Disclaimer: A long long time ago, in a galaxy far far away….
NEON GENESIS EVANGELION
It is a desperate time for the fanfic writer's alliance. The empire of Gainax, led by Emperor Anno's right hand man, Darth Lawsuit, has managed to destroy many writers legally. Out-moneyed and out-lawyered, the alliance is gambling on one final solution to stop Darth Lawsuit. A tiny thing called, a disclaimer.
Thoughts
"Speech"
Unintended Consequences 08: Empathy
Central Dogma: NERV command Center
It began with the detection of a blue pattern. That was how NERV usually detected angels before they could see them. AT fields caused a distinct distortion in the very air that surrounded their carriers. Energy simply bent around the field or was deflected away and physical objects either bounced off the impenetrateable field or smashed themselves harmlessly against it. The very air itself shimmered as it came into contact with AT fields as they were brushed aside. It was the perfect defense. But it was also a very visible one. Exploiting the energy distortion properties of the AT field, the MAGI supercomputers could triangulate the source once it entered the NERV sensor grid.
The next step of course was to go into a full alert. Hidden weapons emplacements and mobile batteries opened fire on the angel, sending a tremendous amount of ordnance at the intruder which would have utterly destroyed a lesser foe. With its AT field though, the weapons might as well have stayed silent as it continued to glide silently forwards, ignoring both the explosions that rippled along its flank and the weapons that caused said explosions.
The expenditure of billions of Yen in armaments to no visible effect did not go unnoticed however. General Yamasaki had watched the entire affair from his command station at the Asagiri military base. As the battle progressed, a rather large vein began to throb with increasing intensity. Just look at that. He was supposed to present his case to the assembled ministers at the end of this year to convince them not to cut the military's budget. It was already pitiful. But with the black hole that was NERV, he didn't see how he could prevent them from reducing his funding to just spare change and pocket money. And then there was this. What good were all those weapons being used for if they produced no effect?? Why the hell was NERV wasting all that perfectly good money on pretty fireworks?? Gendo had rubbed his nose in the firmly mud by showing how he could beat one of those angels with his oversized toy when the JSSDF couldn't scratch it with their best weapons so why was he using those same weapons again? To demonstrate the ineffectiveness of those weapons? To rub his nose in even more mud and waste whatever miniscule amounts of the budget that remained???!!!! He picked up his phone and angrily dialed in the secure number that only he and a few high ranking officials knew of.
Kozou Fuyutsuki put down the receiver, his expression not giving away a thing. "They want us to stop wasting taxpayers' money and launch a sortie." There was no need to label who 'they' were. It was the official communications line and the list of people who could use it was pitifully short. His ear still rung from the rather heated demand that had been sent through the speaker. Impressive lung capacity indeed. He did not think General Yamasaki had drawn breath from the moment he had picked up the receiver until he had hung up. And he had been listening to that man harangue him for the better part of 3 minutes.
There wasn't really much that needed to be done for the sortie. Upon the detection of the angel, the emergency announcements had gone out well before its heading could be determined. Of course nobody but Gendo, the SEELE council and he knew why the angels always headed there but no one had ever raised a question of why before. Not that the NERV staff wasn't intelligent enough to ever wonder why but they were wiser than to ask a question that there certainly wouldn't be any answers for them. Even if the reason why they wouldn't have answers was more the province of certain men rather than the angels themselves.
All that needed to be done now was for young Shinji to pilot the EVA once more.
He wondered if he was up to it. Based on every recording they had of his first flight and subsequent fight, Shinji had been subjected to severe trauma that exceeded critical levels. Even if the injuries weren't real, the sheer shock the phantom pain introduced into the system would have been enough to kill some people. He couldn't blame him if he no longer wanted to pilot it.
But wants, as life has a habit of showing, usually go unfulfilled. Here in NERV, a want was no more than wishful thinking. Only the plan for Instrumentality remained a constant. All else was…..irrelevant.
A rueful shake of the head followed that observation. I become more and more like Gendo everyday.
And I may be damned for it.
When the alarms went off, Touji moved with mechanical precision towards his designated shelter. While he was still angry at the new kid, there was no reason for him to get killed over it. Damned kid. Stomping around in that robot like he owns the place. As unfair as the thought was, given the fact that he had not observed the fight in its entirety, he would not relent in his dislike for Shinji. As the doors boomed shut behind him and the locks closed with a hiss of hydraulics, he was among the last group to arrive, his eyes saw people sleeping, chatting, eating and generally finding ways to pass the time until the all-clear signal had been given. One of the more unique ones was Kensuke as he fiddled with his omnipresent video camera.
Where the others had bored, impatient or frightened faces, Kensuke's was one that shone with barely suppressed eagerness. He and Kensuke shared a close friendship originally borne of mutual gain that had grown into a brotherly bond. That was not to say that Touji wouldn't put Kensuke in a headlock if the otaku threaded on areas that were beyond what he considered acceptable, or embarrassing, but they had more or less settled into an amicable friendship. In that relation though, Touji usually adopted the role of the elder brother, often annoyed, and at the same time amused, by the antics of the overly bright smart ass younger sibling. They'd gotten familiar with the quirks of each other's behaviors over the years.
That was why Touji mentally suppressed a sigh when he saw that look on Kensuke's face. He knew that look. It was one that usually promised a great deal of recklessness in the pursuit of his latest obsession. Last time he had nearly gotten them shot when he had somehow agreed to follow him into the local military airbase in the hopes of getting some pictures of some new JSSDF jet. They had gotten caught early on and they certainly caught holy hell when they were returned to their respective parents with a military escort. Kensuke of course was undeterred, insisting that the next time he would succeed.
He wondered what he was up to this time.
And whether they would survive it.
Shinji couldn't decide which was worst. Breathing in something that very much smelled and tasted like blood or the fact that he was breathing in a liquid to begin with. Both notions nauseated him if he thought about it. Or maybe it was the fact that it clung to him so heavily that every time he left the entry plug he smelled like something that had rolled around in a charnel house. Whatever the case was though, he once again found himself submerged in the liquid, trying his best to calm the roiling sea within his stomach, while he awaited the order to sortie.
An angel.
Not a divine being of benevolent intentions.
But rather, another malevolent creature of fearsome proportions in Tokyo-3
To accomplish what he did not know.
Except that destruction and terror were most probable given how the last one behaved.
And he was supposed to fight it in an equally immense machine which still responded sluggishly to his commands.
The other students had all thought it was exciting and cool to be pilot an EVA. To be truthful, he was scared spitless. The one encounter he had with a real Angel had proven to be very painful. Something in his face must have shown the worry though for Misato spoke to him from the command center.
"Don't worry Shinji. Just remember your training and everything will be fine."
Despite the upbeat image she had tried to project, Shinji still felt the gnawing teeth of doubt attempt to convince his breakfast that the best place to be would be floating around in the LCL rather than in his stomach. She's not the one sitting in here. He thought bitterly before he stopped himself. She had placed her confidence on him and had to a degree, even cared for him. After all, you don't invite someone to stay in your home if you don't care for them. Don't you?
There are people counting on me.
Normally this line of thought would have elated him. People needed him. He was wanted. Even if it was only because he could pilot this EVA. But a memory flashed into existence that quashed that feeling. It was the enraged scowl of a black clad boy who was brutalizing him even as he vented his anger. He had crippled that boy's sister. His ribs still ached at the memory of Touji's fury.
…her life is ruined because of me…
It was with that thought that he found the resolve to fight this new foe. Oh, his heart still thundered in his chest and his breakfast was performing cartwheels but with the recklessness of his youth, he resolved to ensure that no one else would ever be hurt in the battles where he sat behind the controls of an EVA. A reckless, foolish resolve, but he needed something to hold on to. Something that would keep away the utter despair that memory caused. The memories of his failures.
"Unit-01, launch"
Caught not paying attention, Shinji found he was unprepared for the sudden acceleration that pushed down heavily on him. Fortunately, his one previous experience in such a manner of departure meant that he was able to keep his mouth shut the entire time and not hurt himself. During that rapid ascent though, his heart thundered in its bony prison and if not submerged in LCL, he would have been sure he would be sweating bullets. Stay calm, stay calm. I just have to remember my training. It was unfortunate for him that only one aspect of his training came readily to his mind though.
Sight the center. Pull the trigger.
Like a drowning man reaching for a life preserver, he siezed that thought. Focusing on it and blocking out all else.
300 meters
Concentrate! His breathing became ragged.
200 meters
Pupils widened, increasing his all round vision.
100 meters
The only sound he could hear was the roar of blood racing through his system and the jackhammer thunder of his heart.
0 meters
NOW! The exit panel slid downwards and the EVA leaped out, rifle at the ready as its AT field parted the air and neutralized the angels own field.
Sight the center. Pull the trigger.
He saw it. The angel. The target. The center.
Sight the center. Pull the trigger.
The rifle roared, a steady stream of high explosive shells lancing out.
Sight the center. Pull the trigger.
The aim was true, shells finding their mark, detonations erupting all over the angel.
Sight the center. Pull the trigger.
Smoke from the explosions began to swirl and race madly around the angel. Still the gun fired. A rain of death.
Sight the center. Pull the trigger.
The angel was gone now, a tower of black smoke billowing lazily where it stood. His ragged breathing a breathy counterpoint to the hollow "click" of the now empty rifle. Still he did not let go of the trigger. Did I do it?
He didn't
Glowing whips lashed out, each as wide as a subway train, reaching for the EVA with alarming speed. He did the only thing he could. He leaped back.
It wasn't very nearly enough.
With no more resistance than it did passing through the air, the energy whips sliced through the rifle and burned a line across the EVA's chest. Shinji reflexively let go of the rifle at the burning sensation, not that it was of any use anymore, being in several large fragments, and hopped a few steps back.
Emerging from the smoke, the angel advanced lazily. Sinuous tendrils hissed through the air like restless snakes, tortured air boiling away from its blazing form. Vaguely, Shinji was aware of Misato speaking to him over the communications channel. Something about a new rifle. He didn't pay much attention to her or a blur that moved in his peripheral vision as the tendrils lashed out again, this time not to strike, but to ensnare. Desperately, Shinji leaped back, hoping to avoid the whips like he did previously.
He wasn't fast enough.
Shinji found himself ironically thankful for the first punch that Touji had given him. It had given him a taste of what being tossed on the floor was. Which while grossly expanded on a scale he would never experience otherwise, was what was happening now. Ok, flying through the skyscrapers was something new as well as losing his power cord but the landing part was more or less the same. The jarring impact which rattled his teeth, the haziness of his sight just after landing. It was all very much the same. It hurt too. A lot.
And it was going to hurt quite a bit more.
Reaching the city limits, the angel picked up the hapless pilot once more and hurled it him distantly into the air.
Kensuke was happy. No, he was ecstatic. No, there were simply no words to describe it. There it was, NERV's brand new toy, the long rumored Evangelion. A 40 storey tall engine of destruction that could be piloted by a single man. The fact that it was a robot made it all the better. And he was getting it on tape! He! Kensuke Aida! Otaku master, electronics genius and master of the school information network was getting the titanic battle between the pinnacle of human technology and alien being. The only non-NERV person to ever do it! He must have been a saint in his previous life he decided if the heavens had decided to reward him with something like this. The only thing that could ever be better would be to actually be in one. Although it did kind of look like the EVA was on the losing side right now. No matter, he decided. I could definitely be better at it. Unaware of the downsides of being a pilot, not to mention the rather disturbed mentality of the one he had met, he continued to film the one-sided fight, proving the old adage that ignorance is bliss.
Touji on the other hand, wasn't overly impressed. While he knew that the his sister was well protected, due to the fact that the hospital she resided in was a key structure, hence benefiting from the elevator system that brought it beneath the surface, the sheer damage that the improvised club A.K.A. EVA was doing to the surrounding terrain didn't seem to hold much hope for everything and everyone else. Particularly when you consider the fact that the EVA was losing to the angel about as badly he was when he took on a school bully twice his height and weight in his junior years. Damn stupid kid. Why doesn't he fight back? He's going to get thrashed this way. Not that he was concerned about the pilot mind you, only that the damage being done to the city was definitely on the rise. Yes, that was his only concern. A sudden shift in the battle and its direction though, forced his thoughts to the here and now.
There was something about flying that Shinji liked. Maybe it was the sensation of floating in the air. Maybe it was the freedom. Maybe it was the way that the clouds above seemed so peaceful, so serene when compared to the angst filled story of his life. Yes. That was most likely it. When he was in the air, it seemed like there was nothing to worry about, nothing that would add to the tragedy that he was living.
Of course he was falling right about now.
Falling from a rather high altitude.
Falling from a high altitude in a multi-storey, multi ton, humanoid war machine that had just received the thrashing of its service life and was transferring all that pain to him.
Maybe flying wasn't all that it was cracked up to be.
Stay calm. Stay calm. That was the collective thoughts of Touji and Kensuke as they watched the rather large and threatening shadow of a rather large, and presumably very heavy, EVA tracing the end of its trajectory. Naturally, panicking wouldn't do much good, so like the mature teenagers they are, they tried to stay calm and think of something to save their lives. They hadn't thought of something yet but they did notice however, that the EVA did appear to be fast approaching their location.
On a steep downward angle.
I'M GONNA DIE!! I'M GONNA DIE!!
Ok, maybe they weren't that mature and they certainly weren't thinking of something to save their lives. That is unless you include praying to a pantheon of gods and twelve minor deities, not to mention their long departed ancestors, to be saved as well as screaming at the top of their lungs. Touji's voice in particular reached a pitch that he would, at less dire times, scorned as 'girly'.
The world went black as the EVA blocked the sun.
Fine! See if I ever pray again!
Fortunately for them, someone was listening, or perhaps they were positioned just right or were protected because they were needed to further the plot. Whatever the case, they didn't suffer a terminal drop in height as the EVA landed right next to them rather than right on them. Just kidding! Really.
Shinji found himself to be in a rather unique position of power. Here he was, sitting, lying actually, in an armored behemoth capable of dealing death and destruction unlike anything mankind had ever made and right between the fingers of its left hand was one boy who had tormented him earlier that day and his friend. Most 14 year olds would have considered at least some form of revenge ranging from petty to murderous. The rest of them would be more interested in the closing angel and dealing with it before it dealt with them.
Shinji, being your guilt driven, angst filled teenager, was filled with remorse instead. He had scared them badly. Very badly if the small pool of liquid in front of their pants was any clue. And he had crippled the sister of Touji as well. I won't run away. I'll make it right somehow. With his resolve filled like a mighty wave, well a ripple actually but in his case it was an improvement, he grabbed the energy tendrils with his hands, accepting the pain while opening the hatch and removing the entry plug. With the hatch open, he used the external speakers to urge them in.
15 seconds and one headlock later, he was wondering if he had made a mistake somewhere. Kensuke was off wailing about his camera while Touji was doing his best to cut of Shinji's air while yelling in his ear. It was hard to tell with the black spots dancing before his vision and the ringing in his ears.
Fortunately for all of them, Kensuke had managed to regain his senses long enough to convince Touji that killing the pilot, however inadvertently, would be detrimental to their long term health. This was emphasized when Shinji's concentration broke momentarily, allowing the energy tendril to lightly burn the eye of the Evangelion with a brief slap. Having experienced what it felt like to suffer lobotomy through an eye without the benefit of anesthesia, the brief burning sensation that to Shinji were easily borne.
Not so with the other two occupants who were rather concerned with the wellbeing of their respective eye.
Freed from the death grip, Shinji managed to gather the EVA's arms together and hurl the angel backwards, giving him some respite to rise from the ground.
"Shinji, follow route B-12 and regroup. Withdraw for now."
No. He couldn't. I won't run away. "I'll finish it now"
"Shinji! Listen to me! Withdraw!"
I won't run away anymore. The thought echoed softly in his mind.
I mustn't fail. He withdrew the progressive knife from its hidden sheath, letting the vibroblade fill the air with the hum of thousands of cycles per second.
I won't fail. He charged, running, sliding down the hill towards the waiting angel.
25 seconds
I won't let anyone get hurt anymore. The angel lashed out, its tendrils blazing forward like striking snakes.
20 seconds
I won't let them down. The tendrils penetrated the abdomen of the EVA, punching out through the back, stopping the behemoth just before the angel.
15 seconds
No more. A pain filled, rage crazed voice filled the plug and radio airwaves. It was his voice.
The EVA lunged forward, vibroblade sinking into the bright red core but not penetrating fully.
10 seconds
It ends. The next moment was the hardest in Shinji's life. As if sensing its imminent death, the tendrils blazed with terrible heat, actually melting away the surrounding area. Shinji howled.
5 seconds
It ends now. Deep within his psyche, anger that had long been suppressed rose, fueling the urgent need to kill the angel.
4 seconds
Touji, brutalizing him on the school fields, rage in his eyes.
3 seconds
Fujiwara, dying in a fireball to protect him, slate eyes a combination of fear and worry.
2 seconds
His foster family, empty smiles and hateful eyes.
1 second
His father, cold eyes behind amber glass, leaving him. Leaving him alone. Always alone.
CRAAAACK
The core broke, lines spidering across its surface as the knife sank deep, the light finally dying within.
"You did it man. You killed it" Vaguely, he was aware that he was panting, unblinking eyes staring straight ahead. Somebody's hand was on his shoulder. Touji's hand he thought. He sounded worried, as if somehow sharing the pain of EVA, he somehow felt and empathized with his pain, willing to forego his rage and anger in the light of a new understanding. Shinji didn't care. The angel was dead.
That was all that mattered.
END OF CHAPTER 08
A/N: Well, not too much of a change here right? Well, it's necessary. We see a rather different road down in the near future and this setting is needed. So sit tight and let's see what the next one is like eh?