Chapter Text
After Colony 215
"We're sorry, due to the special state of emergency all lines are currently unavailable. This is a recording."
"No good," muttered a young teen, dropping the handset of the payphone into its cradle, "Lines are down due to 'an emergency'."
The tall man beside him gave a hum of acknowledgement as he tapped on his mobile phone.
Shinji Yuy looked up at his dad and raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to elaborate. The man caught his eye with a glance before continuing his tapping, "Explains why civilian cell signals are down. But military communications are all still working."
"Wait, why would the military be requiring all the signal bands? And what are they doing here?" Shinji asked.
Heero Yuy, former Gundam Pilot, stowed away his phone and shook his head, "No idea. There aren't supposed to be any active conflicts in the area."
Shinji shifted from one foot to the other. "So, what do we do?" he asked, his voice tinged with a growing nervousness. The high-speed train they'd arrived on had already left, and there didn't seem to be anymore coming anytime soon. And the woman from the photo who was supposed to be picking them up was nowhere in sight.
With a quick scan of the road by the station, Heero spotted a nearby car and nodded towards it, "We'll borrow a ride."
The teen opened his mouth to protest but stopped when Heero continued, "We're not staying in a combat zone. Especially without knowing-"
Now it was his turn to be cut off as a tremor went through the ground beneath them, almost knocking Shinji off his feet if not for his father catching his arm.
“What was that?” Shinji asked, “That wasn’t an earthquake!”
Heero’s eyes narrowed as he looked up towards the tall buildings deeper into the city. He frowned as he saw JSSDF VTOLs emerge from behind the upper levels, swerving around the building to loop back and opening a salvo of missiles at some unseen enemy. Suddenly a giant pink lance of some sort of beam weapon pierced through the cluster of aircrafts, destroying them instantly. A few of the VTOLs that had been hanging in the rear pulled further back as a massive three fingered claw reached towards them, followed by an equally massive humanoid it was attached too.
‘They’re here,’ Heero thought, gritting his teeth before turning to run towards the car with son in hand.
Another tremor as the behemoth took a step in their direction caused him to slow just enough to see a blue car tear around the corner before heading towards them at ridiculous speed. It skidded to a halt in front of them, the passenger door opening before it had come to a full stop.
In the driver's seat, the woman from the photo made to order them inside; but couldn’t get a word out before Heero hurled Shinji into the back seat and dove in after him. She gunned the engine before the door had even closed, the car speeding off just as the beast noticed them.
“Sorry I’m late,” she said, managing to sound nonchalant despite the scene straight from a Kaiju movie behind them, “Traffic was a monster today.”
She chuckled at her own joke before eying her new passengers, “I was expecting to pick up just a kid today, so who are you?”
By this point Heero had already righted himself in the front seat, buckling after ensuring Shinji was able to buckle himself. He gave her a cold stare, “His father.”
“What was that thing!” Shinji cried, the current conversation not even registering, “Where did it come from, how does that even exist?”
Heero noted her grip on the steering wheel tightening ever so slightly. “That’s an Angel,” she said darkly.
After a moment gaining her composure, she looked at Heero, a large grin on her face.
“So, I'm Captain Misato Katsuragi!” she chirped cheerfully, mood seeming to swing just as fast as she swerved the car, “But you can just call me Misato. And I guess that makes you Shinji, huh?” she asked, turning her grin to him through the rearview mirror.
“Uh-” the woman's continued ambivalence towards the would-be Kaiju seemed to have thrown Shinji off enough to snap him out of his panic, “Y-yeah, my name is Shinji Yuy. It's a pleasure?”
Misato pouted, “Try not to sound too enthusiastic, kid. I mean, most guys would-”
Whatever she was going to say died in her throat as she spied Heero's glare out of the corner of her eye. Realizing her normal teasing probably wasn't wise with the kid's dad in the car, she decided to change topics, “Anyways, all your questions can be answered when we get to HQ. But first, we gotta get out of the combat zone. And I need to make a call.”
Misato took out her phone without giving them time to answer, hitting the buttons while casually serving wildly. “This is Katsuragi,” she said with far more authority in her voice than she’d had before, “I’ve picked up the kid, along with his dad.”
She waited for a moment to listen to the response, pulling the phone away from her ear at the volume. Shinji couldn’t make out the words, but whoever was on the other end seemed pretty upset. “Well, I couldn’t just leave them there!” Misato fired back, “And we don’t have time to talk about that right now, the Angel is behind us!”
Another pause, the other person no longer loud enough for Shinji to hear, quiet enough for him to idly notice his father unbuckling his seatbelt until Misato’s response seemed to make up the difference in volume, “They’re going to what?!” She screamed, “Who the hell authorized that?”
The woman didn’t bother to wait for a response. She took a sharp turn onto an exit towards a rock formation, flinging Shinji towards the window and letting him see the monster in the distance, until his vision was cut off by his father. “Get down,” Heero said sharply, yanking Shinji away from the window and shielding him with his body.
Protecting his head on instinct, Shinji had just enough time to open his mouth to ask what was going on before an enormous roar filled his ears, the overwhelming sound disorienting him enough to not immediately notice the car flip over as a powerful shockwave hit. He lost sense of the world for a minute, only coming to when the car had come to a halt. At least, he thought it did. The world still seemed to be spinning a bit, and the ringing in his ears was throwing him off. His vision focused enough to be able to make out his dad pulling away from him, somehow having wrapped around Shinji and covered him both above and below. He saw the man’s mouth moving but wasn’t able to hear anything over the ringing. Heero seemed to have realized this and was speaking very slowly and with emphasized mouth movements, enough for Shinji to be able to read his lips. “Are you okay?” Heero mouthed. Shinji nodded, not sure if his voice would work yet or not. His father gave him a once over before he seemed satisfied and turned towards the other occupant in the car.
Misato looked a little worse for wear, but unharmed. She glanced at Shinji and then gave Heero a questioning look, relief flooding her face at Heero’s nod. Wordlessly, the pair coordinated to get everyone out of the car, the ringing in Shinji’s ear reduced to simply an annoyance by the time they were all out. “Now what?” he asked, looking at the flipped car and then back at the remains of the Angel, still standing in the distance.
“We flip it and get back to HQ,” Misato said, cutting off any of the questions still forming in his mind.
Heero was already in motion, rocking the car on its roof to build momentum. “Out of the way,” he called, waiting until the other two were behind him before flipping the car back onto its wheels with a grunt. Misato’s eyes narrowed at the feat, taking the opportunity to analyze her original target’s surprise companion. His brown hair was a lighter shade than the boy’s, far longer and messier, and his eyes were a darker shade of blue as well. It made her wonder if the kid took more after his mother. He was on the taller side of average with his jacket leaving some uncertainty on his build, but he certainly didn’t look like he was able to flip a car on his own. The way he held himself reminded her of some of the soldiers she’d worked with after catching the attention of her mentor, a subtle tension that you could easily miss if you didn’t know what to look for. All in all he seemed to be pretty normal on the surface, maybe a bit young looking to have a kid Shinji’s age, but nothing worth a second glance before this feat of strength. And that set off alarm bells.
By the time he looked over from where he’d been more thoroughly checking over Shinji for injuries, her friendly face was back, all traces of suspicion hidden from sight.
A quick test to make sure the car was still usable and the trio were back on the road. The silence was tense, Misato pretending to focus on the road while racking her brain for answers on the man beside her, while Heero… was acting pretty much exactly how Shinji expected him to act. The teen would have broken the silence, he certainly had enough questions to push through the awkwardness, but he had a more pressing thought on his mind.
With the immediate threat of the giant monster behind them, Shinji now realized that the Angel was likely the lesser danger compared to Misato’s driving. Despite the engine surely having taken some damage, the woman seemed to show no concern as she swerved between debris without touching the brakes, coming within millimeters of hitting the remaining guardrails on several occasions. Twice he noticed Heero glancing back at him, realizing after the second time that the man was honing in on Shinji’s seatbelt as if to reassure himself that the boy was secured, for whatever good it might do.
Eventually the debris began to grow less frequent, the road clearing up as the hit the most outer edges of the blast radius, and Shinji’s heart finally began to calm down.
“What the heck was that?!” he shouted.
“I told you, I'd answe-”
“An N2 mine,” Heero cut her off. She blinked then scowled at him. It wasn't that difficult to figure out, N2 mines weren't exactly a secret. But they also didn't have any particular visible features to distinguish it from any other kind of bomb, and this didn't help her unease around the man.
“But what about that monster? That Angel thing?”
“Just be patient. We're almost to the entrance.”
With that said, Misato made one more swerve off the main road to a smaller one in the direction of a small mountain. Upon turning around a bend, the group found themselves in front of a large man-made entrance, large enough for multiple trucks side-by-side. Misato didn't stop, blazing past the black and yellow barriers and ignoring the shouting guards and technicians trying to clean up the results of the explosion. She pulled into a car elevator, rolling down the struggling window in order to flash her ID to a scanner. There was a bang as the elevator locked the car in place, followed by a lurch as the elevator began to descend at an angle into the dim shaft.
Shinji fidgeted, repeatedly looking at Heero for guidance, trying to be patient as the man remained silent. The two made eye contact, and Heero gave him an almost imperceptible nod. Misato missed it, but Shinji felt his nerves settle to the point where he didn't feel his blood beneath his skin. His father was here, he had it under control. Everything would be okay. The boy clung to that thought like a lifeline.
After what felt like hours, he noticed a light at the end of the sloped tunnel. The elevator soon came to a stop flat against level ground, releasing the battered car in what felt like another cave. Misato drove out at a much more sedate speed.
“Shinji Yuy and, uh, Mister Yuy,” She said with all the gravitas of a circus ringleader as they approached the exit of the cave, “Welcome to NERV.”
As Shinji’s eyes adapted to the light, panic and confusion gave way to excitement.
“Oh wow! An actual Geofront!”
Misato grinned smugly at finally getting the reaction she wanted, but kept a side eye on the man beside her. To her disappointment, and more than a little annoyance, he seemed completely unfazed by the technological marvel around him. Instead his eyes seemed to be focused on his son, and after turning to get a better look she realized he was smiling. It was a small, subtle thing, but there wasn't any attempt to hide it. Well, whoever he was, at least she was now sure of his priorities.
It was not long before Shinji’s attention was pulled to the gargantuan pyramid that seemed to loom ominously as they approached it, a stark contrast to the natural looking beauty that otherwise filled the underground space. It did not look any more friendly up close from the parking lot. Shinji subconsciously drifted closer to his father’s side as they followed Misato into the building.
“They’re with me,” Misato told the guard.
The guard seemed hesitant, “Captain, you only have the one pass.”
“I know,” she sighed, “I know. But he’s the kid’s dad, and I can’t exactly tell him to get lost?”
The pair looked over to the father-son duo, meeting Heero’s eyes and seeing that he was not leaving without the one they actually wanted. They’d seen that kind of steely gaze before, and were well aware that they’d have more luck convincing the pyramid to get up and move on its own.
“Let me call this in,” the guard turned before getting a response, stepping away and speaking into the radio. The awkward silence was thankfully short, as the guard didn’t take long to get the approval to let them in.
The Yuys followed silently as Misato led them inside, even as Misato wasted an hour wandering and completely lost, despite the maps on every floor. Shinji tried to hold his tongue, doing his best to follow his dad’s lead, but the stress of the day had pushed his patience.
Finally, he broke, “Miss Misato-”
Only to be cut off by the Captain’s phone. “Sorry, Shinji, give me a sec,” she said.
“Hey, Rits!” She answered with forced cheer, “We’re just on our way to the meeting room.” A pause for the response, before her tone shifted, “Shut up, I’ve only been here a few weeks!”
“The hanger? Okay. No, I- I could have found it myself!” Another pause, “was that a left, or a right after the second elevator. Okay, got it.”
She hung up without ceremony, turning back to the other two with her forced smile back on her face, “Okay, change of plans. We’re pretty late, so we’re just gonna meet up with the welcoming party directly.”
“Hanger?”
“Don’t worry, you’ll see everything soon, kid,” she waved off the teen, “Let’s go.”
Thankfully, she was able to remember the directions well enough as they managed to avoid any wrong turns. Despite that, it still took half an hour to reach the large metal doorway they stopped at. Misato didn’t bother to make any dramatic gestures this time, simply scanning her card on the panel at the side to open the entrance, leading them and onto the catwalk that crossed most of the shadowy room. Most of the light seemed to come from the almost orange liquid below, an odd glow coming from deep enough that any details of the bottom were obscured.
“Alright Rits, we’re here,” Misato called out, looking around to find someone in the dim light.
There was a splash as the figure of a woman climbed out of the pool on a ladder further down the catwalk. She grabbed a lab coat that had been on the catwalk and approached the group, the light from the entrance illuminating her enough that Shinji could make out her features. A young woman, about the same height as Misato, wearing a one piece swimsuit under her lab coat. He idly noted that her blonde hair should be a bit of a rarity here in Japan.
“Gentlemen, this is Doctor Ritsuko Akagi, the head of Project E,” Misato introduced.
The newly named doctor didn’t acknowledge the introduction, instead directing her attention to the Captain, “You certainly took your time.”
“I got here, didn’t I?”
The woman was unfazed by Misato’s growl. “Well thanks to your delay, we’re short on time,” she turned to look at Shinji, “Is this the boy?”
Heero took a small step forward, shifting slightly to make a clear barrier between the boy and the blonde.
“Why was he summoned here?” Heero asked, cutting through any pretexts, “And how did you get the Chair of the General ESUN Assembly to sign off on it?”
Both women blinked at the bluntness.
“NERV as an organization was founded and is funded by the Earth Sphere Unified Nation,” Akagi answered, dodging around the matter, “And as for why…”
She pulled a small device from her coat pocket and pressed a button, turning on the lights to illuminate the room. Revealing the gigantic demonic head and shoulders that had been hidden in the shadows, looming out from the pool.
Shinji yelped, leaping back from purple face, “Wha-what the heck is that?!”
Ritsuko smirked, “This is the Ultimate All-Purpose Humanoid Decisive Battle Weapon developed by humanity. The artificial human, Evangelion. That is Eva-01. Its construction carried out in complete secrecy, it is our — humanity's — final trump card."
“Trump card? F-for what?” Shinji asked, “Those monsters? But, I thought the bomb-”
“No,” Misato shook her head, “It’s not that simple.”
“The Angel survived,” Akagi continued, “It's been recovering this entire time, and is almost ready to resume its attack. Only the Eva can defeat the Angels.”
Heero remained unfazed, “You expect him to pilot it?”
“Correct.”
The word echoed from across the hanger, drawing everyone's attention to a man standing in an oddly placed hallway that ended right above the Evangelion.
Shinji froze, stuck in a memory he'd tried very hard to forget, mind returning to that station years ago. That tall figure walking away, completely unfazed by his cries and leaving him alone. Abandoned. Unwanted.
“Yo- you,” he stuttered.
Even from this distance, the man's gaze was cold and unchanged. The same indifference that had left scars he had only just started to acknowledge.
“It's been a long time, Shinji.”
Whatever effect he was going for was brushed aside as Heero stepped forward, pulling his son behind him and placing himself between the man and Shinji. Warmth flooded Shinji from where his father's hand met his shoulder. He was not alone. He was not still on that station. His mother had found him.
“Gendo Ikari,” Heero said flatly. His voice was just as icy as the newly named Gendo, and Shinji heard something he'd never heard before from his father. It was only after years of living with him that Shinji had learned to decipher the undertones in his dad's voice, but with that experience he could see it clear as day.
Heero hated this man. In a way Shinji hadn't known he was capable of.
“You expect me to allow him to pilot this oversized mobile suit?” Despite that hatred, Heero was just as blunt and direct as usual. Somehow, that reassured Shinji as much as the man's hand had done moments ago.
In contrast, Ritsuko began to sputter in protest. “Oversized mobile suit!” she snapped, “The Evangelion is far more than a mere mobile suit. It is the most advanced technological achievement the world has ever seen-”
“It's a weapon,” Heero cut her off, “why would I let my son pilot it, against that monster?”
Something finally seemed to click in Misato’s mind. “Wait, wait. You want to send him out now!?” She cried. This got her a look from everyone. It even felt like the Eva was staring at her in exasperation.
“There isn’t anyone else, and we don't have time to try other options,” the doctor said.
“You spent all this money and time developing this machine, but you couldn't train a pilot?” Shinji asked incredulously.
“It's not that simple!”
“Then I'll pilot it,” Heero again cut off the doctor before she could get going. Shinji could tell she was getting annoyed by that, and he could admit to himself he took no small amount of satisfaction in that.
“Impossible.”
This finally got a reaction from Heero, the former Gundam Pilot giving what passed for an incredulous look at the doctor. His past wasn't public knowledge, no records in any government database and wiped from all leftover records from the former OZ or the White Fang, but he knew that at least the people pulling the strings knew who he was.
“Shinji Yuy, Unit-01 has selected you to be its pilot,” Akagi said, returning to her grandiose voice from earlier.
“It selected me?” Shinji had managed to recover his composure a bit thanks to his dad, “How did it select me? If it's not a mobile suit… what is it?”
“That's none of your concern,” Gendo finally spoke up, almost cutting Shinji down again. Almost.
“I think it is if I'm supposed to pilot it!” the boy snapped, fear now fueling his standoffishness, “It's not my fault you built a mobile suit and couldn't make it be less picky.”
Heero turned back to give Shinji a look. Shinji would normally have taken that as a warning to watch his tone, but he got a different impression here. ‘Keep your cool’ it said. But Heero said nothing, making it clear to the room he didn't disagree.
“He's not piloting,” Heero left no room for argument.
“Then we all die,” Ritsuko fired back.
“There's plenty of time to evacuate.”
Misato’s eye was starting to twitch, and she couldn't tell if it was from being left out or because of how little this man seemed to care about the threat right above them.
“If the Angel reaches here, all of mankind will be wiped out,” she snapped.
There was a silence. Misato realized that Heero wasn't technically supposed to be here, or even know what was considered common knowledge down among NERV.
“It's classified,” Ritsuko said, not giving a chance for further questions.
That got a raised eyebrow from Shinji, but Heero seemed unbothered so the teen held his tongue.
Tension hung in the air, the members of NERV waiting expectantly as if a change in their answer was a foregone conclusion. Heero held their gaze, unmoved. In contrast, Shinji could feel anxiety beginning to press down on him. Was there really no one else? Would he really be forced to pilot? He wanted to live, and if they were telling the truth-
“I won't repeat myself.”
“It's an order from the General Assembly,” Akagi tried a new approach.
“The summons only said he needed to come to Tokyo-3. His mother is already looking into that.”
The mention of his mother threw Misato for a loop, but the way Rits’s breath hitched and even the air around the Commander grew heavier raised the hackles on Misato’s neck. Who was this kid? Who exactly were the Yuys?
“Fine,” whoever she was, the mention of the woman was enough for the Commander to dismiss the matter, “We still have Rei.”
“What?” Both woman turned to Gendo, sending off alarm bells in Shinji’s head.
“She's not fit to pilot,” Rtisuko started, followed by Misato, “She's still injured!”
“She's not dead yet.”
At his words, a group of people in medical uniforms wheeled out a gurney from the door on the opposite side of the catwalk. Shinji gasped upon seeing its occupant, a blue-haired girl around his age, completely bundled in bandages. Her breathing was strained despite her apparent lack of consciousness; a jolt from the gurney hitting an uneven part of the catwalk brought out a cry of pain that had Shinji moving around his father without realizing it. Only upon feeling Heero’s hand on his shoulder did Shinji notice he'd started approaching the girl.
He looked up at his father, then back to the girl before whispering, almost pleading, “Dad.” Heero’s hand on his shoulder squeezed comfortingly, before letting go. Shinji quickly headed over to the girl, his father following more sedately.
“Shinji.”
“They can't really be expecting to send her out like this, can they?” Shinji asked quietly. Heero gave a low noise, somewhere between a grunt and a hum of confirmation. A part of Shinji recognized what was going on. This was a dirty tactic, parading the girl on death's doorstep to elicit sympathy and make him willing to defend her. Make him feel guilt at the idea of forcing this girl to pilot in his stead if he refused. But dammit, it was working.
Any further thoughts were interrupted as a tremor shook the building. The swaying of the catwalk sent the gurney tumbling. Shinji dove on instinct, trying to intercept her as she fell, managing to catch her head and banging his knees in the process. In his peripheral vision he saw debris collapsing as the pair fell, and he moved to cover the girl as best he could. There was a great banging, the sound of tons of steel meeting steel as the ground beneath rumbled even more from the crash and the aftershock. Then, it grew quiet. Shinji opened his eyes, belatedly realizing he'd clenched his eyes at some point, and looked around. Above him he saw his father, once again trying to shield him with his body, for as much good as that would have done against a collapsing ceiling. Thankfully it seemed as if he wouldn't have to find out how that would play out, as a large dark cover had appeared above Heero to shield them all. Shinji’s gaze panned to get a better look, and on the edges he could make out the colors of the mystery object from the light from the sides. It was bright purple. The same purple as the Eva. He saw the creases on the surface and it clicked. The Eva. The Eva had raised its hand to protect them, all on its own.
“Wh-wha-”
The girl beneath him moaned in pain, and his questioning of the nature of the machine was abandoned as the other teen took his full attention. He made up his mind.
“I'll pilot,” he whispered.
By this point, Heero had straightened up, one knee beneath him with his opposite foot on the ground in front of him. “Shinji-”
“Only way to live a life without regrets, right?” Shinji said, his voice still low so that only his dad could hear, “She'll die, Dad.”
“My mission is to protect you,” Heero said just as quietly. As bad as emoting as his father was, the boy could still feel the meaning behind the words.
“But it's my decision, right? That's what we said.”
There was a short pause.
“Okay.”
“R-really?” Shinji finally met his father's eyes. Heero nodded.
“If you really feel you have to, I'll believe in you. But Shinji, promise me. Promise me you'll survive.”
The boy nodded, his father's words strengthening his resolve. “I promise.”
As Misato finally managed to stumble around the debris to check on the ‘civilians’, she saw Heero place his hand on his son’s head and bring it closer so that the crowns of their heads nearly met. She could hear no words spoken, but she felt like she was peeking on something incredibly personal. While she was hesitating, the medical staff swooped in to tend to Rei, two of the three having clearly fallen off the catwalk going by their soaked appearance.
“I'll do it,” Shinji called out, snapping Misato from her thoughts, “I'll pilot.”
“Understood,” the Commander's voice echoed back, as if he hadn't nearly fallen out of the opening, “Doctor, prepare the pilot. Mr. Yuy will be escorted to the observation deck.”
Something about that set Shinji on edge, “Observation deck?”
“He's not authorized to be on the bridge. It's best to not have civilians interfere with combat operations,” Misato explained placatingly.
Shinji and Heero exchanged a glance, something Misato made a note to look into later. There was definitely something up with this family.
As if on cue, a trio of men in matching black suits entered the same doorway that Rei had come from and surrounded Heero. “Please come with us, Mr. Yuy,” one of them said. Despite the phrasing, it was clearly not a request. Heero gave the three a once over, eyes honing in on one man in particular for half a second longer than the others.
“It’s fine,” Heero assured Shinji, “I'll be watching.”
The man stood up, helping Shinji do the same. He leveled Misato with a hard gaze, a clear promise that she would surely regret it if she did not look after the boy, before letting himself be led out by the nameless agents.
“C’mon Shinji,” Misato said, trying to sound supportive, “We need to get you in the entry plug.”
The teen lingered a moment longer to watch his father leave, turning and following the two women out the other entrance as Heero faded into the shadows of the corridor.
—
Shinji took a deep breath as the entry plug sealed him in. No going back. He felt a slight shift as the plug moved into the Eva, but it was surprisingly smooth. There was a dull whirring noise, probably some sort of locking mechanism, and then the dark of the cockpit lit up, the screens along the interior of the cylinder showing solid yellow. There was a bleeping noise, alerting him of a comlink opening.
“Are you feeling alright, Shinji?” Misato’s voice sounded in the plug.
“Yeah, yeah I think so. It's a bit different from what I expected, though. Where are all the buttons? Or pedals?” he asked.
Ritsuko’s voice replaced Misato’s, “The Evangelion primarily uses a neural interface. The physical interface is for secondary functions.”
“Are you ready?” Misato followed.
Shinji took a deep breath, “ Yeah. I'm ready.”
“Okay, then. Begin startup sequence.”
Misato’s words triggered a cacophony of voices Shinji didn't recognize, the words melding into a nonsensical stream he couldn't follow.
“Roger. Inserting entry plug."
"Direct hydro-transmission system, connection prepared."
"Plug fixed in place.”
"First stage connection initiated."
"Filling the entry plug."
A deluge of that orange liquid from before flooded the entry plug. “What the heck is this?!” Shinji cried out in a panic, scrambling up the seat in order to put distance between him and the fluid. In this enclosed space, the scent of blood was unmistakable.
“Relax Shinji,” Ritsuko said, “This is LCL. It's oxygenated so you'll be able to breath. It works as a shock absorber and as a connection vector between your neural connectors and the Evangelion.”
Shinji instinctively held his breath as the LCL rose high enough to completely submerge his head.
“Shinji!” Misato called, her tone reminding him that she was a military officer, “Calm down. Just breathe.”
The shock snapped Shinji out of his panic, or at least enough for him to gain some measure of control. He felt his lungs burning, as his panic had drained his air quickly already. Closing his eyes, he steeled himself and took a deep inhale, feeling the liquid flood his lungs and instinctively making him gag. Then gagged again, the taste of blood making him nauseous.
The voices resumed without preamble.
"Connecting main power."
"Commencing secondary contacts. A-10 nerve connection, normal."
He recognized Ritsuko’s voice calling out "Set the thought configuration to Japanese.”
“All preliminary contacts established."
The liquid grew transparent and the yellow screens began to flash a myriad of colors, some of which he wasn't sure were even real. The light faded and the screens now displayed his surroundings, as if he was looking directly through the eyes of the giant machine.
"Bi-directional circuits are open. Synchronization rate..."
There was a pause before one of the voices he didn't recognize finished in a shocked voice, "45.2%"
A window opened on the screen, giving Shinji a view of Misato turning to stare at Ritsuko accusingly, “How is that possible?!”
Ritsuko shook her head, “I don't know. It might just be natural talent. We can investigate it later. Shinji,” she called to him, “How are you feeling?”
“Okay, I think. It's kind of odd, but no pain or discomfort.” Shinji couldn't really describe the feeling. The best he could come up with was that he was wearing a full body suit, but its nerves were connected to his own.
“That’s normal. Get him onto the elevator.”
There was a jolt alerting Shinji to the platform beneath him moving backwards towards said elevators. He gripped the handles in front of him, for lack of anything else to do.
“Unit-01 is secured. Rails are charged. Gates G7 through 14 are opened. Ready for launch.”
Shinji grit his teeth as Misato gave the order.
“Eva launch!”
—
Heero obediently let himself be led by the men he knew to be part of NERV’s Section 2. He also knew from the floor plans that this was not the way to any observation deck, and that instead it led to the elevator to the detention cells below.
He gave no signs of resistance, until they approached a three way intersection as two corridors met. Heero dropped to the ground without warning, giving a sweeping kick to knock over the two agents behind him. He sprung forward before they hit the ground, spearing the remaining one in front with a shoulder to the stomach just as the agent managed to turn around. The former pilot took advantage of the agent's momentary distraction to grab the hand holding the gun that the mam had smoothly drawn mid-turn. Twisting the agent’s arm behind him, Heero forced the agent to drop the weapon into Heero’s free hand.
With a shove to fling the captive agent into one of the pair scrambling to their feet, Heero rushed forward to the other one, dropping him with a hook to the temple. The third agent finally managed to get from under his teammate that was still struggling to breath only to come find the barrel of a gun in his face before he could bring his own to bare.
“You've gotten slower, Lee,” Heero said flatly.
The remaining conscious agent gave an apologetic look over his skewed sunglasses, “Sorry, Agent Yuy. Standards here are a bit more lax than yours.”
Lee looked over at his teammates, both unconscious, then dropped his gun and held up his hands. “You didn't kill them.”
“No,” Heero said, then moved towards the nearest unconscious agent without taking the gun off of Lee.
“They're in an inner coat pocket in the back. The keys are in my coat’s inner breast,” Lee volunteered, receiving a nod of acknowledgement in return while Heero dug for the indicated restraints.
“Thank you,” Lee spoke again, “For not killing them. They're good men. And Daisuke over there just got married.”
Another nod. Heero then moved back to Lee, waiting for the man to raise his arms before reaching for the keys, “How many of you are there?”
“6,” Lee said, “They tried to recruit as many of the former fire response units as possible. They were looking for the best,” he gave a chuckle, “You shaped us up well.”
This got him what passed for a smirk from Heero. “Wrists,” Heero ordered, prompting Lee to put his arms behind his back for Heero to bind together.
“Hey Agent Yuy?” Lee called one more time as Heero bound the other two men, “Can you go easy on my face? I've started seeing a lady, and, well, y’know.”
Heero returned to Lee, and pulled out a hypospray, though from where Lee couldn't tell.
“No problem,” Heero said. He pressed it to Lee's neck, and everything blurred and went dark.