a moment as he opened his eyes to find…
"Mrs. Azuma?" he said as he paused the music and pulled off an earbud. "Can I help you?"
The middle-aged woman, streaks of white in her black hair, smiled slightly, equally slight crow's feet crinkling at the edges of her black eyes. Even then, she seemed… strained, somehow. "There's a… visitor." she settled on after a pause to consider the proper word.
Shinji took out the other earbud and listened for a moment. Yes, there was someone else here. Sensei must have been talking to them. Whatever it was they were talking about, pitched too low for him to hear the words clearly, Sensei wasn't comfortable with it.
"Okay," he said, quietly now. "Is there something you need me to do?"
Mrs. Azuma was silent for a moment. "Our visitor… he wants to meet you."
It took a moment for the words to fully register. Then Shinji's eyes went wide as anxiety began to knot him up inside. "Why? Did I do something wrong?"
Mrs. Azuma shook her head. "No, no. He says…" she seemed so uncertain of what she was going to say next. "He says he's worked with your parents before."
Parents? His father? His mother?
'Does he know what happened? Am I going home?'
Home seemed a nearly impossible thing now. Hope, such a strange thing to feel, met his anxiety and swirled in his mind, giving him questions, some with answers that only spawned more. "Who is he?" he finally decided to ask.
"American, that much is for sure. But he seems to know things that even Daiki and I didn't fully know. Things only your father and mother knew. The truth."
"The truth?" What could be the truth?
Before she could reply, Mrs. Azuma turned to see Sensei standing in the doorway. His face, square and topped with a shock of grey hair, held an expression of resignation and, impossibly… fear. What had he been told by this stranger?
"Akina," he said in his deep rumble of a voice, "let's talk in the hallway for a moment."
Mrs. Azuma nodded, looking back at Shinji and smiling again. "We'll get this sorted out. I promise."
They left the room and closed the door behind them, silence following after a click that was broken quickly as his guardians began their discussion. They spoke quietly, their words little more than muttering to Shinji, and he was content letting them have their privacy.
He wondered if he truly would have to meet the man waiting for him. A part of him was… terrified at the thought. This, as much as he found it boring at times, was at least familiar. What would he find out? What would he see? Who would he see?
The questions gnawed at him, and he wanted to put the headphones back in and pretend that he was asleep, much as he was sure that it wouldn't fool anyone. His heart began to pound slightly.
Then, Mrs. Azuma opened the door again after what felt like a small eternity. "Shinji."
She said it as calmly as she possibly could, but her eyes held that fear that he'd seen in Sensei's face. "Come and meet Daniel."
Daniel? That was an American name, wasn't it? It didn't matter much as he got to his feet, a part of him begging not to go into the unknown. Let it stay as it was. Let it not begin to truly hurt again. But his feet obeyed, and he went down the stairs and into the living room. Standing next to Sensei was, presumably at least, Daniel.
He didn't quite know what he was expecting, but it certainly wasn't what was before him. Where he'd thought a suit or uniform on a tall, imposing man would be, an average height, barrel-chested man in a white button-up shirt over a deep green t-shirt and some black jeans were instead, dress shoes left at the door replaced by black canvas sneakers in their place in an outfit that was eerily similar to the one he usually wore. A beard, neatly trimmed, along with a short head of blond hair framed an oval face with somewhat sharp cheeks and a not-too sharp nose.
What intrigued and confused Shinji the most, however, were the man's eyes. Not for their color, a blue that was somewhat brighter than Shinji's, but for their… familiarity with the place. Had he visited here before?
The man looked at him and… smiled. It was a soft thing, a somewhat sad thing, and Shinji couldn't understand what was behind those eyes that looked at him. What had he done to deserve that look?
"Hello, Shinji." he reached out a hand, and Shinji was only slightly surprised by his nearly accentless Japanese, a surprising tenor giving the words an almost inviting edge. "I'm Daniel. It's nice to meet you."
Shinji shook the man's hand politely, more tense than he wanted to be. It felt… almost dangerous, the man's voice. "It is nice to meet you too, sir." His voice was timid and soft, almost wordlessly begging to be forgotten after the man had left.
Daniel looked over at Sensei, a somewhat warning look crossing his face. "And you're sure about this? After everything I've shown you?"
Shinji looked up at Sensei and saw the grim smile on his face. "As long as Gendo never knows, it can only be a good thing for him."
Sensei looked back at Shinji. "You're going to be living with Mr. Theisman at his apartment. We'll still be your guardians, but he will take care of your basic needs."
Shinji's eyes went wide. They were leaving him? He would be with a stranger again? Had he done something wrong? What could it have been? He'd tried so hard to do his best…
Daniel went to one knee, coming to eye-level with Shinji as he looked intently at the boy. "I'd like that to happen, yes. But only if you want it to happen. Do you want to come with me? Or do you want to stay here?"
Shinji blinked in surprise. This man was giving him a choice. A choice. It seemed so simple, but… he'd never had the option before. A part of him was curious now. But…
Shinji shook his head. "I'll stay here."
Daniel nodded slowly as he stood. "Okay, Shinji. I understand."
The man looked over at Sensei, and Shinji wondered for a moment if he'd made a mistake. "I'll still be around. And the offer will stand as long as he needs it to."
Sensei nodded, and Shinji found the man inscrutable again. "Very well. If Section 2 comes around…"
"I'm a former student, training under you to go into teaching here in Japan. As decent a cover story as any. I'll cover my tracks. I'm good enough at that."
Daniel nodded. "Well, I should get going now. I'll be back later in the week to talk to Shinji more."
Shinji turned away as the adults began to talk, heading up the stairs to his room again as Daniel began to leave. Before he could get to his room, however, that curious part of him urged him to ask. For a moment, he rebelled against the thought. What if the question upset the man? What if asking left him here with the Azumas?
Even still, he turned back, heading toward the door and hoping he'd catch the strange man before he left.
His hope was answered as he saw Daniel pause at the door, tying his shoes. "Shinji? Can I help you?"
It took a moment for him to get up the courage. "Mr. Daniel… do you know my parents?"
Daniel nodded after a moment as he stood. "I've worked with them before. Not closely. But enough to know who they are. That your father left you here…"
He saw a darkness, an anger, pass over the man's face, and Shinji shied away slightly. Then it was gone. Shinji still had another question to ask. Just one more and he could be alone again. "Why… why did you ask me if I wanted to come with you? You're an adult. Why not just take me?"
Daniel smiled slightly, walking over to Shinji and taking a knee again. "Because the first thing I want to teach you, Shinji Ikari, is that there is always a choice. And you have the strength to make the one that you want, regardless of what you may think."
Daniel stood again and walked to the door and opened it into the sunset, pausing as he looked over at Shinji one more time. "Remember that, Shinji. There is always a choice."
. . .
#12 Line to Tokyo-3, March 18th, 2015
'There is always a choice…'
A bend in the tracks, the gentle shaking of the empty train car, stirred Shinji from his thoughts. It was the first lesson that Daniel had taught him. It hadn't been the last.
The door had stayed open for when Shinji had finally decided to live with Daniel, just as promised. Shinji lost himself in thought for a moment again.
The first recital that Shinji had seen Daniel at. It was the first time there had been anyone familiar to look for in the crowd.
The first Christmas he'd ever celebrated. A bucket of KFC on the coffee table of a spare apartment, American Christmas movies (with subtitles) playing on the screen.
A guitar that Daniel had decided to play alongside his cello.
Sitting down and helping him do homework. Playing video games, few though they may have been. Celebrating a birthday with a cake and presents. Doing the things that made other children… normal.
And the talks about what had happened. The truth of Second Impact. The whispered promises to never tell a soul about what else they had talked about that had been kept to this very day.
He had become the closest thing Shinji had to a father, he'd realized. That realization had come fully with what he now held in his hands, the packet and itinerary that came with it mostly forgotten as he stared down at what had made him think so deeply in the first place.
'Come.'
A single word.
On a single piece of paper.
It was the first word to him, of any kind, that his father had given him in years.
Why? Why wait so long? Why be so cold, so impersonal? What had changed now? Why?
He hated, sometimes, how good he could be at asking questions.
He hated it especially after Daniel had been hired by NERV, the place his father worked at, and left for Germany. It had made things difficult, having to move in with the Azumas again. But Daniel's parting gift was a pair of cellphones, really good ones, and a promise that they would stay in contact, even halfway across the world. It was thus a given that Daniel had heard about it.
"I don't know why your father is doing this." Daniel had said before Shinji had left. "There's so much mystery around the man. Probably to his liking. So be careful with NERV, because things are about to get weird. Be on the lookout, because you and I both know how good you are at that. Be brave enough to ask questions. And never assume the first answer that's given is the correct one. Even with that, though, remember that, at the end of the day, I believe in you. I trust your abilities, even if they aren't apparent and nobody else seems to think of them. Good luck, Shinji."
'But he's my father… if he's calling me back… surely he's going to answer at least some questions truthfully. Right?'
He hoped so, as the train came to a stop in the station and the doors hissed open. He stood and got his carry-on bag, stepping onto a platform that was… empty. Where was everyone?
"As of 12:30 pm, a special state of emergency has been declared for this region. All residents, please make your way to your designated shelter immediately. I repeat…"
'A special state of emergency?' The message filled him with some slight dread as he made his way out of the station, and onto the street. Cell service was gone, likely shut down by whatever had caused this state of emergency in the first place. So, he resolved to find another way to contact the number that had been on his other piece of mail.
He reached a phone booth by the station, a seeming relic at this point, and picked up the phone. Nothing but an automated message. He then ranged further afield, somehow finding two more payphones.
Finally, on his fourth time picking up a phone and listening to "All phone lines are currently disabled due to the special state of emergency", he hung up the phone with a sigh. "I still can't reach her."
He looked down at the photo he'd received in conjunction with his cold summons. It was a photo of a younger woman with black hair, flashing a peace sign and winking brown eyes as she leaned into the camera, her loose shirt flashing just a little more than that. A lipstick kiss was on one corner, and her phone number was next to the words 'I'll be picking you up, Shinji, so just wait for me!' accompanied by a heart. An arrow pointed to her chest, with the words 'Something to look forward to!' at the arrow's starting point. On the back of the picture was the name 'Captain Misato Katsuragi'.
Shinji wondered why she'd sent him such a thing. Had she hoped to use his hormones to get him to stay where she could find him? Why do that if she was just picking him up? It was hardly the sort of photo an adult should have been sending a 15-year-old boy. But, if nothing else, he at least had an idea of who he should be looking for. 'Maybe it's time to make my way to one of those shelters.'
For now, though, he simply stayed in place, taking in the silent city around him. It was, even for the state of emergency, quite nice to not be in the middle of a crowd. No one to notice him and wonder. No one else to worry about whether they cared or not. Just him and his thoughts, backed by the whir of cicadas and the chirping of birds.
As his mind and gaze wandered across the buildings, taking in the closed storefronts and abandoned cars, he caught something out of the corner of his eye. As he turned to look, all else seemed to fade away, and he barely dared to breathe.
At an intersection, in what seemed like a haze of heat, was a girl with… blue hair? Was it dyed? Where had she come from?
Then, a flock of birds lifting off all at once drew his gaze to them for just a moment. Just a moment, it seemed, was all the girl needed to disappear when Shinji looked back at where she'd been. How strange. How very strange indeed.
Then, a gale ripped through the street seemingly from nowhere, the metal shutters rattling and the electric cables above undulating with a swishing, cutting sound. The gale passed after a few moments, allowing Shinji to hear something else behind him.
He looked and saw a swarm of attack aircraft, strange things compared to the planes that he knew of, all slowly backing up as something came up from behind a hill. Something big, really big, that keened like a whale out of water.
With plodding booms, a black and bony mass emerged, stick-like arms and legs attached to a chest that seemed to have no head, simply a birdlike mask above a ribcage that surrounded a massive, blood-red jewel.
There was only one thing it could be. An Angel. The same kind of creature that had started Second Impact. It looked remarkably like Daniel had described it. 'How did he know?'
How he knew didn't matter at the moment, as missiles screamed over Shinji and slammed into the Angel, blooming explosions cloaking it in baleful light for a moment as it swayed back from the force. After a moment, it began to stride through the oncoming missiles like walking through a rain shower, entering the city proper and making the world around Shinji shake with each footstep.
Finally, it seemed to tire of the barrage and extended an arm, the spike protruding from its elbow beginning to glow a baleful pink as Shinji smelled the sharp sting of ozone filling the air. Then, the spike lanced out from the Angel's arm, catching an unlucky fighter that tried to juke out of the way and clipping its tail.
The fightercraft valiantly tried to control its descent, but it still went into a mad spin toward the ground. It slammed into the street several dozen meters ahead, sliding toward him with the screech and sparks of dragging metal. The sound consumed that of Shinji's shout as he fell to the ground. It slowed, then stopped in front of him, and he heaved a sigh of relief.
Then, the world became painted in a pinkish, purple hue, and the Angel, seemingly the source of the light, lifted into the air, floating toward Shinji in further defiance of the laws of reality. It landed on the aircraft it had downed, its massive foot crumpling it like paper as it began to explode. Shinji threw his arms in front of him and squeezed his eyes shut as he desperately tried to accept the end of his life.
It made him almost miss the squeal of tires, and a shadow, faint though it was against the blast, moving in front of the explosion. As he lowered his arms, he saw a compact, sporty blue car, the passenger door opening to show who must have been Misato, here dressed in a tight, sleeveless black dress and shades, flashing him a confident grin. "Sorry I'm late. Get in and let's get out of here!"
Shinji wasted no time grabbing his bag and scrambling into the car, barely getting time to throw his bag into the back seat and get his seatbelt on before Misato slammed the car into gear. Shinji saw the Angel's massive foot lift away as the barrage continued overhead, then come down just in front of them, the impact shaking the car and sending debris raining down on the roof. In a stomach-churning series of maneuvers, Misato deftly swerved away, in reverse, Shinji holding on to whatever he could for dear life.
Before they could move much further, something from beside them opened up, Shinji catching a flash of something large, human-like, and purple of all things, being lifted above ground. Before he could get a good look at it, Misato turned and tore away down an intersection, finally escaping the battle.
The sight of the battle disappeared, and Shinji managed another sigh of relief as the sound faded away slowly. There was a second set of footsteps that Shinji heard, and he looked back at the city as best he could through the rear window. He caught a flash of the purple giant blocking out the Angel before they dipped below a hill, losing sight of the city.
"That…" Misato said after a moment. "Was not how I was expecting to pick you up."
Shinji, still dazed from the near-death experience, simply nodded, and the car was silent again, some greater battle becoming evident behind them as crashes and the crumbling of massive things echoed into the car.
After what felt like both minutes and hours all at once, Shinji blinked as they stopped on a hill outside the city. Misato looked past him out the window, and Shinji followed her gaze to see the Angel in the distance, dots of fighter craft surrounding it. "Oh, good," Misato muttered as she grabbed a pair of binoculars from the center console. "At least they led it back out of the city."
She rolled down Shinji's window and leaned out over him as he shrank down, her chest uncomfortably close to his face. She grumbled every once in a while. "Damn brass. How much more are you going to waste?"
Shinji didn't know how to reply, so he took what felt like the safe route and remained silent as his face slowly grew more and more red.
Then, Misato's eyes went wide as the binoculars dropped from her face. "Wait a minute. You're kidding. They'd have to be nuts to do an N2 strike!" she nearly shouted.
"Get down!" she said, somewhat unnecessarily, as she threw herself onto Shinji before the world went white, and a thunder that made the missiles from before seem like firecrackers roared.
Then, the shockwave hit them like a hammer, sliding the car and then sending it tumbling off the road as everything became distilled chaos within it for the most terrifying of seconds. Then, after all was still and they'd settled there for a moment, Shinji and Misato untangled themselves and looked out the passenger side window, taking in the hellish glow of a brilliant mushroom cloud.
. . .
It soon subsided, and they extracted themselves from the car. "Are you okay?" Misato asked. "That was a hell of a ride."
"Yeah," Shinji said somewhat weakly as he nodded. "I'll probably be tasting upholstery for a little while, though. Along with some sand."
Misato chuckled. "Well, the car should still drive once we get it the right way up, so help me out here."
They leaned against the car roof. "Alright. Push!"
The second try finally got it upright with a crunch, and they sat down against the door of the car, resting for a moment. "Thanks. I'm strong, but I'm not sure I could have done it without you."
"It's not a problem, Captain Katsuragi. Honestly, I should be thanking you."
Misato shook her head. "Please, just call me Misato. It's nice to meet you, Shinji Ikari."
Shinji nodded, and they were quiet for a moment before Shinji looked back at her. "So, do you think that… N2 strike killed the Angel?"
"Honestly… no." Misato shook her head. "Based on what little we know about them, that would have only slowed the thing down."
She blinked, then her eyes narrowed. "Wait a minute. How do you know it's called an Angel? We've barely even met this one, let alone talked about it to the public."
"Oh. Uh… my father sent me a packet. It was resting on my bag when you picked it up. It's probably gone now."
Misato nodded after a moment. "Well, I guess that makes sense. Means that my packet for you is mostly for your ID. And maybe a refresher."
She stood, hands on her hips and her chest puffed out almost like some superhero. "Well, time to get the emergency repair kit from the trunk."
Shinji, rightfully confused for a moment, found that the kit was mainly composed of duct tape, a clear plastic tarp for the driver's side window that had been blown out, and a worrying amount of batteries that Misato happily wired to the electric engine in the back.
Then, they made their way back onto the road and to wherever they were going, Shinji deciding to lose himself in the packet that Misato had given him. The miles melted away, and Misato's conversation with someone on her phone was a garbled, ignored rumble.
It was such a simple lie, wasn't it? Even still, it grated at him to do that. He'd been taught quite strictly to be honest with others by Sensei. It simply made life easier that way. But Daniel had been serious when he'd said that some of the things that they'd talked about were dangerous. Even if he held something, many somethings, back.
'And wait a minute. This one? Where has Ms. Misato encountered an Angel before?'
Questions for later, after they'd finished with going to where they were needed. He put the packet down as the light of day faded and looked over at Misato, who now looked out at the road with a distant, rather despondent look on her face. "Ms. Misato? Ms. Misato?"
She snapped out of whatever reverie held her, glancing over at him. "Yeah?"
"Are you sure that…" he trailed off for a moment as he looked back at the back seat, the batteries stacked even on the strange divider between them. "Those are going to get us where we need to go?"
"Of course, Shinji," Misato replied with a confident smile. "We'll get to the car tram long before those give out."
"That, uh, wasn't quite my concern." Shinji reached back, somewhat hesitantly, to steady one of the batteries that wobbled precariously. "But as long as you feel certain, then I won't say anything."
"Of course I'm certain!" Misato said. "I've got everything under control. I'm a Captain of an international civil service, after all. I really should know what I'm doing anyway."
Shinji wondered how, exactly, 'Captain' and 'international civil service' went together in this case, but Misato was actually quite pretty when she genuinely smiled. He smiled slightly in turn. "Well, with an attitude like that, I can't blame you for thinking that."
Misato nodded, then her head whipped over to look at Shinji. "And what exactly does that mean, mister?" said accusingly, her eyes narrow and her lips in a thin line.
Shinji shied away, his hands rising as he stammered for a moment. "I'm sorry! It's just, you seem…" he stammered again as he tried to find the right word. "Confident?" he finally settled on.
Like that, Misato's playful grin returned. "Well, I'm glad you think that, Shinji. Like I said, I know what I'm doing."
Shinji settled into his seat as they approached a tunnel to what must have been the station in question, thinking for a moment as the world plunged into darkness when they entered. Surely she wasn't so temperamental. Was she? He shook his head slightly. It probably wouldn't matter too much in the long run, anyway. He just had to weather it for now. That should be easy enough.
They got onto one of the mobile platforms, and Shinji studied the strange, blood-red leaf insignia that now surrounded them. "So, NERV. This is where my father works."
Misato nodded. "Yep. Special Agency NERV. We're tasked with the defense of humanity from all kinds of existential threats. Including that Angel that you saw today."
Shinji thought he heard a tinge of bitterness at the word 'Angel', but Misato continued on regardless. "Commander Ikari is, well, the commanding officer here at the Geofront. We'll probably run into him at some point."
Commander. It sounded like a busy job. Perhaps it played a part in explaining why he'd not come since the one day they'd last been together.
"I see," he said quietly. "Are we going to… see him, then?"
Misato clicked a makeup mirror, the sound almost more piercing now in the quiet rumble of the lift. "If he doesn't run into us first, yeah."
The old memory of a boy on a train platform returned to him briefly before he tamped it down, the sting of it still pricking his heart. Then, a question formed from the attempt to turn away from the pain. "So why am I here now, of all times? All this information I've been given probably means that I'm supposed to do something here. So do you know what it's supposed to be?"
"Well…" Misato was silent for a moment as she appeared to mull something over. "You're the Third Child. But… I think I get it."
'Third Child?' he wondered. Third of what? "What do you mean?"
"You're not comfortable around your father, are you?"
The non-sequitur threw Shinji off for a moment. "I mean… I don't know. I haven't really seen him since I was three."
That day so long ago didn't really count to him, but Misato nodded regardless. "I see. We're not so different, then," she said quietly.
Shinji waited for her to continue, then wondered what, exactly, she meant by that.
Then, with a rush of air, they emerged into the light, the sight before them stealing Shinji's breath as he beheld the impossibly majestic, almost magical view that surrounded him. Entire skyscrapers, a downtown view, hung like mighty stalactites, glowing with the light of a dying day seemingly reflected from above. Where they headed, a scene out of nature spread out before them, fields and groves that surrounded a lake broken up only by a few roads and bridges that led to a complex of buildings capped by a glinting glass pyramid that stood out even from their height as they spiraled down the side of the massive dome.
"Whoa…" Shinji pressed himself against the window at the sight, his eyes gleaming with awe as his mouth hung open in a half-smile.
"This is the Geofront," Misato said after a quiet chuckle, and Shinji could hear the amused smile on her face. "The first time seeing it always gets everyone who comes here. And down there is NERV-Headquarters itself. The last bastion for the defense of humanity and the restoration of life as we once knew it."
It was a sight that was as grandiose as the words used to describe it. That grandeur did not continue all the way through to its interior, however, as they entered the base.
Shinji looked around the rather uniform halls, gray broken by a blood-red stripe at waist height, then back to Misato as she looked down at a paper map, of all things, with no small amount of frustration. "Come on," she muttered, "we're going the right way. Right?"
"Is something wrong, Ms. Misato?" Shinji asked.
Misato growled as the paper crinkled in one hand. "If this map wasn't so damn convoluted, we'd be where we need to be in minutes!" she paused for a moment before sighing. "It doesn't help that I just got here recently. Man, I miss the Stahlturm."
She took a deep breath. "Anyways, if this place is even half as advanced as where I was last, there should be systems in place to get us where we need to."
Those systems, little more than wall-mounted maps that were only a little more clear than Misato's paper, led them to an elevator that went down for a while. Then another. Then yet another.
Finally, the doors to their third car opened sooner than the others had with their now customary tone, revealing another woman. She had a somewhat messy bob of blonde hair and green eyes that stared intently at Misato as she stepped into the elevator, wearing little more than a white lab coat over a swimsuit and some flats. The doors shut behind her, and they continued their descent.
Misato chuckled in embarrassment. "Ah… hey there, Ritsuko."
Ritsuko sighed quietly. "Captain Katsuragi," she said with a cool, calm voice that nonetheless dripped with resignation. "We can't afford to waste either the time or the people to have you wandering aimlessly around the base."
"Sorry," Misato said with a shrug, "I just miss how well-laid out everything was in Germany."
Ritsuko simply looked over at Shinji, a mostly clinical expression on her face, though a slight smile broke through it. "So, this is the Child?"
Misato nodded, composing herself quickly. "Yep. He's the Third Child. The Marduk Institute hasn't been wrong yet, it seems."
"What's the Third Child?" Shinji said, his question clearly catching both women off guard. "And what's the Marduk Institute?"
"Well…" Ritsuko began, as Misato hid a laugh under a faked cough. "The Marduk Institute is dedicated to searching out gifted individuals. You're one out of billions that have what's required to help us in our task."
"One in billions to be as inquisitive as him?" Misato asked, a smile still on her face taking the edge off the question. "Well, I guess it would be that sort of chance to be a little more approachable than his father."
"Captain," Ritsuko said sternly, "the Commander is to be respected. You shouldn't say that around him."
"I know," Misato replied as her smile faded, "and I won't."
"What am I the Third Child of? Where are the other two? And what would a world-saving organization need a teenager for?"
Before Ritsuko could gain her bearings again from the barrage of questions, the elevator dinged, opening up into a dark hallway lit by soft red light. "Well, young Mr. Ikari, you can follow me and find out."
. . .
After a long walk down the rather suspenseful hallway, the trio boarded a platform with rails that slowly began to ascend, the hallway opening up into a cavernous space. Echoing from somewhere, a woman's voice came over loudspeakers. "Battle Stations Condition 1, repeat Condition 1. Ready ordinance bays for city intercept deployment."
"I guess we're on then," Misato said quietly with a slight sigh.
Ritsuko nodded in the darkness. "It was only a matter of time until they fully exhausted their options, really."
Shinji looked between the two of them, his confusion not helped as they continued. "What's the status of Unit-01?" Misato asked, her tone serious now.
"It's still in the standard Type B armor from its previous sortie, and it's near the end of the cooldown from its deployment. We have repair teams working as fast as they can to bring it back up to readiness."
Misato scoffed. "Even if it's ready, will it work? Unit-00's a mess, so we really don't have much in the way of a backup if Unit-01 decides to not cooperate."
Shinji's head was spinning from all the terms. Type B? Unit-01? Unit-00? What did any of this have to do with the Marduk Institute, or being the Third Child, or even just him?
'And was that purple giant Unit-01?' he mused. 'What does that mean?'
They continued in their technobabble, just as impenetrable as before, and Shinji's gaze began to wander. The cavernous room was taken up on one side by a massive wall of what looked like clear orange-red liquid, stretching off into the distance. As he gazed at the wall, his eyes went wide as he saw something seemingly impossible; a massive hand, human-like, seeming to reach out toward them as it floated in the liquid.
"What is that?" Shinji asked as he leaned on the rail. "Another Angel?"
His question drew the attention of the adults, and he heard Ritsuko mutter something about resetting the bindings in the cage, whatever that meant, as Misato came to his side. "No, Shinji. That is Unit-01. An Evangelion."
The name set off a distant, strange memory. They'd been talking, alone of course, about Angels and the powers that had shaped the world, contrary to the stray asteroid strike that everyone had talked about.
"I hope that the Angels don't come back." he'd said. "I don't even know what we'd do then."
"We'd find a way." Daniel's tone always seemed so sure. "Humanity's creative like that."
Then, the word seemed to slip out almost as an afterthought. "The Evangelion…"
He hadn't spoken another word about whatever it might have been. What had made him so hesitant, even fearful, to talk about it in the first place?
They passed the sight and came to a dock, a motorboat moored at it allowing them to cross the liquid to a door that opened into darkness. After Shinji, Misato, and Ritsuko stepped through and walked forward a little ways, the door closed, the dark enveloping them.
Shinji stood still, not daring to risk bumping into anything. Then, with a brief flicker of light to his right, the lights in the room flashed on and revealed that it was a thin walkway that he stood on, right in front of a massive, somewhat familiar mask.
Its eyes were a baleful yellow set in a helmet of purple and lime, red accents streaming away from the corners of the mask's eyes like tears of blood. Shinji regarded the eyes uneasily. They seemed almost to stare at him, piercing to his very soul.
This was the Evangelion, the thing that had frightened even Daniel, who talked freely about so much, into silence. This was what had apparently stood against the Angel when all else seemed to fail. What could this thing do?
"What is this?" he asked his next question aloud. "Some kind of robot? A mech?"
"It is the ultimate defensive measure," Ritsuko said, an almost reverent tone in her voice. "The massive-scale artificial humanoid, designation 'Evangelion'. This is Unit-01. This is humanity's last hope, and the secret weapon in our efforts to save, and change, the world."
The words made it such a grand thing, the image in Shinji's mind almost larger than what stood before them. "Artificial humanoid… this thing's human?"
"We don't have time to answer all your questions now."
Shinji looked up at where that voice, even now all too familiar, had come from, and saw the man standing in the booth above, hands clasped behind his back and looking down at him from behind orange shades that sat above a chinstrap beard. Just like he had the one day they'd seen each other again.
"It's been quite some time." Commander Gendo Ikari said after a moment's silence.
"Father…"
What could he do? What could he say? There were so many questions, so far beyond those that came from simply standing in front of this Unit-01…
Then, with all the aplomb that having the rank of Commander bestowed on him, of being a man who would not be denied, Commander Ikari gave his order.
"Prepare to launch the Eva. You are going to ride in her, Shinji. In doing so, you will fight the Angel."
It's amazing, really, how brave even the meekest of people can be. Even with everything that can keep them where they are, environment, anxieties, a desire for peace, when the moment comes and they are torn from their place by the unflinching hand of change, they can rise to the challenge.
But they can also be crushed by it if they're not careful. And Shinji needed to be very careful…
- Where I've Been, 4th Entry
Unit-01 Bay, NERV-HQ, Geofront
Misato looked at Commander Ikari with wide, incredulous eyes. "Sir? Unit-01's only just gotten back into fighting shape from first contact with the Angel, and we have no backup in case something fails."
Ritsuko's expression was impassive, like someone had carved the calmness on her face in with a chisel. "We have no other choice against a threat like this. As you said, Unit-00 is in no state to act as a second option. We have to work with what we have."
Misato turned her gaze to Ritsuko. "And you're going to put Shinji," she said hotly, "who just got here, in command of one of the most advanced pieces of machinery in the world? It took Rei Ayanami seven months before she could even synch up with Unit-01. And you're going to ask him to do that without any time at all?"
As the two women argued, Shinji simply looked at Unit-01 in numb shock. Was that it? Was that really all that he was here for? To just hop into a giant robot and try to channel some Amuro Ray-like competence?
He realized after a moment that the women, along with all those still in the bay, were looking at him expectantly. He focused on Misato and Ritsuko. "Why am I being asked to pilot this thing? I'm just a teenager. I don't even have my learner's permit."
"As I've said," Ritsuko replied calmly, "you were chosen by the Marduk Institute because of the unique capabilities you have."
"What capabilities?" Shinji said, anger beginning to flicker in his chest, a now foreign feeling after so long. "Honestly, I kind of agree with Ms. Misato. I have no idea what I'm doing."
"If he doesn't want to do it," Misato said, "what right do we have to try and force him to do something that could kill him?"
"All I ask is that he sits in the cockpit."
"And what? He shouldn't."
Ritsuko was implacable. "Our first priority is to maintain the stability of the world as we try to remake it. We must neutralize this threat with any means available to us. That means we take anyone even remotely capable of synchronizing with the Eva. You're a soldier, Misato. I was under the impression that meant you'd understand that sort of sacrifice."
Misato seemed to deflate at that, the flame in her eyes flickering out as she became contemplative. "You're not wrong," she said quietly.
"And what if I still refuse?" Shinji said, turning everyone's attention back to him. He hated having so many strangers looking at him and listening intently, but he forged on regardless. "What if I acknowledge that no pilot for this monstrosity might be better than one that wrecks it?"
"We have no time for this argument, Shinji," Gendo said, cutting off Ritsuko's reply with a voice that seemed to come from a god. "There is no more room for choice in this matter. You will get into Unit-01 and fight the Angel. They will explain how to pilot an Eva to you."
"Commander," Misato said, desperation in her voice and expression as she looked up at Gendo, "until we can properly train him, I can't in good-"
"Captain."
The single word that Gendo uttered made all else Misato might have said die on her lips as she looked back at Ritsuko, naked desperation in her expression.
Shinji looked up at his father, the flame inside of him growing almost out of control after having been pent up for so long, even as tears began to well up in his eyes. "Is this it? Is this really everything you expect of me after all this time? Is this all you need your only son for?"
"Stop wasting everyone's time, Shinji. Either take your place in the Eva or get out."
"Why should I?" Shinji asked, almost shouting, looking around the room. "No one's answered that question yet. Father, please! There's too much risk in me trying this! Too many lives are at stake, and I could end all of them by accident!"
It was silent again, and Shinji wondered what was going on behind those orange shades of his. He didn't wonder for long as Gendo spoke in a cool, hard voice. "I see. Then we will use the First Child, and you will be returned to where you came from."
Was that it? All this way… for nothing? Shinji's knees threatened to buckle as time seemed to stretch on under everyone's gaze. It wasn't fair. How could any father do this? Expect all this from a child?
His thoughts were interrupted for a moment as the room shook, a muffled boom overhead followed by another shaking the room still more. It had seemed the Angel had found them.
But Shinji only looked up into that room, his father still staring at him as he waited for… something. The words of Misato, Ritsuko, and the technicians around him were muffled, garbled things as he desperately tried to process what he was feeling.
His train of thought, seemingly barreling from one end of his brain to another, was interrupted by the opening of a door to his left. He looked over to see what appeared to be a medical team wheeling a gurney and drip rack out towards him. Laying on the gurney, wrapped in bandages on almost every limb and wearing a strange skintight bodysuit, was a person that Shinji found himself alarmed at how familiar she was.
It was the blue-haired girl from back on the street. She must have been Rei Ayanami. Shinji was shocked, then his anger returned anew as he watched her regard him for a moment with a red eye, uncovered by bandages, and try to struggle off of the gurney as the medical team simply… left, Rei wincing in obvious pain. 'Did she pilot this against that Angel?' he thought. 'Would my father really stoop this low?'
He didn't get much time to ponder as another impact sent the gurney tumbling to its side, Ayanami rolling off with a stifled cry. His legs moved almost without him willing them to as he caught her from nearly going over into the vast pool they stood above. "Are you okay?" he asked.
Then, he felt something warm on his hand. Lifting it away, he saw blood, his eyes going wide. "Why…"
He could go no farther as another impact, the strongest one yet, shook the room, sending people stumbling and the hanging lights above swaying. Shinji heard the snap and crack as the room darkened, heard Misato shout his name. But, as he found himself certain the lights above him were coming down on his head, he stood, trying to get Ayanami out of the way as best he could while doing his best to, once again, accept his seemingly inevitable demise.
Then, the clattering of the lights hitting something above him, the place where he kneeled being thrown into shade as the liquid around them splashed, made Shinji look to his right, out to the far wall of the bay. Or, at least, he would have seen it if the arm and hand of the Evangelion weren't covering him, a shield from the falling lights.
The room went silent for a moment, then a maelstrom of voices brought chaos back into the bay.
"The Eva moved!" one technician shouted.
"Impossible!" Ritsuko said, looking up at the hand with no small amount of shock. "The restraints should have held it!"
Shinji barely heard them, barely saw the one woman, a technician from the looks of it, regarding him intently. He simply walked over to Ayanami, who lay a little ways away from where he'd stopped, and kneeled again, getting her into a kneeling position. "I'm sorry about that. Are you… okay?"
Ayanami was silent, simply staring at him almost sightlessly with a red eye. 'What happened to you? Is that natural? Are you more hurt than I can see?'
His mind began to spiral as answers eluded him, his heart beginning to pound as anxiety began to overtake him. 'I can't run away anymore. I mustn't! But what do I do? What do I do?'
Shinji looked up at that room that his father still stood in, saw the man with a passive look on his face, as if studying the scene below him in a science experiment.
Father. It was so ill-fitting at the moment, much as he wanted it not to be so. Another man's encouragement took its place instead. "I believe in you. I trust in your abilities."
"Good luck, Shinji."
"Alright!" Shinji shouted the word, the conversations around him faltering and falling silent. "I'll do it! I'll pilot the Eva."
. . .
It only felt like Shinji had blinked, but now he was walking down a hall with Ritsuko.
"Now, you'll have two joysticks," she was saying as Shinji emerged from his daze, "each with two triggers for index and middle fingers, a thumb button and thumb switch on the insides of the yokes, and a thumb button on the back. Those will be for various weapons and equipment that will be digitally linked to your station. The seat will adjust to your size when you take a seat, and cushion you from any impacts in conjunction with the LCL."
She paused, and Shinji paused in turn, following Ritsuko's gaze to a door that opened up to a set of stairs, a woman in coveralls coming down towards them. "This is where you'll go to enter the Evangelion's Entry Plug," Ritsuko said. "And where we part ways. I'll direct you further from the bridge."
With that, Ritsuko walked away, and Shinji turned to face the woman who now stood in the doorway. She was rather tall, about 180 centimeters maybe, likely American or European, with strawberry-blonde hair and bright green eyes, almost like emeralds, that sat atop a dusting of freckles on her rather sharp cheeks and straight nose.
She smiled easily at him. "Hello, Shinji," she said in an accentless Japanese that felt somewhat familiar to the boy. "I'm going to take you through a few final pointers before you jump into the Eva."
Shinji nodded, stepping through the door and beginning to head for the stairs. The woman, however, held out a hand. "Hold on a minute, kiddo. Hold still for just a second."
As Shinji did as he was told, the woman stepped in front of him, and he felt what must have been hair clips being put near the top of his head. After a moment, the woman stepped back, grabbing a tablet she had on a sling and tapping on it. "Get ready," she said. "This is going to feel weird for a second."
Shinji frowned, then squirmed and tensed as what felt like two daggers of ice sank into his head from the clips. "What the…"
The woman grimaced in sympathy as the feeling faded. "It's not a fun feeling. But it is important. Come on, follow me."
Shinji nodded slowly as she began to climb the stairs, following after her. "What… was that?"
"Those are A10 nerve connectors." The woman said, glancing back at Shinji. "Part of piloting the Evangelion is a neural interface between pilot and Eva. I wish we could get you a proper Plugsuit to make it really work, but there just isn't time."
"A neural interface?"
"Yeah. The biggest thing you'll need to worry about is getting used to moving something that's over 16 times your height. The LCL's going to help with that, but you're going to be immersed in it. Don't worry, it's a perfluorocarbonate, so you'll be able to breathe in it."
"Oh," Shinji said as they reached a doorway, stepping through it to come to a stop in front of what must have been the Entry Plug, a white cylinder that had a section of its top opened up, showing the strange, blade-like cockpit he would be sitting in. "That's good to know, I guess. Thank you, Ms.…"
"Flynn." the woman said with a wide smile. "First Lieutenant, second-in-command of the Engineering Branch. Happy to help."
She helped Shinji into the seat, the boy fitting himself in after a moment. He took a deep breath as Lieutenant Flynn stepped back.
"Good luck, Shinji," she said with a confident smile before the Plug was sealed, throwing him into darkness. He hoped that being plunged into darkness would not become a particular theme of his stay.
'Good luck, Shinji.'
Two people had said that to him in almost as many days. He wondered for a moment if that meant something.
"Initiating Level 1 contact." that same voice that had announced battle stations said, shaking him from his thoughts as the Plug began to move forward, then stopped with a whir. It was still for a moment before a white light, a torus that circled the tube, flashed past him, seemingly trailing a rainbow that lit up the inside of the Plug and allowed him to see the controls that Ritsuko had described.
"Flooding Entry Plug."
Shinji took a deep breath as he saw the orange liquid that had filled the bay of Unit-01 flooding in, taking as deep of a breath as he could manage while fighting his instinct to hold his breath as it came up to his chest, then his neck. As he breathed it in, he found most surprising of all how warm and largely tasteless it was going down, though there was some accent to it that he couldn't identify at the moment.
"Good job, Shinji." Ritsuko's voice echoed calmly in the Plug's comms system, a screen popping up that showed what looked like a vast room, Misato and Ritsuko standing on a platform with three other people, two men and a woman. "I'm sure it feels strange at the moment, but you'll get used to it."
"It does feel… strange," Shinji said somewhat absentmindedly as he looked around the Plug.
"Focus, Shinji," Misato said firmly to him, dragging his gaze back to the screen. "This next part is important."
Shinji nodded, and the woman that Ritsuko stood behind looked back at her monitor. "Initiating Level 2 contact."
The hazy, underwater view of the Plug snapped into clarity as Shinji felt his stomach dropping, a feeling of weightlessness disorienting him for a moment as he felt his perception… expand, his body feeling like it was starting to fuzz out of existence before Shinji regained his focus, his limbs seeming to come back into some slight definition as a flurry of callouts washed across the comms.
All those and more flew through Shinji's mind as the tube around him disappeared, a view of the gantry around him appearing as the liquid around him began to drain. The strangest part was that he could feel it, somewhat distantly.
"All statuses on initial contact are green. Network established. Synchronization holding steady at 45.2 percent." the woman said.
"Not bad for your first time in an Eva, Shinji," Misato said with a slight smile.
Ritsuko leaned over the monitor of the woman, her eyes wide in wonderment. "Not bad? This blows past all my initial expectations." she paused for a moment as she looked over at Misato. "This is going to work," she said with utter surety.
45 still felt like a low number to be going into battle to Shinji regardless as he watched Misato look past him. "Unit-01, prepare to launch!"
The callouts and commands reached a fever pitch as the gantry slowly began to unravel around Shinji, who tried his best to feel out what Unit-01 was like. It felt… lanky, but muscular, covered in armored plates like an athlete trying to look like a knight. Tall pylons crept at the edges of his peripheral vision, framing what he remembered to be a sleek, aerodynamic helmet with an anachronistic, singular horn jutting out of the forehead like a unicorn. It seemed fitting for what it capped, something like a giant out of the legends that Shinji had learned briefly about in social studies, forged of flesh and steel and given a singular purpose.
The woman called out over the others that he heard. "Transport Unit-01 to Launch Bay 02."
With a whirring roar, the sight in front of Shinji receded as he fought the unease building up inside him. 'Launch Bay? Am I being strapped to a rocket?'
His thoughts were interrupted by the clunk of him being secured into whatever point he was supposed to be at, the steadily quieting thunk of what was likely doors opening above him leaving him no less cognizant of what was said next. "Unit-01 is in place and launch tube is clear. All boards are green, and we are ready to go."
Misato looked back up at what was likely a main screen for a moment before turning. "Permission to launch the Eva, sir."
"Of course, Captain," Gendo replied. "Permission granted. Everything rests on defeating the Angels."
Beyond the boy's hearing, Deputy-Commander Fuyutsuki, Gendo's second-in-command, a tall fellow with silver hair and a weathered face, looked over at the man he stood beside. "Sir," he asked quietly, "are you sure about this?"
Gendo offered no reply, simply looking first at the Angel, then at Shinji Ikari. And under the tent of his hands, unseen to all others, a slight smile crept across his face. All was, with what deviations there had been, going as intended.
Below them, Captain Katsuragi turned, and with the voice of a valkyrie, gave her command. "Launch the Eva!"
. . .
With an electric crack that buzzed through Shinji's brain, the Eva was released, shooting up into the tunnel above. Shinji did his best to weather the g-forces pushing down on him, a grim image of Unit-01's hand pressing down on him seeming apt for the occasion.
Finally, though, he emerged from the brightly lit tunnels into the night, buildings on either side of the massive street he appeared on framing the Angel before him. Now, in a giant of his own, it seemed almost of comparable height, though it now sported two masks side by side in an almost jumbled manner above the red gem, seemingly glowing with an ominous light.
The final restraints were released, and Unit-01 slumped forward slightly, Shinji's mind straining for a moment to keep it from falling forward. "Alright," Misato said from the commlink, "moment of truth. Are you ready, Shinji?"
Shinji took a deep breath as he fixed his gaze on the still motionless Angel. "As ready as I'll ever be."
"Alright, Shinji," Ritsuko, with a calmness that Shinji had begun to appreciate, said. "Simply try and walk forward. Don't worry about the controls in front of you. Just focus your mind."
'Simple enough, I suppose.' Shinji mused as he focused, the fuzziness of what felt his body beginning to dim as he felt the Evangelion lift its right leg, then bring it down again with a muted boom. Then he took another step. Then another.
"Strange," Ritsuko said as the Angel remained motionless. "It must somehow realize that something's changed. Be careful."
Shinji nodded, his steps forward becoming more and more sure before the Angel reacted, crouching like a predator ready to pounce.
Shinji paused in turn, regarding the Angel carefully. 'How do I beat this thing?'
A memory, almost unbidden, sprung to mind as Shinji did his best to remain focused.
He'd been studying early in the morning, getting ready for a recital, when he heard something outside his open door. Getting up, he walked over to the balcony of their rather spare apartment to see Daniel sparring with a punching bag that he'd seen before but not paid much attention to.
Daniel looked to be deep in thought as he worked through a series of punches and kicks, elbow and knee strikes, looking almost… angry. The strikes intensified, and Shinji could swear his brow was starting to… glow…
Then, Daniel noticed him, looking over at him without any glow whatsoever evident on him beyond that of the sheen of sweat. "Oh. Hey, Shinji. Did I interrupt you practicing?"
Shinji shook his head slightly. "Not really. I guess I was just wondering what you do in the mornings."
Daniel smiled slightly as he grabbed a towel, wiping his brow. "Well, now you know. And now you can get back to practicing the solo for Dvořák's Cello Concerto. That's a challenging piece, but you're actually getting really good at it, I can tell."
He paused for a moment as Shinji blushed slightly from the praise, looking at him before nodding slightly. "Actually, you still look pretty tired. Wanna come and throw a few punches at the bag to wake up?"
Shinji blinked blearily. "How does that help?"
Daniel smiled. "Well, it's exercise. Gets the blood pumping, the mind sharp. Even something like this can help you with your playing, strengthening your muscles and increasing your control over them."
Shinji leered at the bag for a moment, then shrugged. It was, at least, something to do in order to wake up, he thought as he stepped up in front of the bag. "Okay. So what should I do?"
"First things first," Daniel said patiently, putting wrapped hands on Shinji's right hand, "make a fist like this, thumb on the outside. Hate to have you hurt yourself too badly."
"Then," Daniel continued, "put all your annoyance, at me right now, at the cello piece, at life in general, right here." he smacked the bag at Shinji's chest height. "Then throw the strongest punch you can at it."
Shinji looked at the point where Daniel had directed him, his somewhat tired mind trying to do as Daniel said before throwing a punch, the impact with the bag stinging his hand.
"Ow." Shinji winced as he shook his hand.
"It's a hard bag." Daniel chuckled softly. "But you're a little more awake than you were before, aren't you?"
Shinji frowned slightly, then he nodded. "Yeah."
"And you probably aren't as annoyed as you could be."
Shinji shrugged. "I mean, I guess."
Daniel sat on one of the chairs that they had outside, leaning to look at Shinji face to face with a serious expression. "The body, the mind, and the soul are all interconnected. What affects one affects all to some extent or another, and it's in keeping each in good condition that we stay at our healthiest. The body through exercise, the mind through learning, and the soul by doing what we enjoy."
Shinji nodded after a moment. "That makes sense, I guess."
Daniel smiled. "Good. So, want to throw another punch?"
He did, then. It was not the last he'd seen of that bag, either, after Daniel had started teaching him. He might not have been as good as Daniel was, but he was stronger than he looked. And he knew a lot more than most expected. Which, As the Angel began to advance on him, he found himself profoundly grateful for.
As the Angel advanced, its arm drawing back for a strike, Shinji reacted first, stepping into the Angel's reach and planting a series of hits on its masks and body. They didn't seem to do much, and Shinji felt like his punches were being thrown just a second after he thought about them. It was a little maddening.
And, it seemed, it made all the difference as the Angel finally caught him with a slap across Unit-01's head with its arm. The pain flashed through Shinji's head as he went to the ground, the massive plug on the Eva's back making things ungainly.
Shinji shook his head as he tried to regain his focus. He should have felt dazed, and almost did. But he still had some cognizance of his surroundings, his eyes going wide as he saw the spike on the Angel's arm heating up, the arm aimed squarely at his chest.
Shinji shouted as he dodged the spike by the barest of margins, feeling the heat across his back as the spike slammed into the ground. He threw a desperate kick in response, the Angel simply stepping over it as it reached out and grabbed Unit-01's face.
Shinji struggled as it lifted him from the ground, throwing a hook that the Angel caught with its free hand, squeezing until Shinji could hear a series of massive cracks. His own arm felt like it was being torn apart, waves of pain rippling through his body and mind as he heard both Ritsuko and Misato shouting at him on the edge of his perception.
Then, he saw the hole in the center of the monster's palm glowing for a moment before the spike slammed into the mask of Unit-01. Then again. Then again. Each blow sent ripples of pain through his skull, his head pounding with the headache the Unit he piloted must have been feeling as well.
Then, with all the effort he could muster, Shinji grabbed the Angel's arm, Unit-01's massive hand squeezing it as hard as he could. The Angel, seemingly surprised, relaxed its death grip on him, allowing Shinji to pull Unit-01's other arm free and use it to bludgeon the arm that held him up.
Again, Shinji tumbled to the ground, his eyes squeezed shut for a moment as he tried to grapple with the immense pain that pulsed like a heartbeat.
Even still, he heard Misato's next words clearly. "Amazing, Shinji! Quickly, get to your feet!"
He struggled onto hands and knees before the Angel, screeching in what could have been pain or anger, kicked Unit-01 squarely in the ribs, sending it flying into a building at the end of a t-junction, the impact nearly collapsing the building on top of him.
Shinji mustered what willpower he could, making Unit-01 stand and stumble out of the way as the Angel's eyes flashed, the street behind him disappearing in a stream of baleful pink light.
Unit-01 teetered and stumbled up the street like a drunkard, Shinji trying to get the Eva upright and going at a decent pace as he fought the pain pounding through his body. Misato's words cut through the haze around his mind, loud and clear. "Shinji! There's a building up ahead of you where you can grab a weapon. Just turn the corner of the next street!"
Shinji did his best to follow Misato's instructions, and he thought for a moment that he could see the building in question opening up. Then, the world began to glow pink again, casting long shadows all around Shinji.
Shinji turned the corner, glancing back at the Angel as it floated toward him. The building, and the massive rifle within it, was right there…
But with a crash, the Angel landed in front of him as he charged into it at a headlong rush, barring his way as it stopped him entirely. Before Shinji could even try and slip past it, the Angel gripped him with both hands, one set of claws where it had been on Unit-01's face, and another near his left shoulder.
Shinji saw the light, pink having ascended in brightness to an almost blinding white, as the spikes fired, spearing Unit-01 through the head and shoulder and sending it flying back into what must have been a building before the spikes retracted.
The screens went dark, and he lost all feeling for Unit-01, but Shinji could only feel the intense, seemingly all-consuming pain that had been inflicted on him, the world around him seeming to go red. How was he not dead yet?
Then, he heard a growl, felt something else begin to take control. That suited Shinji just fine for the moment.
If there's anything I've learned on my travels, it's that the greatest defense against the darkness that can invade the mind and the soul is companionship. Closeness to someone like a friend, a family member, a lover. With that aegis, regardless of how hopeless things are, there is always a chance, a candlelight in the hours just before the dawn.
Shinji might have missed it before I arrived, but such wouldn't be the case long after he arrived in Tokyo-3.
- Where I've Been, 7th Entry
NERV-HQ, Geofront, March 19th, 2015
Shinji Ikari didn't know where he was, running, running, running down the halls of an empty space he only vaguely recognized. "Daniel! Misato! Where are you?" he shouted, his voice seemingly unheard as desperation forced him to his limits.
"Father!" he cried out. "What's going on?"
Still, there was no answer. But there was a door. An entirely out of place, wooden door that stood out against the steel gray of the corridor he fled through, but there must have been some sort of answer behind it.
After what felt like forever, he finally reached the door, wrenching it open.
His eyes went wide as he saw a singular eye, massive in how it took up the space of a rapidly expanding door. It was utterly green, a dark green iris in a bright green eye, with four irises, three surrounding a central one in a triangle shape.
It was the eye of a monster. But it was his eye, too. He could feel it. And it also belonged to someone else. Why could he feel it?
He turned and ran. But the Eye saw him, followed him. Why wouldn't it leave him alone?
He looked back. And the Eye filled his vision.
Shinji's eyes flashed open, squeezing shut again from the blinding whiteness of the room. Slowly, he peeled them open again, looking around himself. He was in a hospital room, wearing a hospital gown, and an EKG monitor beeped steadily beside him. Besides that and two chairs, the room was bare. A window next to him, covering the top half of the wall to his left, showed a view of trees, a forest running all the way to what looked like a wall made of mirrors.
He heard the door open to his right and looked over to see Ritsuko and another woman come in. Ritsuko wore a blue zip-up vest and pencil skirt now, with dark pantyhose covering her legs that terminated in a pair of low heels. Her companion wore a tan uniform jacket with orange bars on the shoulders, a pair of white tights under a tan skirt and tan boots completing the outfit. She regarded him with curious, concerned brown eyes from under an almost boyish cut of brown hair, a striking contrast from the cool look Ritsuko gave him.
"Good," Ritsuko said. "You're awake."
"Where…" Shinji began as Ritsuko unhooked him from the EKG monitor. "Where am I?"
"You're in the medical center of the Geofront," Ritsuko said as her companion pulled over the two chairs. "And right now, we're here to ask you about your experiences fighting the Third Angel."
Ritsuko nodded over to her companion. "This is First Lieutenant Ibuki, head of the InfoTech branch of the Science Division and my second-in-command."
Ibuki waved. "Hello, Shinji. Nice to meet you."
Shinji nodded as he sat up in his cot. "What should I tell you?"
"Simply what you experienced, felt, and thought inside of the Entry Plug," Ritsuko replied as she took her seat next to Ibuki, who readied a tablet she'd been carrying.
Shinji did his best to describe what he could up until he stopped remembering… wait. Why couldn't he remember the end of the battle? His arm and head still hurt, but his memories…
"Thank you, Shinji," Ritsuko said as Ibuki deactivated her tablet. "Your experience in synchronization is typical of one's first time, though I do regret the circumstances that we had to deploy you into. You must understand our desperation then."
Shinji nodded slowly, and Ritsuko and Ibuki stood. "What happened after I stopped remembering? How did the battle end?"
"Right now, Shinji," Ritsuko said, "that can come later. You still require rest, having just woken up from unconsciousness. Misato will pick you up in the lobby once you're ready."
With that, she turned and walked out of the room. Ibuki lingered a little longer. "Shinji," she said quietly with a slight nod. "Thank you for what you've done. I understand it can't be easy."
Shinji nodded, and Ibuki followed Ritsuko out.
He sighed quietly, slowly getting out of bed and accepting his clothing from a nurse who stopped in a few minutes later. They smelled of dried blood, a smell he'd been too busy to notice while piloting the Eva, but they were all he had at the moment as he put them on.
He exited the room, coming into a long hallway with a window along the wall he faced. It showed more trees and a view of the lake that NERV-HQ sat by. He walked over to the window, taking in the view for a moment.
"Ah. Good to see you up and about, Shinji."
Shinji looked to his left to see Flynn, in a uniform somewhat like Ibuki's, but with tan pants instead of tights. "First Lieutenant… Flynn, right?" he said slowly.
Flynn smiled warmly. "Glad to be remembered, Shinji. How are you feeling?"
Shinji sighed quietly. "Not good. At all."
"I'm sorry," Flynn said with a sympathetic grimace. "If nothing else, I'm glad you made it out alive. That could have ended badly."
"What happened?" Shinji asked. "I asked Ms. Ritsuko, but she didn't tell me."
Flynn looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well, after that nasty hit you took, Unit-01 shut down for a moment. Then, it seemed to go… well, berserk is the only way to describe it, really. It tore the Angel apart before it wrapped itself around Unit-01 and exploded. It was pretty mangled afterward. After it shut down again, we found you passed out in the Plug."
Shinji nodded, hazy memories, moments snapping into focus for a second or two while passing through, beginning to surface. "I see."
Flynn nodded, then looked past him, Shinji following her gaze to see a gurney rolling down the hall. As it passed them, Rei, still in bandages, looked up at the both of them. There was still no emotion evident in her expression, but she regarded them more intently than when Shinji had seen her in the bay for Unit-01. An intentness that might have been curiosity. Then, she passed on, going to another part of the hospital no doubt.
"Well," Flynn said, "I know it's not much, but…"
Shinji's focus turned to the chocolate bar in Flynn's hand, held out to him. "Consider this a 'welcome to Tokyo-3' present. And a little taster of what's waiting for you when you land wherever you go."
Shinji took the chocolate bar, a decent one at that, and regarded it for a moment. "Thank you, Ms. Flynn."
"Of course, Shinji," Flynn said. "Well, my break's about to be up, so I need to get going. See you around."
She turned and began to walk away. Shinji watched until she turned a corner out of sight, mulling over the simple gift he'd been given. Then, he sighed and tried to find his way to the lobby Ritsuko was talking about.
He found it, taking a seat and waiting as he idly ate the chocolate bar. It was good. At least the smell of it offset the stench in his clothes somewhat.
He stared at his arm, the pain starting to go away but still present enough to ache. Was this what he was supposed to do? Go out and get beaten senseless by Angels until his Eva… took pity on him? Protected him? What was going on?
"Lucky you. Where did you get the chocolate?"
Shinji blinked as he looked up to see Misato, standing in front of him. "I got it from Ms. Flynn. She's part of the Engineering Branch, working on the Evas. She helped me… last night, I guess?"
Misato smiled slightly. "I see."
Shinji nodded. "Have you been waiting here long?"
Misato shook her head, her smile fading. "No, Shinji. Let's go get you a place to stay. You're going to be here for a while."
Shinji nodded as he stood, finishing off the chocolate bar and making sure he didn't have any stray smears of the stuff while he followed Misato.
As they made their way out of the medical center, they came to an elevator. As it opened with a ding, the doors opened to reveal Gendo, standing in the elevator car before them. He said nothing to either of them as he simply stared at Shinji.
For a moment, Shinji wanted to look away from that gaze of naked disappointment and annoyance that the man gave him. Then, he remembered how he used Rei as blackmail, sent him off into combat with barely any hint of compassion or regret. So, he returned the gaze, indignation pulling his brow slightly down.
As the doors began to close, Gendo frowned slightly. Then, just before he disappeared behind the doors, Gendo began to look away. And Shinji wondered if he saw another emotion on his father's face.
. . .
As they made their way to wherever they were going, Shinji continued to ponder on the moment, the world blurring by him as he followed Misato. Eventually, they ended up in an office in that thin, white tower that loomed over the glass pyramid of the HQ and gave a commanding view out of the window of the diamond-shaped artificial lake that it sat at a corner of and the more natural lake beyond, the ends of the tower bending gently towards it.
The man in front of them, apparently in charge of housing, sat at his desk. "We've assigned Shinji Ikari to a room in Block 6, somewhat near the gantries, here in the Geofront," he said matter-of-factly.
Misato's eyes went wide. "You mean he'll be living alone?"
The man, his expression unchanged, nodded slightly. "Yes. Right now, there's no one occupying Block 6, though with things being what they are according to my contacts in engineering, that might change somewhat soon. It shouldn't be a problem."
Misato looked at Shinji, and he found himself somewhat surprised at the look of genuine concern she gave him. "Are you really going to be okay with this? Being alone?"
Shinji considered the question at length. "Well, right now, at least… yeah. I don't mind the solitude, really."
Misato continued to regard him, and Shinji wondered how dissatisfied she was with his answer. He saw confusion, wondering, and no small amount of sadness dart across her expression until it seemed to settle into resolve as she looked at the man. "He can live with me."
Shinji's eyes widened slightly, while the housing director merely arched a brow silently.
"It'll free up that housing for those engineers you and I are sure about needing, and it would cut down the immediate costs of having a whole housing unit down here in use," Misato said the words firmly, and stared at the housing director silently afterward, seeming to challenge him to prove her wrong.
Eventually, the man shrugged. "Well, if there's any universal language this organization speaks, it's monetary savings."
He paused for a moment as he typed on his computer. "If you'll give me, say, two to three days to make sure the changes stick, I'll have the records reflect your choice. In the meantime, I'll have Mr. Ikari's luggage sent to your apartment."
Misato smiled, a slight, satisfied thing, as she nodded. "Thank you for your assistance, First Lieutenant Morrison."
The lieutenant looked back at Misato, his own lips turning up a fraction. "And I'm sure that the budget will thank you someday, Captain," he replied, and Shinji heard the hint of amusement in his voice.
Misato nodded sharply before looking over at Shinji. "Well, Shinji," she said as her smile grew wider, "let's get you where you need to be."
Shinji, still somewhat shocked at the turn of events, followed Misato out in a daze as he tried to process what had just happened. A call to Daniel was certainly in order soon if only to achieve that single point of stability in his now rather insane life.
As they made their way to Misato's car, she pulled out her phone, dialing quickly as she walked. "I've got one more person to tell about this, Shinji," she said somewhat absent-mindedly as she waited for whoever she was calling to answer. Shinji simply nodded absentmindedly as he listened to the quiet ringing of her phone.
"Hey, Ritsky," Misato said brightly after a moment. "I've got some news." a pause, then a sigh. "Good news, Ritsuko. Shinji's going to be staying with me."
"What did you say?" Shinji heard clearly as Ritsuko apparently shouted into her receiver.
"You heard what I said, Ritsuko." Misato enunciated. "Instead of Shinji living all by his lonesome, he'll live with me close to the school he'll be attending. Everything's being sorted out now."
More words he could not fully hear, clearly agitated, before Misato sighed. "Oh, don't worry. Besides, I'm not desperate enough to try anything funny with him."
Shinji blushed somewhat as Misato held her phone away from her, the device seemingly alight with Ritsuko's raised objections and warnings. After a moment where Shinji was glad they were alone in the hallway, Misato hung up the phone with a heavy sigh. "Man, forget I said anything then," she muttered.
She looked over at Shinji, who regarded her archly even as his blush still tinged his cheeks. "I'm a woman of my word, Shinji," she said sternly. "No funny business while we're together. Promise."
Shinji nodded uncertainly as they got into Misato's car, checking to see his bag still in the back with the worrying amount of batteries as they began to drive off. "Are these a… permanent fixture, then?" Shinji asked.
"Nope," Misato said with a slight smile. "I've got a guy here in Tokyo-3 who can have this car shining by week's end."
The drive out of the Geofront passed Shinji by, his focus now more on how Misato's excitement seemed to grow. "Man, we're going to party tonight!" she said in a completely relaxed tone that seemed utterly at odds with how she'd spoken the night before."
Shinji's brow furled slightly. "Because we defeated the Angel?" he asked slowly.
Misato shrugged as she glanced over at him. "Well yeah, of course that, but also because I have a new roomie moving in!"
Shinji nodded slowly, the headache returning for an entirely different reason now. Maybe he needed to call Daniel tonight instead and try to figure out what to expect of Misato Katsuragi with some help.
They stopped at a grocery store first, picking up some essential foods and a concerning amount of beer. Shinji couldn't help but hear the conversations the people around him had. They were about him, after all. What had stopped the emergency last night? What kind of disaster needed bomb shelters? Was the city safe?
Shinji wondered about that last part himself if he really was the last, best hope for victory against the Angels.
As they got onto the road again, Misato's expression became thoughtful. "Before we go home, I'd like to show you something."
Shinji wondered what it could be, and why they exited the city to do it. Now, his curiosity was piqued.
With the setting sun a backdrop to the city, they stopped at a viewing spot well on the outskirts of the city, Misato getting out as Shinji followed her lead. As they stood at the railing, Shinji studied the city for a moment, a flat, forlorn, and barren thing, like the ghost of where one once stood.
The sight of it made Shinji sigh quietly as he looked over at Misato, who looked down at a wristwatch. "I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be seeing here. It just looks… empty and sad."
Misato said nothing for a moment before looking up. "And… it's time," she said with a slight grin she aimed at Shinji.
Sirens broke the silence as they began to echo from the city, drawing Shinji's attention as he watched panels in the ground open up. Then, his eyes went wide and his jaw dropped as, one by one, skyscrapers, surely the one he saw in the Geofront, rose from the ground like a forest of bamboo, massive clunks signaling them likely locking into place.
After several minutes, the towers finished their impossible growth, lighting up the city skyline that they had made all the more majestic with its transformation.
"This is the city built to be a fortress against the Angels," Misato said quietly, breaking the overawed silence. "This is Tokyo-3. Our city, Shinji. The one you helped save."
Shinji watched as the city began to come to life, lines of light coinciding with shops and traffic, the lifeblood of the city.
"Well," Misato said after a moment, an unmistakable note of pride in her voice, "much as I would love to keep watching, the groceries need to get home. Come on."
. . .
After a while, they arrived at a building that Shinji knew was built after Second Impact, a squat thing even as it reached several stories into the air that was built seemingly exclusively out of right angles, concrete, and glass.
They made their way to the second-highest floor of the building and stopped for a moment in front of a door with a placard marked 'M. Katsuragi' in English and Japanese. Next to the door was the rest of Shinji's belongings, bedding and clothes, and the cello in its gleaming black case.
"Well, look at that," Misato said with a smile as she slid her keycard through the reader next to the door, pressing a button to open it. "Morrison's quick at his job." She stepped through the door as she continued. "I'll be honest, I haven't completely unpacked myself yet, so it's still a bit of a mess. Come on in."
Shinji, however, hesitated at the door for a moment. All of this still felt… unreal, somehow. Like he'd wake up from the dream at any moment now. "Um… I… thank you for having me, Ms. Misato."
Misato sighed quietly, her head dipping slightly before she turned to regard Shinji with a patient look in her eyes. "Remember, Shinji, this is your home too, now. I'm glad I can have you."
After a moment, Shinji stepped across the threshold of the door to the apartment. No, he had to remind himself. The door to his home. "Well, then," he said as a small, unsure smile flickered to life, "I'm home."
Misato's smile was warm and soft. It was a smile Shinji found was the best one she'd given him. "Welcome home, Shinji."
The warmth that Shinji felt from that moment, at having a place here to call home, cooled somewhat as Misato flipped the light switch at the end of the entry hall, shining light onto what was perhaps one of the biggest messes that Shinji had seen in his life. Crushed beer cans and empty bottles, empty food packets and cartons, and a tower of moving boxes on one wall that went nearly to the ceiling were only some of the 'decorations' he could see scattered across what he thought was the kitchen and dining room.
"Like I said," Misato said somewhat guiltily as she weaved through the mess with a practiced ease, "it's a little messy at the moment, but don't worry about it just yet."
As Misato disappeared through a set of sliding doors at the far end of the dining room, Shinji continued to ogle the utter disaster that surrounded him. "A little?" he said rather incredulously, his sense of cleanliness urging him into action as he began to throw the beer cans and bottles into the recycling, clearing off the table as he tried to bring some order to the space.
"By the way," Misato said as she peeked from behind the sliding door, "don't forget to put up the food we bought. I'll be right out." with that, she disappeared around the corner of the door again.
"Got it," Shinji said absentmindedly as he finished throwing the trash that cluttered the counters away, pulling himself from his task as he began to put the groceries away.
Having made his way, somewhat carefully, to the fridge, he found that Misato, true to what the trash around him hinted at, had a rather… limited diet. Snacks, instant meals, and several different kinds of alcohol took up most of the space in the fridge and freezer.
What he didn't expect was the packet, rectangular and deep brown with a sticky note on it, in the door of the fridge. As he finished packing the fridge to the best of his ability, he took out the packet, studying the sticky note.
'Here's the rest of your welcome, Shinji! Thank you for your bravery, and I hope you're able to settle in nicely. Good luck, E. Flynn.'
'Was Misato simply holding the chocolates for Ms. Flynn,' Shinji wondered, 'or did she somehow know I'd end up here?'
It seemed a little far-fetched, and the groceries still in need of putting away drew his attention back to them as he looked around at the cabinets. In looking around, he saw what looked like another refrigerator, a dark gray thing that stretched from floor to ceiling. "Ms. Misato?" he called out. "What about the other refrigerator?"
"Oh, don't worry about that," Misato replied from what he assumed was her room. "That might get old sleepy-head grumpy if you mess with it."
Old sleepy-head? What could that possibly mean? For now, Shinji took it as that space, whatever it was, being for something else, doing his best to squeeze everything else into the pantry and cupboards.
After a few moments, Misato emerged into the dining room once again, wearing a loose yellow tank top and shorts cut nearly to her hips, much like in the picture she'd sent him. "Ah," she said with a grin, "I see you've found Lieutenant Flynn's present for you. You're a lucky guy, to already have admirers here after only a day."
Shinji blushed slightly, and Misato's grin widened. "But that's enough talking. Let's get dinner ready!"
It was a rather simple affair, simply reheating instant meals and pulling out cold water and beer from the fridge. It made Shinji grateful for the spices and cooking utensils that he'd accrued before now and packed up for this journey. But, they would come later, as they began to eat in earnest.
Misato ate with gusto, guzzling the beer in her hand like he could have done to his water, finishing it off with a loud, contented sigh. "Man, this is the life! After a hard day's work, this makes it all worth it!"
After a moment more of reveling in her satisfaction, she noticed that Shinji lacked her bombast. "What's up? Aren't you hungry? I know it's only instant meals, but it still works for now."
Shinji nodded. "Yeah, I know. It's just that I'm a little more used to cooking for myself, is all."
"You can cook?" Misato shouted incredulously, leaning over the table and coming almost nose-to-nose with him. "Of all the things to say, why didn't you mention that? We could have been eating like kings!"
"I wasn't trying to hide anything!" Shinji stammered as he recoiled, shrinking as far as he dared into his chair. "I… uh…" he began to stammer again, taking note almost against his will how close Misato was to him. Again.
Then, as if a switch had flipped, Misato smiled slightly. "Well, then," she said, remaining where she was for a moment. "Isn't this fun? I've missed sharing meals like this."
Shinji nodded slowly, his cheeks still flushing against his will. "Sure."
She finally sat back down, digging into her carton of ramen, and Shinji took up his chopsticks again with a sigh. "Man, when Daniel hears about this…" he muttered, mostly to himself.
Misato paused as she looked back at Shinji, her eyes gleaming even as her mouth was stuffed with noodles. "Mmful Fmfmmn?"
Shinji gave her a somewhat puzzled look, and Misato blinked before slurping up the rest of her noodles and clearing her throat. "Daniel Theisman? A little taller than you, blue eyes, blond hair and a beard, served in South America among other places?"
Shinji blinked, then his eyes lit up as she described Daniel to a T. "Yes, that's him. I didn't know he served in the military, though. He didn't talk much about his past. How did you know him?"
Misato smiled, grinned really. "He came to NERV-2 in Germany about… 3 years ago now. He became the head of the Engineering Division for the Production Evangelion there, the one that's going to be Unit-02. He's great! Kind, patient, a good listener… a real gentleman when he takes you home after too much to drink…"
Shinji's brow quirked at the description even as a smile grew on his face. It felt good to know that they had some sort of initial connection between them, at least.
Then, after what Shinji guessed was long moments of happy recollection, she gasped dramatically, her eyes going wide. "Wait a minute! He talked about you! I caught him talking to you on the phone a few times, and he always said you were like a little brother to him."
Misato let out an almost girlish squeal, almost jumping around the table to take Shinji by the shoulders, Shinji jumping a little as she shook him somewhat. "Another thing to celebrate! This calls for another beer!" she crowed, walking over to the fridge and soon adding another empty tin can to a stack that, in Shinji's opinion, was growing at a worrying rate.
However, dinner was finished off quickly afterward, and they divided their chores with a quick game of rock paper scissors. With that done, Misato leaned back in her chair with a quiet, contented sigh. "Remember, this is your home now, Shinji. So settle in and relax a little, okay?"
Shinji nodded. "Yes, Ms. Misato."
Misato sighed heavily as she began to cross the tabletop again. "'Yes, ma'am, yes ma'am' this, 'Ms. Misato' that. I told you to relax, alright?" she paused for a moment as she roughly ruffled his hair. "It's just Misato here at home, okay?"
The ruffling continued until Shinji raised his hands slightly. "Okay, okay!" he said in a harried voice.
Misato stopped, lifting her hand from Shinji's head as she sat back down. "You know what helps with relaxing after a day like this? A nice, warm bath! It's the washing machine of life, after all!"
Shinji simply nodded wearily. A bath did sound like a good idea at the moment. After retrieving the rest of his things and moving them into the other bedroom at the end of the hall, he dressed down in the washroom adjacent to the kitchen. As he did so, he noted the hanging underwear above his head, yet another sign of the bachelorette life that Misato must have been getting used to.
He sighed quietly, something he found he was doing a lot of recently. Even with Misato's injunction, this was still going to take a little while to get used to. He looked away, and slid open the door. The sight that greeted him as he looked down at it took a moment for his brain to fully process.
A moment was all that the small, fat bird with a metal harness that read PEN2, a pink towel round its neck and vibrant plumage that looked like angry red eyebrows, needed before it began to shake its flippers and head wildly, warbling and squawking as it did so.
Shinji shouted, and without thinking, charged to the washroom door and opened it. "Ms. Misato!" he stuttered out after a moment. "There's a… a… uh…"
As Shinji struggled with his description of the bird he'd encountered, the avian in question casually waddled past him, walking towards the gray fridge-like machine. Misato's eyes lit up with understanding. "Oooh. That's Penpen. He's a hot-springs penguin I rescued."
As Penpen stopped in front of the fridge, Shinji watched him use one of his claws, a feature that Shinji didn't remember any penguins he knew of having, to push a button, and a door about his height slid open. Before he entered, Penpen regarded Shinji with what must have been a rather unamused stare, disappearing into the fridge afterward.
"Penpen?" Shinji managed to say incredulously.
"Yep. He's our other roommate." Misato replied glibly. Then, she grabbed the package of chocolates that was Ms. Flynn's gift, checking it for a moment before tossing it to Shinji. "Here, take the chocolates, enjoy the bath you're ready for a little more," she said with a slight smile as she picked up her beer and took a sip.
Shinji regarded the chocolates with some confusion, then remembered where, exactly, he'd run from. Along with his state of undress. Using the chocolates as best he could to regain some modesty, he closed the washroom door.
As the door clicked shut, Misato finished her sip, a thoughtful look in her eyes that Shinji never saw. 'Maybe I shouldn't lay on the cheer and relaxation so thickly. He might start seeing through it. He's perceptive enough to, I think.' With that, she set the beer can down with a quiet clink.
Shinji, doing the best he could to keep his fingers dry, took one of the chocolates and popped it in his mouth, chewing slowly as he looked at the ceiling, lost in thought as his embarrassment began to wear off. 'Misato Katsuragi.' he mused, pondering on his time with her thus far. 'She seems nice enough. She's hiding something about the Angels, though. At least, I think she is.'
He continued to stare at the unfamiliar ceiling as his mind worked. 'These last few days have been… weird. At least there are some people who have been nice to me.' he mused as he thought of Ms. Flynn and Ms. Ibuki and their interactions with him.
'But I can't help but think of how terrifying some of the things I've seen around here are.' he thought as his mind rattled through the uncomfortable, tense moments that he'd been through. 'Things like Father. Or the Angel.'
'But there's also the mysterious here. Like Rei Ayanami.' his mind slowed as he considered his few, all too brief interactions with her. Well, interaction might have been a strong word for it. If anyone embodied the description he'd thought of at the moment, it was her. Even with barely a word to him, a few glances, he found himself intrigued.
As he stepped out of the bath, securing the chocolates beforehand, he dried himself off and began to put on his nightclothes, looking for a moment at a comfortable, well-worn brown shirt with a strange snake-like symbol in the middle of it, encircled and with a hornlike shape beneath it that was inlaid with the word 'INDEED'.
'And then there's Daniel.' Shinji thought appreciatively as he put on the shirt, a gift given to him on a birthday after watching some of the show the shirt referenced. Even with everything else going on, Daniel still managed to be a rock of stability, even a surprising connection, far away as he was.
His mind turned to happier days as he prepared for bed. He likely had cell service now, he realized as he brushed his teeth. He could call Daniel now if he wanted to, seeing as it was likely nearing his lunch break.
But, Shinji decided as he went to his room, he was tired. He needed tonight to recharge. He could call Daniel in the morning. Besides, it would give him more time to talk to Daniel about everything that had happened. And ask the questions that he had.
So, he lay in the cot that Misato said would be there until they got him a proper bed, put in his headphones, and turned on his music as he lay resting in the rather cluttered room that was now his, laying there as he listened to the guitars and keyboards of yesteryear serenade him. The songs his father had put together. For him or someone else, he did not know.
But they weren't his father's songs anymore, Shinji realized. Not really, anyway. Daniel had enjoyed them, made them something new to Shinji as he did his best to play along with them. They were their songs, now, Shinji thought with a small smile.
A moment after this realization, he heard a light knock on the door. "Shinji," Misato said in a quiet voice, "can I open the door?"
Shinji paused the music as the door slid open. "I forgot to say something earlier." she continued, her voice calm. "You did well yesterday. People will remember and be grateful for how well you did. Keep it up. Good night, Shinji."
The door slid closed, and Shinji pressed play again, the music returning him to his thoughts. How was what he did commendable when the Eva had killed the Angel for him? How could he keep it up if that was the case?
Slowly, slowly, now, he began to remember fully what had happened that night after the Angel had 'killed' him. Now, he remembered how he'd seen the Eye.
The memories kept him awake long into the night. Finally, though, he drifted to sleep, wondering what Daniel was doing on the other side of the world.
. . .
Deep within the Geofront, in a ruined control room that had yet to be fully attended to by the maintenance crews, Gendo Ikari stared at the orange and white form of Unit-00. It was stuck in place by a massive buildup of Bakelite around its legs, the Evangelion frozen in place with a fist driven through the wall near the shattered window where he stood. Past its bowed head, he could see the massive Shutdown Plug, a massive cross emerging from the solid object in the nape of the Eva's neck.
He heard footsteps behind him that interrupted his musings, not turning as their owner approached. Few people could find him here. Those that could would likely have something important to say to him.
"How was Rei, sir?"
It was not the question that he'd expected Doctor Ritsuko Akagi to ask, and he thus remained silent.
"It's my understanding that you visited her in the hospital today." Ritsuko continued. "Should I prepare another?"
"No." he finally said. "According to the doctors, she will be ready to return to duty in 20 days or so. We'll need to have Unit-00 up and running within that time to be ready for her."
"I will try my best to make that possible," Ritsuko said, "but I can't make miracles happen every time. Nor can the Engineering Branch."
"Even then," Ritsuko continued after a moment, "whatever comes next will be rough on these Children. Shinji, I think, especially."
Shinji. The boy had surprised him, and not necessarily in a good way. His performance in combat was far beyond expectations, but his attitude, at the very least, left Gendo…
"The Children are the only ones able to pilot the Eva," he said, focusing on the conversation at hand. "As long as they are able to, that is what they must do."
"Even if they feel otherwise?" Ritsuko asked archly.
Damn. She had him thinking about the boy again. "For the sake of humanity," he said after long, silent moments, "we cannot afford to not use the Children."
That was all he wished to say, and after several minutes of silence, Ritsuko turned and walked away.
As her footsteps faded, Gendo's thoughts doggedly returned to the boy. The boy was not what he should have been, and the allowance for any interference on the Azuma's part still couldn't explain the whole of it. After all, Daiki Azuma, as he knew him, would, among other things, hardly push the boy to become at least somewhat trained in hand-to-hand combat.
No, there was someone else at play here. And Gendo Ikari intended to find out who it was.
Life, as we all know, is a remarkably busy beast at times. For me, it has only gotten even more so in recent times. And with the Christmas season upon us, there are some things that I'll be putting on the backburner for the month of December. I'm going to be pausing any publishing on my stories for the month and taking something of a break (though I'm sure I'll still be writing more content for all my stories in the meantime). I'll still be active elsewhere on the site, perhaps doing omakes from time to time for the Starfleet Design Bureau. We will return to our regularly scheduled program beginning to mid-January of the New Year. Same bat-time, same bat-channel.
Of course, Shinji wasn't the only Child that had the weight of the world on his shoulders, even if he didn't know that before that first night in Tokyo-3. Halfway across the world, another Child knew what sort of responsibilities she had, or at least presumed she did. 3 years with Shinji managed to do more than I could have ever expected. Now, I needed to see if I could repeat the little miracle I'd made in Japan.
- Where I've Been, 10th Entry
NERV-2, Neuberlin, May, 2012
Daniel Theisman stretched as the plane landed, shaking himself somewhat from the nap he'd taken on the flight. It was a fairly lonely flight, all things considered, and he retrieved his carry-on without needing to jostle with or against anyone at all.
He sharpened his senses, woke himself up enough to be alert for today, and checked his phone. He considered calling Shinji as he stepped off the plane. Already, he'd begun to miss the small things they did together, the little duet sessions between cello and guitar, the recipes that they'd swapped, and the help he had given with schoolwork in his own admittedly rather unique way. To say nothing of the preparations he'd made with the boy, known and unknown to Shinji.
But, looking at the time on his watch, it was almost midnight in Japan at this point, and as much as he was sure Shinji would love to talk, he needed to sleep as well. For now, he could wait until tonight. 3 years wasn't going to just slip by on his watch.
He stepped off the plane with a quiet sigh, looking around himself as he made his way into the airport terminal. As he grabbed the rest of his luggage, he considered the sign, in several languages, that read 'Welcome to Neuberlin'. The name was a bit of a misnomer; they were actually on the outskirts of what remained of Bernau. There had been, he saw as he looked out the airport window, a concerted effort in a few districts to build houses, shops, and taverns in the old German style, the last grasp of what was, here at least, a dying culture in a broken new world.
But Daniel's gaze, inevitably, was drawn to perhaps one of the newest wonders of this world, the most prominent sight for kilometers around. It was a massive hexagon, about 8 kilometers long and nearly 5 tall, narrowing as it reached the top. It was steel gray in most places, though painted in bright, catching colors that grew in frequency as they got closer to the bottom of the structure. It had become the architectural pride of the European continent, and the second-ever arcology in the world, after the Japanese Geofront, of course. Nearly every travel brochure in the terminal spoke prominently of the place known as the Stahlturm. And, for the next 3 years or so, he figured, it would be his workplace and his home.
It was a sight that made Daniel smile slightly. He'd seen much in his time and his travels. But it was always the monuments to personal grit and determination, the statements that the soul could never be fully conquered, that held a special place in his heart.
But, he had someone he needed to look for here in the surprisingly bustling terminal. She should be waiting for him close to the exits…
There she was, unmistakable for her black, almost seemingly purple hair, red jacket, and black dress. She leaned against a wall, relaxed as she checked her phone. Before he'd even seen her, he knew who she was. Captain Misato Katsuragi.
She was slumped on the floor, in front of the elevator doors which had been her goal. Her blood pooled on the ground, running from far too many bullet wounds. Her dying had company, almost all the soldiers surrounding her passed on because of her skill with a gun. He needed to help her. But…
'No.' he grimaced as he tried to push the unbidden thought away. 'Not here. Not if I have anything to say about it.'
He put on his best relaxed smile as he approached, the Captain looking up from her phone as she noticed him. As they came to a stop in front of each other, both straightened to a rather close approximation of attention.
"Captain Katsuragi, I presume?" Daniel said as he extended his hand.
"The one and only." Misato smiled back as she took his hand, shaking firmly. "I'd assume you're probably our new head of engineering, then?"
Daniel nodded. "Yes, ma'am. I'm Daniel Theisman."
"Pleasure to meet you, Daniel." Misato nodded towards the exit. "Now, if you'll follow me."
They made their way through the airport, out to the parking lot before Misato stopped at a sleek, black sports car that proudly displayed the Mercedes-Benz logo.
Daniel whistled appreciatively as he got in, the car barely making a sound as Misato started it. "Well now. This is quite the car you have waiting for little old me."
Misato nodded as they began to drive, her eyes gleaming with satisfaction at Daniel's judgment. "Yes, it certainly is. This is a 190E, an EVO-II. At least, the chassis and body are. It was one of the last cars that M-B produced before the aftermath of Second Impact drove them under. I found it for dirt cheap in a yard waiting to be scrapped, and I just had to save it. I even lucked out when I got it fixed up and hybridized for cheap, too."
Daniel nodded, a slight grin on his face. Just as he expected, a car aficionado. "And this is a hybrid?"
"All the independent transit in the Stahlturm has to be that at least, if not fully electric," Misato replied as they drove towards the mighty structure. "Keeps things clean. Or at least cleaner."
Daniel nodded, watching intently as they entered what was apparently Entrance/Exit 1-4. They entered, and his breath was taken away by the sight that awaited him.
All around them, the inhabited parts of the arcology angled away from the center, solid layers about half a kilometer between each other dividing the levels as they rose. Orderly plazas gave space between the homes, shops, and factories that no doubt were slotted in here, looking modular in design as the space they occupied narrowed the closer to the top it got. At the arcology's center, a massive park, fed by what was likely outside water and with a massive latticework of windows overhead, stretched for at least a kilometer, maybe even half that again.
"Wow…" Daniel said with an overawed smile, and he heard Misato chuckle.
"Doesn't matter who it is," she said, Daniel hearing her smile. "It always gets you when you first see it."
"How are there windows up there?" he asked quietly. "They can't be glass, it'd be too fragile and likely to break under its own weight."
"From what I recall," Misato replied, "it's transparent aluminum. Or ALON, as the builders like to call it. Pretty fascinating stuff, and it got developed for wide-scale manufacture because of this project."
Daniel nodded. "Amazing. The inner Trekkie in me is over the moon."
Misato chuckled again. "Why am I not surprised?"
"How long have you been here?" Daniel asked as they began to drive past the park, the sight passing by to their right.
"Going on four years now, since I transferred from the JSSDF to NERV." Misato pointed to a section on their right. "We're headed there, to Side 5. We have that all to ourselves. I figured we'd take the scenic route for you before you get packed in as tightly as the rest of us. The commander won't be too concerned."
It was silent for a few moments as Daniel simply drank in the craftsmanship around him. Then, Daniel tore his gaze away from the sight, looking over at Misato. "So," he began, "having read what files I could on the person who'd be showing me around, you're also the caretaker of the pilot whose vehicle I'll be maintaining?"
"Yep," Misato said with a slight nod. "That would be Asuka. She's over at Side 2, at the University campus. You'll meet her soon enough. In the meantime, let's get you over to your flat."
They parked in a massive parking garage, walking past a NERV logo that, instead of the customary red fig leaf design, showed a navy blue cornflower, a phrase at the bottom in German. After boarding a tube train, they emerged at a residential plaza, making their way to an apartment complex labeled 'Block B, Section 1'.
They entered the building, and it struck Daniel how quiet, nearly silent it suddenly became. The housing here must have had some killer noise-canceling materials.
They came to a stop in front of a door, the placard on it reading 'Room B-1-00006'. "Being head of Engineering has its perks," Misato said with a sly grin as she handed him his key card, which he used to promptly enter his apartment.
It was a decently sized space, with an open living room, and a kitchen, both furnished, with a door to a master bedroom near the living room, a hallway with two bedrooms and a bathroom across from it. All of Daniel's belongings sat in the center of the living room, his punching bag and a guitar case most prominent among them.
"I see you at least practice some kind of fighting," Misato said. "Rough and tumble where you were?"
"Well, when one's an Army boy…" Daniel said with a shrug.
Misato nodded, looking at the case. "Fair enough. You play as well as you fight, then?"
Daniel chuckled. "Well, where your passion is in cars, mine is in music. This is my baby."
He tapped his case appreciatively. "This in here is my first guitar; a Fender Stratocaster. I got it cheap years and years ago and have been upgrading it since. Now, it sounds like a Strat 3 times its price before I even get to the pedals."
Misato nodded slowly. "I see. Well, I trust you know your way around it, then." she paused for a moment. "As much as I'm sure you want to unpack, we probably shouldn't keep the commander waiting much longer. Follow me."
Daniel dutifully tagged along, following Misato through elevators, stairs, and motorized walkways. "These are the ultimate convenience," Misato said with a cheery smile as they were carried by one such walkway. "You can get to the ground floor where the main base is in under 10 minutes from where we are, and if you want to go anywhere beyond here, there are interactive maps almost everywhere!"
"Now," she said as she began to dig around a small bag she'd had stashed inside her jacket, "here's your ID, your Stahlcard for buying anything around here, and a packet from the commander to get you up to speed."
She gave Daniel a somewhat impish grin as they entered NERV-2's main base proper. "I hope you're a quick reader."
Daniel gave her a wry grin in return as he leafed through the top-secret folio in his hands. It described the Evangelion project, the possibility of the Angels as the reason for their construction, and NERV's general mission to protect Earth. All things he'd heard before.
Still, he made a show of reading it for a moment before he and Misato stopped in front of what was likely the commander's office. "Well, this is where I leave you," Misato said. "I've got a test to run with Asuka. If you need anything, I'm in Block E about 10 minutes away from you. Well, Daniel, welcome to NERV-2."
With that, Misato walked away, leaving Daniel to knock on the door to the office.
"Come in." a weathered, yet strong voice said.
Daniel opened the door and stepped into the office of Commander Karl Löwenherz. It was a decidedly spartan affair, largely bare save for the NERV-2 logo and a scattering of military accouterments; medals, some pictures of what looked like deployments, and a single uniform of the now hollow Bundeswehr, an Army uniform if he recalled correctly.
Besides the chair in front of it, the only pieces of furniture in the space were a somewhat large wooden desk and a chair, in which sat Commander Löwenherz for a moment before he stood. He was clearly still a military man, well-toned even as his age showed in his mostly silver hair. A well-trimmed beard framed an angled face that held a sharp nose and discerning gray eyes. He studied Daniel intently as he came to a stop in front of the desk and came to attention.
"Mr. Theisman," he said with a surprisingly warm, mellow voice, extending a hand that Daniel shook. "I've been expecting your arrival."
"I'm glad to be expected, sir."
The commander nodded. "Please, sit. With Mr. Carlson's retirement having loomed over us, we've been anxious for some fresh blood. Let's go over your record, shall we?"
Daniel nodded as the commander took what was likely a printed packet out of his desk. It was amazing how easy it was to craft a digital persona, wasn't it? Unlike most, however, he could easily back up what he put in there.
The commander reached for a pair of handy reading glasses and leafed through the record to what was likely a relevant page. "So, you were military. U.S. Army Motor Sergeant. Served in South America during the Impact Wars period?"
Daniel nodded. "Yes sir. It was an honor to be part of the 2nd Armored Division. For the 2 years I was there, I'd like to think we were the best damned tanks in Brazil during the Nuevo Gran Colombia Wars."
Löwenherz nodded slightly. "And I imagine as a field maintenance commander, you made sure that your words had some merit."
Daniel smiled somewhat ruefully. "Well, I did my best, sir. As much as I love the Abrams platform, it was a chore to maintain sometimes, and that was before the conditions we were in."
Löwenherz chuckled softly. "Well, I don't doubt it. That sort of terrain is hell for an infantryman to fight in, let alone a tank."
"Well," Löwenherz said after a pause, "I don't think it's too unwise to mention that you are our only candidate, seeing as your experience in engineering is as well represented as I can see."
He stood from his desk, motioning for Daniel to follow him. "Come with me. I get tired of sitting in my office all day, and I'd like to show you what we intend for you to take charge of, along with introducing you to the team you'll be over."
Daniel stood, following him out. As they walked, Löwenherz continued. "You're familiar with the concept of giving your all to fix what is broken, knowing of its potential to save lives. You'd be surprised sometimes how far-reaching such a concept is, whether you're working on the chassis of a vehicle or laboring to put a nation together."
'Oh, I have a pretty good idea about all of those. And more.' Daniel mused as they weaved their way through the open plaza, one of many interconnected ones that led to various buildings. Their main target, Daniel surmised, was the building labeled 'Ordinance Bay E'.
"Here at NERV," Löwenherz continued as they entered, "regardless of where you once were, you enter an agency dedicated to fixing what was broken. NERV exists now because the Second Impact broke this world, and the Impact Wars did their best to scatter the pieces."
He paused for a moment, the pair walking into an elevator that rose quickly and smoothly. "And now…" he said somewhat dramatically as the elevator's doors opened with a chime and he and Daniel stepped out into a room that looked over a massive gantry.
The room below was filled with a red-orange liquid, stretching nearly to the ceiling. Held within its grasp was what could only fully be described as a giant. Locked in place by the walls that enclosed its shoulders, the portion he could see was encased in armor, a fair portion of it still a steel-gray, though men worked hard to paint it over. The head, encased in a helmet with a crest upon its brow like short, stubby horns, wore a vibrant combination of scarlet red, orange, and white accents.
Daniel couldn't help but stare, Löwenherz allowing him to do so for a moment before he spoke. "This is what you will be overseeing and maintaining," he said quietly. "What you're here to do is to ensure the reliability of the greatest tool in our arsenal to put the world back together again. In time, she will be Unit-02, the Production Model Evangelion. Our world's best hope for salvation."
A far bleaker image, on a screen stained with blood, like so many he'd passed before, showing Unit-02, showing Asuka, a mangled, gory plant bed for a grove of false Lances, the Mass-Production Evas descending like vultures ready to feast…
As Daniel grappled with the memory, Commander Löwenherz spoke again. "It's quite a sight, I know. Even being here at its conception, I'm still swept up in its… presence, from time to time."
Daniel blinked, grateful to the unknowing Löwenherz for pulling him from his memories. "Yes. Yes. It's… a bit larger than what I'm usually used to overseeing, but I think I'll appreciate the challenge."
Löwenherz chuckled. "Well, I commend you for your willingness to take on the challenge. If there's anything I've learned during my years here, it's that a willing heart makes the effort all the easier. Follow me. Your team is waiting for you. And welcome to NERV, Captain Theisman."
Daniel blinked, turning his gaze away from the slumbering Unit-02. That was… quite the start that he'd been given. It would serve him well, he thought, as he hurried after Löwenherz.
They walked out of the Ordinance Bay, over to another building, and into a large room. This one had a far less grand view to present to Daniel, the center of it dominated by a large device that had a grey and white tube, familiar in its shape, sticking out at an angle. Surrounding the machine were several banks of computers and monitors, all displaying different kinds of data that Daniel was sure he had no time to parse at the moment.
The pair came to a stop beside Misato, who watched the largest screen of one of the main islands of monitors. She nodded to them in turn, saluting the commander. "Commander. Daniel. Good to see you both."
"Captain." Löwenherz saluted back. "How is our star pilot today?"
"Still not as perfect as she wishes she could be." Misato sighed. "It's something of a miracle she agreed to do only this much time in the simulator Plug. It's only been about a year and a half since she started training proper, but with how much effort she's putting in… I'm kind of worried about her burning out."
"So she's in usual form today," Löwenherz said, his voice laced with an old amusement. "We'll step in long before then, and even if she does plateau in the next year, odds are she's still going to be the best-trained pilot NERV has."
Daniel looked over at what he assumed was a feed of the simulation that was being run, watching one polygonal humanoid figure deftly maneuvering between two others, seemingly beating them to a pulp. "Is your pilot going up against humanoid targets? Is Unit-02 intended to fight other Evas?"
Löwenherz shook his head. "Not at all, if we can help it. NERV is the only organization in the world that possesses Evangelions."
Daniel's jaw tightened slightly as he watched what he assumed was the pilot destroy the humanoid outline before her, leaving one left. "Somehow, sir," he said quietly, "I don't know if that makes me feel any better."
It was silent between the three of them for a moment before Misato's focus returned to the simulation. "Well, looks like it's about to be another victory in the bag," she said, a slight smile on her face.
True to her word, the last opponent fell, and a list of data and percentages began to scroll across the screens in front of them. Misato leaned forward, her eyes narrowing slightly as she studied the figures. "Not bad. Her estimated synch score is up by 2 percent, and her harmonics aren't far behind."
Löwenherz nodded. "As one should likely expect. Well, come along, Captain Theisman. We'll introduce you to your team while the simulation Plug decants."
Daniel glanced over at Misato, smiling slightly at the look of surprise on her face before following Löwenherz as he led him around the room, introducing him to a dozen faces with a dozen names, all of them surely experts in their fields. Krasinski in data analytics, Levinson in metallurgy, Son-Hoon in biotech, Pranashta in neurobiology, and so on and so forth.
Daniel politely introduced himself and did his best to converse with them about their fields with what knowledge he could muster, talking with some at more length than others. Then, finally, as Daniel made it full circle around the room, it seemed that the Plug was finished draining, a hatch in the tube sliding open as a set of steps extended from the machine.
From within it nearly bounded a young girl with fiery red hair and piercing blue eyes that darted over to focus on Misato, the girl grabbing a towel hanging on the machine and vigorously scrubbing her hair and the skintight crimson bodysuit that she wore. She strode over to where Misato, Daniel, and Löwenherz were, putting her hands on her hips. "So, did I do alright?" she asked archly.
Misato nodded. "We think you did pretty good, Asuka. But how do you think you did?" she asked patiently.
Asuka looked over at the screen. "Well," she said quietly as she studied the results with narrowed eyes, "if you guys piped the results into the Plug like I've recommended, no one would have to put up with the burden of me asking every time."
Asuka was silent for a moment before humming. "Well. Not as good as I was expecting." she glanced over at Misato again. "And you're absolutely sure that the sensors are calibrated correctly this time? I'd hate to have a repeat of that time everyone thought my synch score dropped."
"I'm sure that the technicians checked the sensors thoroughly," Misato replied. "As far as I can tell, these results are accurate."
"Well, good," Asuka said, folding her arms. "At least I'm improving."
"That you are, young lady," Löwenherz said, drawing the group's attention to him, a slight smile on his face.
To Daniel's slight surprise, Asuka turned and stood at attention. "Apologies, sir," she said only somewhat stiffly. "I should have noticed you."
"At ease, Ms. Soryu-Langley." Löwenherz said gently. "I'm not here officially, really. In all honesty, I wanted to make sure that you received the news that, as of 3 days ago, Captain Carlson finally retired."
Asuka nodded as she shrugged. "That's good to know, I guess. He was starting to look pretty tired there recently."
She looked over at Daniel, a curious, cautious look in her eyes as she arched a brow slightly. "I'm guessing you're his replacement?"
"That he is," Löwenherz said as Daniel nodded. "This is Captain Theisman. Captain Theisman, this is Asuka Soryu-Langley, the Second Child and future pilot of Unit-02."
Daniel extended a hand. "Pleasure to meet you, Asuka. I look forward to helping you get the best machine you possibly can when it's finished."
Asuka shook his hand somewhat uncertainly. "Well, thanks, but I don't think you'll be seeing me that often if you're going to be working on my Unit-02."
"On the contrary," Daniel said as he folded his arms. "I like to work closely with whoever's flying or driving what I'm working on. You're as important a part of the vehicle as the engine is. If Unit-02 isn't as tuned to you as it can be, then I've done my job wrong."
Asuka considered him for a moment, then smiled slightly. "I like your style, Captain Theisman."
She glanced over at Misato. "Do I have any more tests I should know about?"
Misato shook her head, and Asuka nodded assuredly. "Then we can meet up with Captain Theisman for… dinner now, I guess. After all, I'm sure there's a lot that Captain Carlson knew that he should be aware of."
"I'm sure we'll have plenty to talk about then," Daniel said with a slight smile. "I look forward to meeting with you tonight."
Asuka grinned at him. "1930 hours at a place of my choosing. Call it a date," she said somewhat snidely.
Daniel nodded, only somewhat taken aback as Misato stifled a chuckle under a false cough. "Alright, Asuka. Let's get you cleaned up."
Asuka nodded. "See you then," she said to Daniel as she began to walk away.
Daniel watched as they went, waiting a moment before he opened a rather different set of eyes, largely unseen to others. With them, he saw laid out before him the utterly intricate latticework of Asuka Soryu-Langley's soul. As he'd expected, the stoic, sharp-tongued front she put up was just that, and he was intimately aware of the details to look for, the little scars and gnarled patches, that spoke to those who knew of prolonged sadness, of insecurity, of guilt and far, far more complex things. It was the kind of soul he was familiar with seeing, every time he decided to try and see its reflection.
"I'm guessing that Ms. Soryu-Langley was not what you expected," Löwenherz said with a slight smile, Daniel shutting the spectral eyes that made his pupils somewhat more distinct as he looked over at the man.
"Well…" Daniel paused before he shook his head, chuckling. "She seems like she can be a real firework under all that seriousness."
Löwenherz chuckled. "You should see her more… impassioned simulations. But, for now, I'll let you return home and unpack. I appreciate the time you've taken here today meeting everyone."
"Thank you, Commander," Daniel said, coming to attention before turning to make his way back to his apartment.
. . .
Several hours, and a fair few unpacked boxes, later, Daniel found himself quite grateful for the travel help that Misato had promised were scattered around, entering Side 2, home of the University of Neuberlin, and making his way to the small local restaurant that Misato had texted him the address for.
It looked to be an Italian place, styled as best it could be in the classic, almost stereotypical, design elements of an Italian bistro. Daniel walked in, noting how quiet the place was even at this hour. Misato and Asuka, dressed as casually as he was, sat sipping drinks, Misato waving to him as he made his way over to him.
"Nice little place," Daniel said as he looked around. "Not exactly what I would have expected around here."
"The university park has the best lineup of food places." Asuka said matter of factly. "I just haven't been here in a while."
"I see." Daniel nodded. "And I understand that you're currently going through college right now?"
Asuka nodded, narrowed eyes regarding Daniel cautiously. "Yeah, I am. I'm currently on track to become valedictorian, too. Got a problem with how strange that sounds?"
Daniel shook his head. "Not at all. I've heard of far stranger things."
The caution in Asuka's eyes became a curiosity, and Daniel wondered if he'd glimpsed something else before he set his elbows on the table, taking the menu before him and glancing down at it before giving his order to the waiter that had appeared. "Alright, Ms. Soryu-Langley. Lay it on me. What should I know about Unit-02, or really anything mechanical you deal with, as your chief wrench monkey?"
Asuka smiled slightly as she leaned slightly towards Daniel, the man seeing Misato's interest piqued at Asuka's attentiveness. "Alright. There are things that Carlson left for you, I'm sure, but here are the things that only I cared to try and know."
Of course, I can't make miracles of that kind happen at the drop of a hat. It was always going to take time. With what had come before, it made my time in Germany a little easier, but I still encountered my fair share of surprises, both good and not so much. Either way, it was a shape of things to come.
- Where I've Been, 12th Entry
NERV-2, Stahlturm, Neuberlin, November, 2012
Daniel walked into the now familiar simulation room, waving to First Lieutenant Pranashta as she glanced back at him. "Hey there," he said with a smile. "How is your husband doing? Food stand going well?"
Pranashta smiled as he came over to her station. "He's doing well, thank you. And yes, actually, the food stand's been picking up recently. Have you tried his lunch special yet?"
"Not yet, actually. It smells delicious, though." Daniel admitted guiltily. "Now, anything getting on Unit-02's nerves, as it were?"
Pranashta chuckled. "Well, now that you mention it, there is some twitching going on right… here, under the Armor Sleeve on the left arm…"
This was how Daniel's morning routine went, going from person to person on his team and getting a status report for the day. Some he talked with for longer, some he only exchanged a few sentences with. Many were friends, some were only acquaintances, but all knew that Daniel Theisman took a personal interest in their work and that he was perfectly willing to listen to them talk about it.
His course around the room took him about half an hour, leading him back to the main console in front of the simulator Plug, where one more familiar face waited for him, looking rather groggy still.
"Good morning, Misato," Daniel said cheerily, keeping his voice down a tad just in case.
Misato smiled weakly. "G'morning, Daniel," she said.
"So, how's the aftermath treating you?" Daniel asked, thinking of the rather raucous birthday party one of the technicians had thrown last night. And the copious amount of alcohol that had been on offer.
"Decently enough, thanks," Misato said, taking a deep breath. "Thanks for the emergency aspirin last night, too, by the way. You saved me a hell of a headache kicking my ass."
She frowned. "And I didn't know you baked. Those rolls were delicious."
"I've heard from a friend that carbs help with hangovers." Daniel paused, his brows arching. "Did it work?"
Misato chuckled. "Well, at least the rolls were good enough to focus on instead of the hangover. I might need a few more tests."
"You could just ask me to bake you more rolls." Daniel grinned wryly.
"Maybe. But then I'd have to run the risk of sharing them with Asuka."
The two of them shared a quiet chuckle, Misato wincing slightly. "Speaking of Asuka," Daniel said as he looked at the Plug, "how is she doing today?"
"Pretty good." Misato looked down at the screen, watching the polygonal Unit-02 dashing across an obstacle course. "She's been pushing herself harder than usual. She does that sometimes."
Daniel arched his brow. "Any idea why? Is there a pattern to it?"
Misato frowned slightly as the simulation finished, the results scrolling by unnoticed for the moment. "Well… give me a second to think about it…"
It was silent between them for a moment as the Plug drained, a process that took about 1 minute and 30 seconds. Misato thought long, sometimes beginning to say something.
As she seemed to finally come to a realization, the Plug door opened, Asuka once again bounding out and taking the towel that was waiting for her. As she scrubbed off the LCL that clung to her, she saw Daniel, her eyes lighting up in a way that Daniel had begun seeing a little over 2 months ago. The pattern finally clicked as Asuka walked over to them. "Hey, Daniel," she said with a confident smile. "Did you catch the whole test?"
"As much of it as I could," Daniel replied. "How was the backing track?"
Asuka's smile became a grin, and Daniel knew what she was going to say about the little enhancement he'd made to the Plug. "It's pretty awesome, being able to jam out while I'm kicking ass."
She began to pout slightly. "It can be a little distracting sometimes. Especially with that combat test against the enemy you cooked up recently."
Daniel nodded, thinking to the humanoid that he'd had one of his digital technicians, Wilkinson if he recalled correctly, help him cook up for Asuka's test. There were a lot of them that they cooked up in the two nights they'd worked, though only one had been approved by Misato and Löwenherz. That they had many aspects that belonged to the Angels was a secret that was Daniel's to keep for the moment.
"Take a look, Daniel," Asuka said, almost leading him to the monitor that replayed the obstacle run. "I shaved 30 whole seconds off the course here, and I even managed not to take a single hit!"
She put her hands on her hips. "At this rate, no one's going to be able to touch me when it comes to piloting an Eva!"
Daniel and Misato looked at each other with slight smiles, though Daniel believed he might have had a little more information. 'She's trying to impress me.' he mused. But, he noted, that could lead to going down a rather dicey road. He'd need to figure out how to head things off at just a friendship, and soon.
"Not bad, Asuka," Daniel replied. "Not bad at all." he paused for a moment. "Say, what do you know about any other pilots? I imagine there's a First Child for you to come Second to."
Asuka sighed as she rolled her eyes. "Right now, what you've said is about all I know." her eyes lit up with determination. "But at least I know I have competition."
"Well," Misato said, "you can't be the best if you run yourself into the ground. Come on. Let's get some lunch."
. . .
2 Days Later
Daniel took a much-needed day off, leaving things to Krasinski, who'd become something of a second in command. There were many ways in which he spent his days off. Now, though, he engaged in what he found to be the best part of any day.
"So that's why German is so weird sometimes," Shinji said, a tone of wonder in his voice. "They just… smash words together to form one single word sometimes?"
"Yep," Daniel said with a slight grin as he lounged on his couch. "And they have single words for whole concepts that no other European language can match."
"Really? Like what?"
Daniel's brow furrowed in thought for a moment as he searched for something to demonstrate. "Let's see… there's Gemütlichkeit, for example. That can describe a feeling of warmth, cheeriness, and peace of mind. And that's one of the simpler words I've run across so far."
"Wow…" Shinji said. "It makes my English studies sound reasonable."
It was silent on the line for a moment. Then, Shinji sighed quietly. "I wish I had… some of that word you just said right now."
"Why's that, Shinji?" Daniel said as he sat up. "Did something happen?"
"Well…" Shinji paused, seeming to gather his thoughts. "I guess it's what didn't happen. I got called to visit my mother's grave."
Daniel blinked. "By your father?" he said after a moment.
"No. By someone who worked for him."
Silence again. "He was there. Right there, almost as I remembered him that day. But…"
It was silent again. "Take your time, Shinji. It's okay." Daniel said soothingly.
The silence stretched on before Shinji sighed again. "He didn't even say anything to me. He just… stood there, looking at the grave. I don't think he even noticed me leaving."
"I'm sorry, Shinji," Daniel said quietly. "I wish there was something I could do."
"No, don't worry about it," Shinji replied. "You're all the way in Germany. What can you do, really?"
'That's a dangerous question to ask.' Daniel mused darkly for a moment.
"Did you ask him anything?" Daniel said, his voice gaining an edge of anxiety without him willing it.
"No. I didn't even try." Shinji muttered. "But there were still so many questions I had anyway."
He paused for a moment. "I didn't say anything about you, either. I don't know why, because I really wanted to. Just to try and spite him. But I feel like it would have made him… mad."
"Thank you, Shinji," Daniel said quietly. "For now, it's better that your father not know about me. Sometime, when we're together again, we can figure things out with him, hopefully."
"Do you really plan to come back somehow?" Shinji asked.
"Of course," Daniel said assuringly. "I miss talking with you face to face, after all."
'The fact that we'll be facing the end of the world notwithstanding.' he thought.
"What are you doing there, anyway?" Shinji asked. "I know it's probably something secret, but is there something you can say?"
Daniel nodded, for the good it did. "You're right, there's not a lot I can say over a phone line. But right now, I'm working on a big engineering project. Something the world has never seen before."
"Like the Evangelion?"
Daniel's heart seemed to skip a beat as he dearly hoped that Shinji was alone, wherever he was. "Something to that effect, yeah. It's big, and it's going to change the world. I wish I could say more right now."
It was silent for a moment. "Okay," Shinji said quietly.
Before Daniel could reply, he felt his phone buzz with a notification. He quickly checked, seeing it was a text from Misato. "Hey, something's probably come up. I'll call you back at some point tomorrow, okay? Get some sleep. I'm excited to hear about how your recital goes."
"Alright. I'll talk to you later then." Shinji said. Daniel hated hearing how sad he sounded every time.
"Alright. Love you. Bye." he said somewhat absentmindedly.
"Goodbye," Shinji said after a moment, and the call ended.
It took Daniel a second to realize what he'd said, and how late in coming it really was. 'Three years as his de facto guardian, and I never told him that.' he griped, sighing as he rubbed his face. 'Damn it, man. I thought you were going to do better than…'
He didn't need the distraction right now, so he looked at the text message that Misato had sent him. It was short but quite intriguing.
'Im in the moöd to swap war stores with you. Come met me at the Frohliche.'
Daniel frowned. It looked like she was a little drunk, based on the errors. And it seemed a little early in the day to be drinking enough to make the errors in the first place. But, if she wanted to talk about something like that…
Daniel got himself ready and found out that the place Misato was referring to was a quaint bar at the vertex of Side 5 and Side 6 called the Fröhliche Zeitverschwender. It took a second to process the dry humor presented by the sign, but it left Daniel chuckling as he entered. It wasn't exactly his preferred way of getting to know anyone in-depth, but there was a certain honesty when a person had washed away their inhibitions with a drink or two.
The place was somewhat dimly lit, the surroundings largely comfortable, with cushioned chairs at the tables in the center of the space and padded benches at the booths. Televisions played calming music as they swept in a U-shape away from the bar at the back of the tavern, two bartenders keeping themselves busy as best they could in the mostly empty venue.
Daniel scanned the place and found Misato motioning him over to a nicely secluded corner booth, clearly having had a few drinks while waiting for him. He wasted no time making his way over to her and taking a seat, noting the lone menu at the table that had likely been waiting for him, along with a basket of what must have been bread or wings. "So," he said, "rough day?"
Misato shrugged. "Decent 'nough. Rough shit t' think about, though." she said. "Did my best not to get too drunk. I'd hate for you to not be able to understand me."
Daniel nodded. Even with what changes he'd need to make to have his stories sound anywhere near possible, let alone plausible, the memories wouldn't change with the telling.
One of the bartenders he'd seen, apparently doubling as a waiter, came over to their table. "Anything I can get for you, sir?" she asked.
Daniel considered the menu for a moment, then nodded. "Some bröchten and wings, please, and a ginger beer. Non-alcoholic, and Bundaberg if you happen to stock it."
"We do." the bartender said with a slight smile. "It'll be right out."
As the bartender turned and left, Misato leered at Daniel. "Yer no fun, are ya, Cap'n?" she chuckled as she swirled the craft bier she nursed. "The best drink selection in the whole Stahlturm, and you're just getting a ginger beer?"
There were a great many reasons why, Daniel mused as he accepted the Bundaberg, looking at it for a moment. As much as there were times when he wanted to just drown the pain, drown the eyes…
"I'm a terrible man when I lose my inhibitions," Daniel said quietly as he flipped the bottle once, the cap coming off with a pop.
He looked up at Misato, saw the apprehension on her face as he took a sip, then smiled slightly. "Besides, I think you're going to need someone to make sure you get home. I'd hate for you to fall asleep in the tube and go all the way to Side 1."
Misato shrugged after a moment. "Well… that makes some sense. Y're a real… gentleman, y'know?"
"And besides," she continued, "At least y' have a good taste in that sort of stuff. What with it being one of the few things I see coming out of Australia anymore."
Daniel smiled slightly as he took another sip. "So," he ventured, "what war stories do you want to talk about?"
"Well," Misato said after a pull of her bier, "I already know all of mine. But you were in the Army in South America during the whole 'Nuevo Gran Colombia' thing."
Daniel knew it was a question wrapped in a statement. "Yeah," he replied. "I was in Free Brazil, Bolivia, southern part of Peru where its guerillas were. Bounced around the Amazon for a while helping secure the engineers as they constructed crossings. I even got to see the Redemptor statue fall into the sea when I was rotated to the back lines for rest time."
Misato nodded slowly. "You're pretty well-traveled," she said. "I was mostly on the front lines. Special Forces Group, doing deep reconnaissance of enemy positions for missile strikes or artillery barrages, taking out important targets, that sort of stuff. You remember General Roldán, that bastard who ordered his artillery to use WP on civilian targets? I put a bullet in his head myself from 1,000 yards."
"No shit?" Daniel said, veiling the opening of his eyes to Misato's soul with a long drink. What she said was genuine, and he had no doubt, based on how a certain pattern of Framework he saw around her head was active, that she was remembering it rather clearly.
"No shit," Misato said firmly as he closed his spectral sight again. "I spent 2 years doing that, another half a year on the back lines before I went back to Japan. Missed the end of the war that year while I was in the hospital with some disease I don't remember the name of. Remember what it did to my gut, though."
Misato frowned slightly as she paused. "You only spent 2 years there, right? How did you leave?"
Daniel looked down at the table, considering what he should tell her. Or rather, how he should tell it.
"My last deployment there was in the area around Cochabamba." He began quietly. "We were using the mountains to hide, advance out of, and get lost in while the Leopard 1s, T55s, and those Austrian Kürassier tanks that the Bolivian Gran Colombians got a hold of tried to chase us. Hit and fade warfare, with tanks."
"Well," Misato said quietly, clearly impressed. "That's new to me."
Daniel smiled slightly as he nodded. "We had a base in the mountains about 25 or 30 klicks north of the city that we shared with the Bolivian Army. Crazy place was drilled into the mountain itself, with mazes of tunnels, some of them big enough for our tanks, that led to places that were even behind the enemy front lines."
"But," Daniel said with a tinge of bitterness, "there was a rat in those tunnels, apparently."
It was silent for a moment before he continued, his tone dark. "The first indication that we had of the Gran Colombians knowing where we were was when our tanks exploded in their lots one night. We were blinded, confused, lost most of our strength. Easy pickings for the clearing squads that came in."
"I found myself at one of the chokepoint tunnels that led to an escape route to the city. It had been days at that point. Even the clearance squads had mostly run out of ammo. Guess the enemy commander was so confident in taking us he didn't bring any extra."
"It was me and one other guy. His name was…" Daniel hesitated, then sighed. "His name was Duncan. Sergeant from one of the motorized infantry divisions, pretty big guy. We manned this fixed machine gun to give the others time to escape."
Again, a silence that had grown somber and serious descended on them for what felt like ages. "They were on us in seconds," Daniel said quietly. "After the machine gun ammo dried up, it was knives, machetes, what little ammo was in pistols or submachine guns. Everything became a blur. Then I got knocked out when something hit me in the temple. Could have been the butt of a knife or machete, a pistol, a submachine gun. I still don't know."
"What I do know," he nearly whispered, "is that when I woke up, everyone was dead. Everyone. I still can't get how… silent it was out of my head. Or when I found Duncan. I should have taken him, but there wasn't any time. I could hear the reinforcements coming. So I ran."
Daniel fell silent as his story ended. Names had changed, places, weapons, even the world had changed with the telling. But even still, the memories of that hallway so far away rang true in his mind, mocking him for not saving the man who had become his friend.
Misato raised her half-empty glass. "To the fallen," she said quietly. "May they ever be remembered as the finest of us."
"Amen to that."
Her glass clinked against his bottle, and both took long, contemplative drinks, weighing what had drained away in liquid and lives.
"So," Daniel said, "now that you know how I left, and I know what you were doing, got any more stories for me?"
Apparently, Misato had them in spades. So, for a time neither of them cared to keep track of, Misato shared stories, all of them she swore were true and each wilder than the last, which made most spy novels Daniel had read seem tame by comparison.
"And you got out of Bogota alive?" Daniel said incredulously. "After pulling a stunt like that?"
Misato nodded. "That I did. I think I still have a bounty on my head there, even if no one in the current government cares to keep track of it."
Daniel whistled as he shook his head. "Man." he paused for a moment to fully process the rather exciting life that he had not expected Misato to lead.
"So," he began, "with all that said, what brought Misato Katsuragi into the SFG anyway? I mean, of all the places to go after college, what's the draw of the military for you?"
"Oh, lots of reasons," Misato said with a roll of her eyes, which gleamed with an impish light that was dulled by drink. "It sounded exciting, I'd get to see the world, meet new places, new people, get away from…"
Misato paused, a frown seemingly dispelling her good mood. "Maybe I've had a little too much to drink," she said, bravado replaced by something Daniel might be able to call guilt. "I think it's time to go home."
Daniel looked over at the clock on the far wall. It was nearly 9 at night. He had a guess at what she was avoiding, but now was hardly the time to press the issue. "Alright," he said as he stood, "let's get you back to your flat."
He helped Misato to her feet, looking over at the waitress, an actual waitress now that the bar had filled up, walking over to them. "Will I be taking your check then, sir?" the waitress asked.
Misato's hand shot out, holding a finger almost beneath the nose of the somewhat startled young woman. "Put it on my tab," she said, her finger going to Daniel's lips as he began to protest, "for telling a good story."
After a moment, the waitress nodded, and Daniel thanked the waitress for her patience before getting to work on finding the nearest tube train back to her apartment.
. . .
They got lucky tonight, the train car that they entered completely empty as they sat down, the conversation they were having pausing for a moment as the train took off.
"So," Misato said quietly, Daniel hoping that the food had helped, "how did you end up in Japan after your discharge? Is that how you hooked up with NERV?"
Daniel nodded. "Yeah. I was doing independent contract work for their branch out of Tokyo-3, small stuff for their motorpool. I ran it pretty nicely, I'd like to think. Boss liked me enough to let me get an actual application in, and then NERV decided I was hot enough stuff to whisk off to Germany."
"And you had to leave behind that poor boy you mentioned. Shinji, right?"
Daniel nodded. "Yeah," he said somewhat sadly. "We still talk long distance though. He's like a little brother to me now, after having been his neighbor."
Misato smiled slightly as she nodded perhaps one too many times. "Gotcha. Well, he sounds like a sweet kid, with what I've heard you talk about him."
The train stopped, and the two of them made their way to Block E, only a few minutes away from Daniel's apartment. An elevator ride later, Misato leaning on him for support, Daniel rang the doorbell for her apartment.
The door opened to show Asuka, dressed in her night clothes as she looked at them with a cool expression. "So, you came home with a date tonight, then?" she asked somewhat archly. Then, she shrugged. "Well, good to see you. You staying over tonight at all so I can at least kick your butt on one of Flammenseele's bosses?"
"Not tonight." Daniel chuckled. "I'm just dropping off Misato after a few too many drinks. No time for you to soundly thrash me when we have another test in the morning."
He paused meaningfully. "I did manage to get a couple of my homebrewed tests approved, so you're welcome in advance."
That seemed to satisfy Asuka, a gleam in her eyes as she nodded. "Good. I'm looking forward to it. In the meantime, I'll make sure the water and the aspirin are handy for Misato."
With that, she turned and made her way back into the flat, Misato looking over at Daniel with a slight pout as Asuka disappeared. "What, no kiss goodnight for your date?"
Daniel chuckled as he smiled slightly. "No, Misato. My heart's already spoken for anyway."
He fought hard to keep the annoyance and regret off his face as Misato gasped dramatically. "You have a girlfriend? And you haven't told anyone?"
She leaned in slightly with a grin. "Is she someone I know?" she asked in a whisper.
"No, Misato," Daniel said patiently as his heart ached from the memories his unthinking admittance brought forth. "She's not here in the Stahlturm. And I won't say anything until… I'm ready and I know it'll work out." he doubted if he truly would be.
Misato, for her part, nodded with a sly look in her eyes. "Alright. Well, whenever you're ready to announce your engagement, I'll be the first one at the wedding, m'kay?"
She let go of him, walking somewhat unsteadily through the doorway. As Daniel turned to leave, however, she turned and grabbed his arm. Now, she had a calm, kind smile on her face. "And if you ever need to get anything else off your chest… I appreciated tonight."
Daniel smiled. "Good to know, Misato. Good night."
Misato's grin returned. "Good night, lover boy." she giggled as she closed the door.
Daniel waited for a moment, then sighed with head in hands for a moment before he walked back to his flat. Tonight was going to be a restless one.
. . .
6 Months Later, May 2013
Today was an extra-special day, and an air of excitement had settled over the whole Stahlturm. Everyone, experienced and novitiate alike, couldn't help but talk about what was happening today, and every television was likely going to be tuned to one station or another covering tonight's event.
Daniel sat with Misato, Asuka, and Commander Löwenherz in the Fröhliche Zeitverschwender, the bar packed with other NERV members, as they all looked at the screens intently, waiting for the kickoff of the first final game of the FIFA World Cup in almost a decade and a half. Unsurprisingly, Germany had made it to the finals with dogged determination and excellent skills, making most people here in the bar proud of their team. What was more surprising was the underdog story of team Japan, matching and at times exceeding Germany's determination to end up here, facing off against Germany, winner takes all.
"It's been quite the surprise to see Japan's team in such top form," Löwenherz said. "As good as Germany's team can be, they've been resting on their laurels the last few games."
Daniel looked over and smiled. "Well, let's hope it doesn't bite them in the ass, sir."
"Bah! Please, Daniel, we're off duty and we've known each other long enough. Just call me Karl." Karl waved his hand for emphasis.
Daniel nodded. "Alright, Karl. Know anyone on the team?"
Karl smiled. "Well, Hausen, number 12, his father served under me in the Balkan conflicts. And Michals and Schuber, number 8 and 19, are the stars of BVB Dortmund. I'm expecting great things from them tonight."
"Nothing like a little hometown pride, I suppose," Daniel said. He glanced over at Asuka, now closing in on her final year of college. "Anyone from the University playing?"
"A few on sports scholarships with Neuberliner SV, yeah," Asuka replied. "I don't know them personally, but Mosier and Linden in particular are supposed to be good. Really good."
"Sounds like a tough match for Japan tonight, then," Daniel said, glancing over at Misato with a grin.
"It might be," Misato said with an overt innocence that faded into a grin. "But a lot of my buddies who are playing tonight could knock the pants off any of the football players in Brazil they spent their off time playing with when they went home. I wouldn't write them off just yet."
Misato regarded Daniel as he ordered 2 Bundabergs from a passing waiter. "And what about you? Cheering for any team in particular?"
Daniel shrugged. "Me? I'm just here to watch a good game."
As the game start grew closer, the waiter returned with his drinks, Daniel setting one in front of Asuka, who regarded it with some slight confusion. "What's this?"
"Ginger beer. My favorite one." Daniel said. "Want to give it a try?"
Asuka scoffed. "If it's anything like the one I tried before, it's going to be ridiculously overpowering."
"Not this one," Daniel promised. "This one's just right."
Asuka shrugged, doing as Daniel did and tipping it once before opening it and taking a tentative sip. After a moment, her brows rose. "Huh. Interesting."
"Not bad, huh?" Daniel said with a smile.
Asuka smiled slightly in turn. "Not bad at all. Probst."
They clinked their bottles together, and the game was on.
It was a tense, exciting spectacle, each team playing their heart out for the coveted championship title, the crowd in the bar cheering, groaning, and sometimes heckling every goal, miss, and penalty. As half-time came close to hitting, however, Daniel excused himself to the bathroom, hoping to beat the inevitable wave.
Returning back to his table as people chatted excitedly, his focus was turned to an arm raised to seemingly flag him down. "Captain Theisman?" one of two engineers he recognized but didn't know said to him.
Daniel glanced over at his table, then walked over to the engineers. "Something I can help you with?" he asked.
"We've noticed something… weird." the engineer who flagged him down, a somewhat burly man with short black hair said. "We think someone might be stealing our LCL."
"We've been watching the levels ever since we first noticed it about 2 months ago." the other engineer, a slight woman with brown hair interjected quickly. "With biweekly shipments from HQ in Japan, it's hard to spot if you're not looking for it. Hell, we only found it when we only filled the tanks most of the way full instead of completely full when we were working on Unit-02. I mean, it's a liquid, so evaporation's a consideration, but it doesn't evaporate that much."
"Whoa, whoa," Daniel said, raising his hands. "Slow down a moment. I'm not saying I don't believe you; you're the ones seeing this after all. But where would these… LCL thieves be getting in from? That's probably one of the most secure areas in the entire base."
"We don't know." the first engineer admitted. "We've talked to our friends in security, but there's no one on the security cams, no one sees anyone not familiar, nothing. It's like… someone's using magic to take it."
'Magic, huh?' Daniel thought. That could be harmless. Or it could be something much more sinister.
"Alright. Draft a report of your findings and send me a physical copy." Daniel said. "I'll go and take a look around there myself every once in a while, and I'll make sure the commander knows about it."
The engineers both looked relieved. "Thank you, sir." the second engineer said. "The last thing we need is someone who has no idea what they're doing trying to use the stuff."
"What could someone do with it though?" the first engineer said. "Drink it? Besides what we use it for, what else can you really do with it?"
'More than you think, most likely.' Daniel mused darkly. He only showed the engineers a smile. "Well, I'll be looking forward to your report. In the meantime, enjoy the game."
He stood and made his way back to his table as the game began to exit half-time. "What kept you, Daniel?" Misato asked. "Those two must have had something interesting to talk to you about."
"Apparently, we may have some LCL thieves taking from our stores according to the engineers I talked to," Daniel said, immediately getting the attention of Karl. "They don't know how it's happening, or how these people are getting in or out. All we know is that there's likely LCL out in the wild. The two engineers will have a report for me once they make it, and then I'll have a report for you."
"Damn," Karl said, his mood darkening. "I'll upgrade security around the LCL storage rooms. The last thing we need is some damn fool messing with things they don't know about."
"I'll make some rounds around them myself from time to time," Daniel said. "Maybe there's some sort of mechanical catch or siphon that they're using to avoid detection."
Karl sighed. "Well, we'll worry about that later. Here comes another penalty kick for Japan."
The four of them settled in, Misato quietly celebrating the goal as Asuka and Karl groaned slightly. Daniel, however, pondered on what exactly this thievery might mean. And what kind of forces this world might need to expect now.
The name set off a distant, strange memory. They'd been talking, alone of course, about Angels and the powers that had shaped the world, contrary to the stray asteroid strike that everyone had talked about.
"I hope that the Angels don't come back." he'd said. "I don't even know what we'd do then."
"We'd find a way." Daniel's tone always seemed so sure. "Humanity's creative like that."
Then, the word seemed to slip out almost as an afterthought. "The Evangelion…"
He hadn't spoken another word about whatever it might have been. What had made him so hesitant, even fearful, to talk about it in the first place?
Daniel's heart seemed to skip a beat as he dearly hoped that Shinji was alone, wherever he was. "Something to that effect, yeah. It's big, and it's going to change the world. I wish I could say more right now."
There's a remarkable amount of things that, even undercover, I could manage to change. As trying as Asuka could be at times, her interest in me allowed me to sand off some of the nastier edges to her character, something that as much as as I care for her now, is something we can both agree that she desperately needed. Along with making a connection that would prove to be supremely important.
But even still, it didn't stop the nightmares. Nothing ever does. And I doubt anything ever will.
- Where I've Been, 15th Entry
Daniel's Flat, 1 Year Later, May 2014
Daniel Theisman sighed quietly as he regarded the paper report he held in his hand. The eighth such report he'd received from who he now knew was Stinson and Halsey, and the eighth such report that Karl (a name that Daniel had apparently earned the right to simply call him after a rather spectacular barfight where they'd defended the honor of his fallen brothers, and the interesting night in jail afterward) had had cross his desk.
Daniel pinched the bridge of his nose. More and more, it really seemed like magic. He didn't want to jump to any conclusions, even now, especially in a digital age such as this one. But of the 6 LCL storage rooms and the pipes leading to them for nearly 10 meters around the area, he'd seen no sign of anything that had been placed on anything carrying LCL, not even anything resembling a meter. He'd had a few close calls with whoever these thieves were when he was checking, but every time, they'd been nowhere to be seen, even in a dead-end area.
'Maybe it's finally time I broke out some more powerful options.' Daniel mused. 'If these people are from out of town like I am, then maybe… why are my feet wet?'
He looked down and jumped slightly at the pool of water that had crept under the table, his alarm growing as he saw the wet carpet that had spread across the living room and led into the bathroom. "Aw, hell," he whispered as he got to his feet.
In a slight panic, Daniel called the building manager, his water shutting off from a terribly leaky pipe under the floor. For all his skills and abilities as an Evangelion engineer, Daniel was by no means a plumber. And besides, the water damage would need to be repaired, other apartments would need to be checked on…
He sighed quietly as he squelched to his bedroom, ensuring that his valuables, and his work clothes, were safe as he made another call. This was shaping up to be a hell of a day off.
As the call connected, Daniel again sighed quietly. "Misato, I have a favor to ask you."
. . .
Daniel, a few moments later and with a backpack, two bags under his arms, and a box in his hands, Misato with two bags herself, stepped into Misato's flat with a sigh of relief. "Thank you so much, Misato," Daniel said with a smile. "I don't know how long I'm going to be here, but I'm grateful to have somewhere dry to crash while repairs are going on."
"I'm glad you managed to catch it before it flooded the whole place," Misato said with a grin. "Admit it, you probably feel at least kind of lucky."
"Yeah." Daniel sighed quietly. "I guess I am."
He looked over to see Asuka emerging from her room, a smile lighting up on her face. "Hey, Daniel!" she said brightly. "What are you doing here?"
"A pipe burst in his flat," Misato said, "So he'll be camping on our couch for a little while."
"Man," Asuka said with a grimace, "that sucks. Any more luck with that LCL thing?"
"Not as of yet," Daniel said somewhat sourly. "I think I'm getting close. But not yet."
Asuka sighed dramatically as she helped unburden Misato and Daniel. "Well," she said as she leaned on Daniel's side, "I do hope your guitar survived. I'd like to see you try and play some of those songs I've challenged you to."
Daniel realized what was going on. What Asuka was trying to do. He needed to find a way to let her down gently, and he needed to do it now. Heaven knew he probably had more than a little time here around her to make it happen.
. . .
1 Week Later
Daniel's fingers flew across the fretboard of his electric guitar, the song Asuka had challenged him to learn coming easily to him now. Asuka watched him with a slight smile on her face, Misato working on some paperwork with a beer sitting on the table by her hand.
It was a rather technical piece, Daniel's face scrunched slightly in effort. Finally, he made it to the end of the song, Asuka pumping her fist. "Awesome! I'm amazed you could play both solos all the way through!"
Daniel shook a hand that was more than a little sore. "Could, but not should. The calluses only help so much, y'know."
"Not bad at all, Daniel," Misato said with a slight grin as he stood. "Maybe the question should be if you still fight as well as you play."
Daniel walked through the flat to where his guitar was stored, which just so happened to be Asuka's room through what was surely chance, putting the guitar away as he massaged his fingers slightly.
"So," he heard Asuka say, looking over his shoulder to see her leaning on the doorway, "What's your next song?"
Daniel hummed. "Well, once my fingers aren't on the edge of bleeding, I've actually got a song for you."
Asuka's brows rose. "Oh? All for little old me?"
Before Daniel could reply, he felt his phone ring. Pulling it out, he saw that Shinji was making a video call to him. He answered it, Shinji's face lighting up with a slight smile as he waved from behind his cello. "Hello, Shinji," Daniel said in English as he sat in a chair by Asuka's desk. "How are you doing?"
"I'm doing well, thank you," Shinji replied in English as well. He was rather proficient at it now, with both school and Daniel teaching him, and Daniel's time here in Germany had him teaching the beginnings of the language to him.
"I just wanted to show you a cello piece I've been working on recently," Shinji replied as Asuka came around to see who Daniel was talking to, sitting on her bed. "Oh," Shinji frowned slightly, "I didn't know you were somewhere public."
"Well, I'm not," Daniel said. "Shinji, this is Asuka Soryu-Langley." he nodded over to Asuka, who flashed a quick peace sign. "I'm staying at her guardian's place while a little… plumbing problem at my flat gets resolved."
"Ah. I see." Shinji looked over at Asuka. "Hello. I'm Shinji Ikari. It's nice to meet you. I live in Yamanakako, in Japan."
"Good to know," Asuka said, slipping into Japanese with what seemed like a practiced ease. "Nice to meet you too. You must be alright if you're friends with Daniel."
"Oh," Shinji said, slipping into Japanese himself. "Well, he was my guardian for about 3 years before he left for NERV-2."
"Oh, neat," Asuka said. "So, you've got your cello in front of you. What are you gonna play?"
"It's a solo rendition of Air from Bach's Suite No. 3," Shinji replied. "Are you… listening as well?" he said somewhat hesitantly.
"I mean, it's a good choice of music," Asuka replied with a shrug. "It's just not my usual thing. Go ahead."
Shinji nodded slightly, put bow to strings, and began. It was a somewhat slow, mellow thing, Shinji taking his time even as he added his own little flourishes, and an air of calm washed through the room as the song progressed. Daniel glanced over at Asuka from time to time, noting how she watched the performance rather intently.
Soon enough, the song finished, and Daniel smiled. "Well done, Shinji. Impressive as always."
"Thank you," Shinji said with a bashful smile. "I hope I did alright."
"You did decently enough," Asuka said with a shrug. "I've heard players in my University classes do about as good as you have, and they've been playing for years."
"Oh. You're in college?" Shinji asked as he began to put away his cello.
"On track to be valedictorian of University of Neuberlin's 2014 class," Asuka said proudly.
"Wow…" Shinji said.
Daniel checked the time, then remembered what day it was. "Alright, Shinji. I've got something I need to go and do. If you need to talk any more today, just go ahead and text me."
"Alright," Shinji said, Daniel saddened by the sadness in Shinji's voice. "Talk to you later."
The call ended, and Daniel stood, walking out of Asuka's room. "Where are you going?" Asuka asked as he made his way to the front door.
"We're getting our LCL shipment from HQ tonight," Daniel replied, pausing in the doorway. "I'm going to install some security measures to try and see how our friends helping themselves to our stash operate. I should be back tonight."
. . .
Daniel, the 6 LCL storage plants thus 'trapped', as it were, came home at about 11:30 at night, rather exhausted, and tumbled onto the couch and off to sleep. His mind spun slightly, bouncing from trying to bring Asuka down to earth, to helping Shinji get a little more out of his shell, to the ramifications that having Shinji and Asuka meet this early entailed. In short, he had a lot to think about, and a difficult time getting to sleep.
It still didn't stop the nightmares.
Daniel woke up in a twin bed that sat in the corner of a room that had been relegated to a distant memory, an ancient ache. Looking around for a moment, he opened the door, revealing a long hallway, infrequently lit by flickering fluorescent bulbs. At least, those that remained intact.
He walked slowly through that once-familiar stretch of gray, splattered with the drying of blood and something else, the floor cluttered with scattered clothing, armor, and weapons. But there were no bodies to take them up. There were no shouts or screams, no dreadful crashing or crackling of flames. There was just… silence. A silence that Daniel did not have to himself.
There was something behind him. A presence, an utterly powerful force, that compelled him to turn, even as the rest of him screamed not to, to run away, to not face…
He now stood in a room full of windows, all seeming to stretch up into eternity. The room itself was furnished in a way that he hadn't seen in… forever. All too literally so.
"Where are you?" a young woman's voice called.
He turned, and saw the hazy outlines of four people. Why didn't he recognize them? Why was that so excruciatingly frightening?
"Where are you?" another voice asked.
"What have you done?" Daniel felt a stab of pain at the accusation.
Then, something slammed against the glass behind him, the dream turning him to see a pair of eyes, utterly detailed to show him the fear, the terror in their eyes. "Please!" it cried out in a language Daniel could only barely parse. Then, another pair of eyes joined it, anger burning in them. "Damn you!" it cried in yet another language he almost understood.
More and more eyes joined them, until they filled the windows, banging them as they screamed and begged and questioned and swore oaths now unfulfilled in a great, unending babble, driving Daniel to his knees as he clapped his ears, squeezed his eyes shut, all to try and stifle the voices, make the eyes depart. But the wall of sound, the thunder of the voices, the pleas, the eyes uncounted, all on him for what he'd done to them, could not be banished. The eyes. The eyes!
Finally, it fell silent, and Daniel opened his eyes to find himself in that hallway again. The eyes had gone. The windows had gone. All he was left with were the two people he was most afraid of seeing here.
Shinji and Asuka, in their Plugsuits, stood together at the end of the hallway, illuminated by a single fluorescent bulb.
"What have you done?" Shinji asked, cold condemnation in his voice. "Where have you gone?"
"You left us," Asuka growled, a single eye leering at him as she pointed with an arm that had been nearly bisected. "You promised you wouldn't leave us!"
"I…" Daniel began, then he felt a spike of pain bury itself into the top of his sternum, what words he would have said next coming as a gasp. His hand went up to the old brand, coming back with blood smeared across his entire palm.
An old fear began to take hold. A monster. A demon. More powerful than any he'd ever felt when the brand had marked him as a sacrifice. What…
Then, out of the shadows behind the Children, stepped the last thing he had ever wanted to see here.
"Get away from them," he growled at the beast who wore his face, clean-shaven and bearing that damnable brand, older still than the one on his breast, that glowed with a deep gold above his brow.
"They are no longer yours." the thing that wore his face said calmly. "You lost them when you returned to me."
"GET AWAY FROM THEM!"
He lunged, and slammed into the floor, the impact finally waking him from the nightmare.
He rose up on his arms and knees in the dark, a hand instinctively rising to cover his forehead as he looked at the time. It was 3 in the morning. He focused as best he could, his breath coming in gasps as he did his best to dispel what might have been there.
His chest hurt, but whether it was from the fall he'd taken from what he now remembered was the couch in Misato's living room or from the shadow of the brand, he could not fully tell. If there was something here…
He took hold of the soft, pliable couch and the hard, sturdy coffee table, and lifted himself to his feet, stumbling in the dark towards the bathroom.
The light he turned on blinded him for a second, Daniel wincing audibly as his tired eyes adjusted. Then, he pulled down the collar of his shirt, a crew-cut like every shirt he owned now, and studied the pattern drawn by the scar there.
It was a prominent thing still, even so long after it had been rendered inert, a hard-edged figure-8 that had the highest corner seemingly broken through by the line that bisected it, its point a three-pointed almost trident of a thing.
Besides being a somewhat raised, puckered scar, it did not react. The pain in his chest was beginning to recede, and Daniel breathed a quiet sigh of relief. 'It would need a hell of an Apostle to be on the same floor as I am to even start ticking now.' he assured himself. 'If they existed here at all.'
He didn't know fully how long he spent consoling himself thus, memories flowing even from simply seeing the scar again.
"What is that?"
Daniel let go of his collar as he looked back to see… Asuka, dressed in a black bathrobe. He almost couldn't believe it was her that had asked the question. The voice that had spoken, quiet, tired, and uncertain, couldn't have possibly belonged to her.
"It's…" Daniel hesitated as his jumbled brain did its best to put something plausible together. "Something someone gave me a long time ago. Someone that betrayed his friends."
Asuka frowned, then nodded slightly. Daniel saw his eyes reflected in her; tired, afraid, afraid especially to go back into the night where dark things waited for them. Then, Daniel's head tilted slightly. "What's with the bathrobe?" he asked quietly.
Asuka looked down, seeming to fully notice it as her eyes went wide, then looked back at Daniel with something else; a silent longing.
Daniel was silent for a long moment, then sighed quietly. "You want to fully be an adult. You want me."
Asuka looked away, nodding as her cheeks burned.
Danie stepped away from the bathroom mirror, putting his hands on her shoulders. "Kiddo… I get it. I've been in your shoes, wanting to be respected. Taken seriously. Like adults are. But part of becoming an adult is accepting the timing of things. And the timing between us means it would never work. Not legally on your part, not morally on mine. I won't take advantage of you like that. I'm sorry."
Daniel could see the beginnings of tears in her eyes. The first he'd ever seen. "Now what?" she said huskily, a sullen tone to her voice. "You probably don't want to see me right now, do you? I'm a freak to you now, aren't I?"
"No, Asuka," Daniel said reassuringly. "As much as I won't give you what you think you need, I'm not going to send you back to what's waiting for both of us. Because there's nightmares waiting for you too, aren't there?"
Asuka looked back up at him, then nodded silently. Daniel nodded in turn, seeing now, perhaps, who Asuka Soryu-Langley really was underneath the mask. "Well, I won't let you be alone right now. So, go and get dressed. We can wait things out on the couch. Sounds good?"
Asuka looked at him for a moment, Daniel able to see the conflict in her eyes, before she nodded again, turning and going back to her room. Daniel turned out the light in the bathroom and went out into the kitchen, turning on a small light above the sink.
He looked back after a moment leaning on the sink, seeing Asuka standing there in a large, loose shirt and shorts, the tears wiped from her eyes. "So," she said quietly, "what were you dreaming about? I heard you telling someone to… 'get away from them'."
Daniel sighed. "That's going to take some explaining. And a drink to wake me up a little. Do you want something?"
Asuka nodded after a moment. "One of your Bundabergs, please."
Daniel smiled slightly. "Coming right up."
They soon were on the couch together, sipping from the slightly fizzy ginger beers. For long moments, they sat there in slightly awkward, but largely companionable silence.
As Daniel took another drink, though, he sighed quietly. "There's a lot that I can't talk about yet. A lot that, as intelligent and capable as you are, you won't truly understand right now. But… I've made bad calls. A lot of bad calls. Sometimes, it's just embarrassing, a little part of living life. But sometimes, it ends with people dead. Dead because of my choice."
"Are you talking about Brazil?" Asuka asked quietly. "I've heard you and Misato talk about how bad that was, sometimes."
'You have no idea, love.' Daniel mused darkly. "Yes," he said aloud, "at least in part. But I've made plenty of bad calls that can sometimes hurt a lot more than dead soldiers in war. At least there, it's a part of the job. But driving someone away, killing your relationship with them… that's different."
"How?"
It was such a simple question, coming from the smartest 14-year-old he knew. But it held so much depth. "Because then," he said quietly, "you can only wonder what could have been. What it would be like to even just be friends again."
It was silent again for long moments before Daniel sighed. "That sort of letdown has cost me the people I've loved. A lot of them. My friends. My family. It's what brought me to Japan."
"Family." the way Asuka said the word, it seemed almost alien to her, a nigh-incomprehensible concept.
It was silent again. "Daniel…" she was silent again, building up the courage for something. "I… I love you. You're so mature, even compared to the people I go to school with. So well put together."
"And I love you."
The admission seemed to shock Asuka as Daniel continued. "But I don't love you just for your beauty, though you have that in spades. I love you because of who you are. A woman with the boundless energy to go out and train your hardest to keep the world safe. To be the best possible version of yourself you can think of. You inspire me every day."
Again, silence, before Asuka chuckled. "That sounds so… sappy. Like something a dad would say to his kid."
The slight smile she had on her face until this point vanished, her expression hardening. "Do you… have any family?" Daniel asked cautiously.
"Not anymore, really." That hardness on her face had entered her voice as well. "I've just been on my own for a while before I started living with Misato and training. I've been… lonely."
She looked over at Daniel, the tears in her eyes returning. "I... I don't want to be lonely." her voice quavered, an admission that seemed like the hardest thing in the world to admit.
Daniel nodded. "Everyone needs family, I've found, of one kind or another. Someone who loves them unconditionally." Daniel paused, contemplating his next words. "I can't promise any luck as a father. But how would you like a big brother?"
Asuka stared at him unbelievingly, the tears in her eyes heavy and threatening to fall. Silence reigned in the room for a heartbeat. Then another. "You won't leave me?" she whispered. "You mean it?"
Daniel nodded, scooping her into an embrace. "Yes. And I can tell you this; the time will come when you find the other sort of love you seek. I promise."
A sniffle. Then another. Finally, a dam broke as Asuka squeezed Daniel fiercely, quiet sobs seeming to try and break them apart to no avail. For now, the empty bottles stood forgotten on the coffee table.
Finally, after long minutes neither of them bothered to count, Asuka's sobs stilled, and she looked up at Daniel with a wet, imperfect, beautiful smile. "Thanks, big brother." she whispered.
Daniel smiled slightly, tears in his own eyes as he kissed the top of her head gently. "Of course, little sister."
They parted from their embrace, Asuka leaning against Daniel's side as he put his arm around her. Soon enough, they fell asleep against each other, their empty bottles silent witnesses as they stood sentinel in the darkness.
. . .
Misato Katsuragi groaned, as she did every day when her alarm went off, smacking the offending alarm clock until blissful silence reigned once again. After just enough time to appreciate that it was a Sunday and she didn't absolutely need to go into the base today, she dragged herself out of bed, stretching as she turned on her light, rubbing her eyes as she began to pick out her clothes today.
After a moment, the continued silence outside her door caused her to pause for a moment, a puzzled look crossing her face. 'Asuka should be up and bouncing off the walls - and Daniel - by now. What's going on?'
She finished dressing, slowly opening her door and peeking out at the living room. It was still silent, but a grin slowly spread on her face as she saw Daniel's head peeking up over the back of the couch. 'Busy last night, Daniel?' she mused as she crept out of her room with an expert ease.
She crouched, slowly making her way over to the back of the couch to give him a little surprise when she shook him awake. Daniel could be terribly funny when he was just waking up, she had found out…
As she stood up, however, looming over Daniel, she paused as she saw perhaps the last thing she'd expected to see. Asuka was curled up in the crook of his arm, sound asleep and with a small, contented smile on her face. It was so rare to see her so genuinely happy, even asleep. Misato smiled slightly at the picturesque sight before her. It made her hesitant to disturb it.
So, before she did, she circled the couch, noting the two empty Bundabergs, and took out her phone, ensuring that it was silent as she took as many pictures of the cuddling duo as possible. 'Because when am I ever going to get this chance again?'
With her little photo shoot accomplished, she walked over to Daniel and gently shook him. He stirred after a moment, eyes cracking open as he stretched slowly. "Sunday, right?" he murmured.
"Yep," Misato said slightly. "Sunday. One last day off."
"Good. Thank god for D shift."
Misato chuckled softly. "Amen to that. So, what got Asuka out on the couch with you? Couldn't sleep last night?"
Daniel looked down at the fiery hair that rustled as Asuka began to stir. "We came to an understanding last night," he said quietly, a slight smile on his face.
Misato waited for him to elaborate for a moment. When none was forthcoming, she straightened her shoulders, her smile becoming a grin. "So, you made a deal with her? Does she get free rein to beat you at every video game you play now?"
Daniel opened his mouth to reply, but Asuka, rubbing her eyes, grinned herself as she nudged Daniel's side. "Yeah. Won't you take pity on a poor little sister and let her beat you every once in a while?"
Daniel scoffed slightly. "I thought I already was."
Misato arched a brow, and Asuka rolled her eyes as she looked over at Misato. "So, what's our gourmet menu look like today?"
Misato placed her hands on her hips. "Well," she said with a slightly prideful air, "I'd figure we fall back on a familiar classic. Gourmet toaster waffles, cereal with the finest whole milk, and some fresh muffins from the great bakers of Aldi's."
Asuka shrugged. "Well, it's a start." she paused as she looked up at Daniel. "Want to try and make something out of it?"
"Well, I'll see what I can do." Daniel shrugged. "But it'll still have the Misato touch we know and love."
Asuka chuckled, Misato rolling her eyes. "Fair enough," Asuka said, and they did their best to begin the new day.
Daniel Theisman ran a hand through shoulder-length hair pulled up in a simple bun, considering his tablet as the pieces finally began to come together.
The thieves had a pattern that they stuck to. One that had taken half a year's worth of reports to gain a glimpse of, but which his 'special measures' had confirmed within a month. Of the 6 LCL storage rooms on this level, even-numbered ones were hit earlier in the month, while their odd-numbered brethren were drained in the back half of the month. How they did it or what routes they used to get in or out, he still didn't know. But their scheduled pickup day was only two days away now. As long as he stuck around this area…
"Oh. Captain Theisman."
Daniel blinked, looking up from his tablet to see a security guard, accompanied by three people in plain coveralls carrying what looked like tool bags. "Can I… help you?"
"These technicians are here to try and fix a leak in the transfer pipes." the guard said, smiling slightly. "I've gotten them this far, but could you show them where the leak is?"
Daniel frowned slightly, taking stock of the three technicians for a moment. One man, two women. The man was a little taller than him, thin, but not skinny, with black, wavy hair to the middle of his shoulders falling free in a way that most technicians wouldn't fully be comfortable with and gray eyes that looked intently at him. One woman was a full head taller than him, with curly black hair in a bun, slightly tanned skin, and hazel eyes that darted from him to the guard to the man and back again. The other woman, a little shorter than him, had mahogany skin and shoulder-length hair done up in rows of tight braids. She regarded him rather warily with intense brown eyes.
"Well, I would," Daniel said, "if there was a transfer pipe to fix. I went over them myself just 4 days ago."
"We got called in to fix a new one that sprang up." The man said with a voice a little lower than Daniel's tinged with an accent that he couldn't quite place. "Mr. Herzinger here has been very helpful."
Daniel started to reply but stopped as he realized the words this man spoke carried a weight to them, made him want to listen to the man. He kept his expression neutral as he remembered old but unforgotten lessons. This man was trying to use one of the more common Expressive powers he'd learned about, one that plenty of out-of-towners learned if they didn't have the time to spend. This man was an Allomancer, trying to use brass to bend his mind and emotions.
'That explains a lot.' Daniel mused. But not only was Daniel wise to it, he was fully prepared to turn the power away. "Well," he said aloud, looking down at his tablet, "I should have gotten a work order for it if that was the case. Let me see if I can find one." Daniel had a very reasonable suspicion that he wouldn't be finding anything.
"So," he said as he made his way to the list of work orders on his tablet, scrolling through them, "who do you work for?"
"We're an independent contract company," the taller woman said, her voice a soft, somewhat deep alto. "We have all our security permissions in order."
Daniel paused his scrolling. "I see." he looked back up to the trio in front of him. "Well, that would be nice… if this section of the base wasn't restricted to only authorized NERV personnel, all of the engineers whom I know by face and name. Seeing as I'm head of Engineering and all."
His free hand drifted off his tablet and came to rest on the holster of his Jericho 941 as he stared down their now rather harried reactions. "So, you're going to need to explain just what the hell you're doing here, and you're going to need to do it quickly."
"We were on our way to see you after this, actually." the man said, Daniel feeling it as he poured his power into his words. "We'll get this fixed, and meet you at your office."
The words were strong, and Daniel was getting a hell of a headache throwing off this guy's influence. He winced audibly as he felt the brand on his brow beginning to glow, putting a hand over it as he felt it reveal itself briefly.
Apparently, it wasn't quite enough. "Damn it!" he heard the man say. "Go!"
Next he realized, he'd been shoved into the wall, grunting from the impact as his tablet fell to the floor alongside him. He was on his feet in seconds, brand gone and gun drawn. "Stop!" he shouted after the fleeing thieves, the trio running with a speed that no one should have been able to match. And yet, Daniel pushed himself to their speed, the strength of his body starting to match the will of his soul as he slowly began to catch up.
They darted into LCL Storage Bay 5, Daniel chasing after them into the rows and rows of massive transparent storage tanks. Then, his heart jumped slightly as he heard something shatter. 'Damn it!' he thought as he ran towards the sound. 'Did they break a tank just to cover their tracks?'
He slowed to a stop at the back wall, finding… no one. On the floor, something was finishing dissipating into nothing, a hazy, smoky substance that was gone. Vanished without a trace.
"Shit," Daniel muttered as he holstered his pistol, stalking back towards the entrance.
As he emerged, he saw the guard, clearly dazed. "You!" he said, pointing at the man, who visibly jumped. "Lock down this entire level! We can't risk them escaping."
The man, Herzinger as he recalled, nodded, turning and running towards the security station at this level's entrance. As he disappeared, Daniel opened his other eyes, scanning the hallway, the other rooms, and even the places where they might have jumped to in a short distance. Nothing. They were gone.
. . .
"I believe that the man was using some sort of engineered aphrodisiac to drug the man and tried to spray me to pacify me," Daniel said as he sat in Karl's office, the base's security chief, one Captain Ybarra, sitting next to him. "I reacted to it in a way that they weren't expecting, so they bolted towards the storage areas. I chased after them as they went into Bay 5, heard a crash like they'd broken something, and found that they'd just… vanished. It was the strangest thing. I checked that room from top to bottom, too. There wasn't a single vent out of place, nothing that could be an escape hatch."
Karl sighed quietly. "Well, now that they're wanted across the Stahlturm, either we'll find them, or they'll be sufficiently dissuaded from attempting something like that again."
"Even still," Ybarra, a stocky Basque man with a rather prominent scar on his jawline said, "I don't like loose ends. How did they just escape a locked-down level 20 meters below ground without a trace? And can they get back in?"
"Not easily." Karl mused darkly. He sighed after a moment. "Well, at the moment, we'll remain vigilant, but return to what we're doing. Unit-02 is on the cusp of being completed, and Captain Theisman needs all the time he can get to ensure that it is up to his standards and ours."
Daniel nodded, looking over at Ybarra as they stood. "I'll keep in touch with you in case there are any developments."
Ybarra nodded in turn, and they exited the office, going their separate ways. Daniel pondered silently as he walked. Now that he'd confirmed that they were from out of town, and possessed the means to get in, he still needed a motive. Why steal LCL? And to what end?
He didn't know. But he was certain he was going to find out, one way or another.
