"Private! Private!"

"Where are the other tanks! What the fuck do you mean they're being road blocked, the entire fucking cities empty, get me those tanks!"

"No fucking way are those idiots in the JASDF (Japan Air Self-Defence Force) taking our glory, get all available men on the front lines, we're not letting this motherfucker anywhere near the city!"

Countless of shouts and obscenities were being thrown around the large mess of a room and the sound of phones ringing was deafening, closely followed by scurrying of panicked Privates.

"WHAT! How did you morons screw this up!" An aged man, who had the insignia for "First Lieutenant" pressed onto his fatigues, slammed a telephone on to the desk he had been sitting in front of, frustration clear on his face. With a large sigh, the man sat back down, hands going to his temple. "Our guys at the front let that fucking monster pass through, looks like its the JASDF's problem now."

Almost as if on cue to the man's words, the phones stopped ringing and everything came to a stop. There was complete silence and everyone in the room looked defeated.

"Why the long faces boys?" The feminine voice cut through the silence like a knife; a sultry knife reeking of sexuality. Immediately, every man was on his feet and in a salute.

"CAPTAIN KATSURAGI!" The thundering of her name brought a wide smile to the beautiful purple haired woman. Dressed in her usual attire of a tight, short black dress and red bomber jacket, the woman was definitely a sight to see. This was proven by every single man's eyes roaming over her form, perspiration forming on their creased foreheads. If Misato weren't on such a high-profile mission she would have stopped to bask in her sex appeal, but decided that it wasn't worth the amount of shit she would get from Ritsuko for wasting time.

Coughing daintily into her hand, she gave the person nearest her-which just happened to be an obese older man-a large smile before asking, "Where can I find the Major?" The man's eyes bugged out, not at the question but at the fact she had directed her question at him, and shakily pointed towards the door nearest the back of the room.

Smiling, she gave the man a small bow, before walking towards the door with a sway to her hips and a sultry smile on her lips. When she felt the eyes of the men follow her swaying hips, her grin grew just a little bit bigger. 'I love being me sometimes.'

After a few pilot knocks, a muffled "Come in!" had come from inside the room and the voice-automated door slid open. The room was small, and if she had not been pointed here, she would have never guessed this to be the office of such a high-ranking official of the JGSDF (Japan Ground Self-Defense Force). Bookcases lined the walls, filled with toppling stacks of papers and books that looked like she'd have trouble carrying, and in the middle of the small room was a small desk that looked as if though it could barely hold the stacks of papers that were on it. Not really knowing where her superior officer was, she hesitantly snapped a salute.

"Good." She nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard the voice so close to her and to the left. Sitting on a small, yet comfortable looking chair was the person she had been assigned to find and retrieve. "Most people don't even bother to salute if their superior isn't in their line of sight."

Dressed in the khaki uniform most of the higher-ups wore, he looked incredibly lazy. The effect was only increased by the creases on his uniform and his slightly askew military beret and black tie. He was a slender man-'Boy,' she reminded herself-yet toned with a mess of brown hair that reminded her of Kaji's minus the pony-tail. His blue eyes were lined with creases from lack of sleep, no doubt from being in such a position of power.

"Katsuragi, Misato, I presume?" His calm and slightly indifferent voice snapped her out of her musings and she once again snapped a salute, this one more proper than her last. He nodded and stood from his chair to formally shake her hand. Misato was surprised at the gesture, most if not all of the other higher-ups would look down on other soldiers as they thought themselves better for working so hard on their career and would rarely offer their hand for a shake. She had heard nothing but good from other soldiers of the young genius that had took the academy by storm, but seeing it was definitely believing it.

"Major Ikari, Shinji. It's my pleasure to meet you."

Ikari Gendo stared down at the monitor that was connected to countless of the security cameras that littered the NERV HQ. His eyes were focused on only one of the screens which was connected to the camera that monitored the main elevator. Behind his tinted shades, his eyes narrowed, focusing in on the rather tall boy that was leaning against one of the walls in the perfect position to bolt out of the elevator or jump into the shaft above him if need be. A trained soldier, and mostly definitely a good one.

After Yui had died, Gendo had been stricken with grief and couldn't even look his own son in the face. Originally he had planned to send the boy to live with his brother until he had a need for him, but it had quickly been shot down by the man in question. He had hung up before his brother could really lay it into him about trying to abandon his only son at such a time of need.

He couldn't let the boy live with him; the mere thought of seeing the child of his beloved wife would drive him insane with grief, so he had been able to pull some strings and had the boy enlisted in the Officer Candidate Training School for the JGSDF. He had been shocked when a year later, he was notified by the president of the academy himself that his son had breezed through the regime with little effort. He hadn't attended the graduation ceremony, nor the one for the National Defense Academy of Japan (University level) a few years later, nor when the boy had been promoted to his current ranking.

At the age of fourteen, Shinji Ikari had ripped through every single record set by his predecessors and acquired the title of Major in the span of three years in active service for performing military leadership and fighting prowess in the minor wars that had followed Second Impact.

When he had learned of his son's promotion he had been stoic on the outside, but on the inside his mind had been a raging storm. The one question on his mind had been; How could such a weak child change in the span of a few years?

Pushing these thoughts into the back of his mind, as he had done countless of times beforehand, he decided it was time to alleviate the bridge crew's worries, who had been staring at his back for a few agonizing minutes of silence.

"We'll just have to reinitialize Unit 01."

Shocked silence met his deceleration, until one of the bridge crew decided to voice the general statement the rest had been thinking; "But that's impossible, there are no more pilots!"

Not turning away from the screen as he watched his son and Major Katsuragi exit the elevator, Shinji's eyes briefly looking up into the hidden camera, he answered the unspoken question; "There's no need for concern, our reserve pilot has just arrived."

"You've been here before!" Misato accused her superior, never having been much of a person for formality. The chuckle she received as answer alleviated her slight worry of the young Major being a tight-up asshole like the rest of his colleagues.

"Of course. As Major in the JGSDF, I'm important enough to have been given the full tour of the notorious NERV HQ." The sarcasm in his voice was palpable and it brought a giggle to the beautiful Captain. The slight dip of his voice at the "full" part of his statement alerted Misato to the fact that Shinji knew a little too much about NERV's on-goings. "So tell me Katsuragi-san, why is it that Ikari-san called for me?" Misato didn't hear any sort of hostility come from the dark-haired boy at the casual mention of his father, but she was smart and high enough on the chain to know just how talented some people could be at masking their true feelings.

"Please, call me Misato!" She gave him a sultry smile, though was slightly put off as the only reaction she received was a slight widening of Shinji's lips. "But as to why you're here, well I guess Ritsuko-ahh, she's part of the first engineering division and the supervisor of Project E-will be able to tell you that once we get there." She had received only a slight nod from the boy Major, as if though he already knew this, which she didn't doubt that he did.

With a small noise the elevator came to a stop, and they were able to step out, Shinji's eyes lingering on one of the corners before he too exited. They continued to walk and as they reached a corner, Shinji wasn't all that surprised when a person slammed into him, feminine from the faint smell of perfume that lingered underneath a more volatile one. With fast reflexes, he deftly moved his body so that he wouldn't fall over and at the same time reached out to grab the person that had bumped into him. He wasn't classified a genius for nothing.

"Ritsuko!" Turning slightly, he noticed that the purple haired Captain had rushed up to the blond and started teasing her for being so unaware of her surroundings that escalated into a full-blown out argument. After a few minutes of amusement on Shinji's part, he decided that they had wasted enough time. Coughing lightly, the two women immediately stopped their arguing. The blond looked surprised at the sight of him and her eyes scanned him, a glint of familiarity shining in her dark eyes, "Ah, Major Ikari, you've arrived." Her eyes narrowed as she regarded Misato, "No thanks to you, Captain Katsuragi!" A huff was her only reply.

Turning back to the amused looking dark haired boy, 'He looks so much like Gendo; give him a beard and glasses and they'd be twins!' she decided that it was time to stop the time-wasting. "Please follow me, Major. There's something that I-we-need to show you before you meet the commander."

Shinji ignored the blaring alarm that sounded around him, opting to focus on the gigantic purple horned head; dulled green eyes staring straight at him. If not for his training and the horrors he had seen in the wars, he would have been terrified at the creature that reminded him of a devil. Now, the only emotion that ran through him was a slight irritation. 'This was what NERV has spent countless of years perfecting?' He nearly snorted, but held it off. 'Pathetic, at least the JSSDF (Japan Strategic Self Defense Force - Which is controlled by the UN while the J(G/A/M)SDF is controlled directly by Japan) didn't hide their plans for that robot from us.'

"So NERV has a robot." His voice was flat and his eyes regarded the blond doctor with only the slightest amount of interest. Both women looked shocked at his response, both having expected some form of shock.

Ignoring the peculiarity of the third child, Ritsuko went into her rant about the 'robot' not actually being a 'robot' but an "Evangelion; a man made all-purpose battle weapon!" This time, Shinji did snort, "Right...so you have a fancy robot." His eyes snapped towards an alcove a few feet above and behind the Eva's head where he had immediately noticed a shadowed form, ignoring the indignant shouts from the blond scientist.

"Ikari Shinji, I've been expecting you."

Ritsuko's words died in her mouth as she followed the gaze of the child and found him staring straight at the origin of the voice; Gendo Ikari. The man stood in his usual ram-rod stance, hands clasped behind his back and eyes hidden behind orange-tinted glasses. In her mind, Ritsuko couldn't help but be impressed by his dramatics, a complete contrast to the thoughts of the two others that stood on the bridge beside her.

"Ikari, Gendo; Commander of NERV. Why is it that you requested me to come here?" Shinji had worded it in such a way that it stressed the older Ikari's inability to order him around. The cool unfamiliarity between the two wasn't a surprise, after all the two men in power hadn't communicated in ten years.

"To ride her." Gendo had easily ignored the barb to his status in power and simply deigned to answer the question, he wasn't speaking to any other child, but to a trained Veteran.

The effect was immediate, though not from who he had expected it from; "Wait a moment, Commander! It took even Rei seven months to synchronize with the Eva - remember! He probably wouldn't even be able to control, let alone fight in it!" His Captain seemed shocked at the prospect and Gendo couldn't help but question the woman's intelligence. Before Ritsuko could rail the woman, as he knew she would, he began, "In case you have not noticed, the person in question is the Major of the JGSDF, those who specialize in ground tactics, which includes hand-to-hand combat. He is obviously adequate in that he achieved such a title at the age of ten." Gendo saw that the Captain's defenses were crumbling and her anger and incredulity was edging away. He decided that this final statement was going to drive it home, "Are you questioning your superior's abilities?" A shocked look passed the beautiful woman's features and she immediately began apologizing to the calm looking brown-haired boy, who waved her off with a simple nod, eyes still focused on Gendo.

"Am I the only available pilot?" Gendo smiled grimly, already having known that any sense of bitterness from his 'son' would not get in the way with his code to keep the people of his country safe; his status as Major of the military sworn to protect the Japanese citizens would not allow for anything but. "Yes." Gendo wasn't the type to sugar-coat things. "Dr. Akagi, show the Major how to pilot Unit 01."

Shinji stared at himself in the mirror of the bathroom he had been escorted to, a simple black plugsuit - as the blond doctor had called it - thrust into his arms. After discarding his clothes and bundling them up, he had slipped into the plugsuit, ignoring the slight discomfort his boxers caused as they flattened against his crotch. Trying not to pick at the material that covered his crotch, he stepped out, thinking that despite the discomfort, he looked rather good in the skin-tight suit. The appraising look Ritsuko had given him only further boosted his ego.

Now he sat in the comfortable seat inside the slim capsule, his hands grasping the butterfly handles loosely, eyes forward. He closed his eyes when he felt a warm liquid touch his feet and slowly rise up his legs, taking deep breaths as he pushed down the instinctual feeling of panic and tried to ignore the smell of blood that came with the warm liquid. He paid only half attention to the words that were ringing around the "cock-pit" and the explanation of what the liquid was. He breathed out and felt the liquid sliding in through his mouth and nostrils, oozing into his body in a way that made his skin crawl, though he did not show the displeasure on his features.

"Remember, Major; In order to move the Evangelion, you must concentrate and focus your thoughts on the concept of what you want it to do. Think walk, or jump, or grab, etc." The fact that Ritsuko actually said the "etc." caused him to snort, and the feeling of the liquid rushing out before rushing back in caused him to grimace. Misato actually laughed at him. "No good underlings" he grumbled, which only caused Misato to laugh even harder. This stopped when suddenly the entire building they were in began shaking uncontrollably. Screams and shouts filled his cockpit from the people on the bridge.

"Hurry, the Angel has found our location, we need to launch the Eva now!"

"Why didn't anyone tell me this thing could fucking shine a bright light out of its chest!" Shinji was angry; the one thing he hated was going into a situation blind, and this was definitely one of those situations. He had done a few warm ups with the Eva and, much to the bridge crew's surprise was able to easily walk and jump over buildings, as well as dodge some of the Angel's powerful attacks.

The one thing he hadn't accounted for as he charged in, was for the blasted thing to shine a light out of that orb in its chest and cause him to trip and fall off to the side. Forcing the Eva to stand up, he glared at the smug looking thing. How he knew it was smug was beyond him, but right now the only thing he had in mind was this monster's destruction. "Don't I have a weapon of some kind or am I going to have to rip this thing with my bare hands?" He had to admit, it wouldn't be the first time. Taking the bridge's silence as an answer, he rushed in, deftly avoiding a strike from the Angel, whose long arms he definitely didn't want to get caught in, and slammed the Eva's fist into the monster's elbow.

He ignored the shouts of success from the bridge crew and moved in to wrap the Eva's hand around the Angel's shoulder and armpit, and with a strain he was able to dislocate the entire arm. Jumping back, he avoided a swipe from the Angel's other arm. Smirking to himself, he stared the Angel down for a second before rushing back in, not giving it the chance to recuperate or some other bullshit like that. This time, the Angel was more prepared and shone it's light again, but Shinji didn't bother to cover "his" face and simply ordered the Eva to move faster, slamming into the Angel and forcing it against a building. A second later, pain shot through Shinji's shoulder. Not having been prepared, he gasped and jumped back, hands clutching his shoulder/the Eva clutching its shoulder.

"It's okay Shinji, the pain you just felt isn't really yours, it's simply the connection you have with the Eva." Scowling, he removed his hand and grabbed the handle's a little more forcefully then before, "Should've told me that before I got in this thing, you moron." He was used to criticizing his subordinates whenever they made mistakes. He didn't do it frequently, but with his position of power he had to or else his troops would get complacent and end up making a great deal of mistakes, thinking they wouldn't face any repercussions. "Sorry, Major." Was the subdued reply from the Captain, who knew the harsh reprimand had been directed at her as she was the one in charge at this point.

Snorting, and ignoring the discomfort that the motion caused inside the LCL - he reminded himself to never do that again - he charged in once again, this time forcing the Eva to move faster. Easily dodging the thrust of the Angel's arm, he didn't bother being as gentle and simply grabbed the offending appendage while slamming the Eva's foot into its chest, right where the orb was, and pulling the arm at the same time. The power behind the kick and the pull ripped the arm right off, much to Shinji's surprise. Blood sprayed out of the wound and Shinji didn't bother to act out his surprise, instead taking the advantage and jumping onto, literally, the angel. Rearing the Eva's arm back, he slammed the closed fist right into the less injured shoulder of the Angel, before rearing the arm back and doing so once again, and again before ripping off the arm as he had done with the other.

Flipping back, just in time to avoid another golden beam of energy that would have slammed into Unit 01's belly, he took a stance, watching the shuddering Angel as it tried to stand on its feet. Without arms to help, it seemed rather futile, and Shinji would have laughed at it if the situation weren't so serious. The bridge was oddly silent, but he did have a slight understanding as to why, you don't see such brutality every day. Smirking, he began walking towards the flopping Angel, the Eva's hands clenching into a fist, his eyes locked on the red orb that was on the monster's chest. As he neared it, he noticed it starting to brighten, and having an idea as to what it was doing, sped up, despite the yells and shouts of him to fall back.

Reaching it in a matter of seconds, he slammed the fist into the red orb, the power behind the punch easily breaking through it and deep into the beast's body. Hands clasping onto what he assumed the things heart to be he crushed it effortlessly, the light as well as the bridge's protests dying along with it. Smirking, he pulled the hand out and turned away from the body, "Mission accomplished."

Shinji sat in the lobby of NERV's hospital, where his 'father' had requested to meet him; apparently the man had something, or someone from what he could tell - they were in a hospital after all - to show him. He was watching the news, the reporter was doing a play by play of what had occurred yesterday, starting from when the JGSDF had failed, he was thinking about finding the reporter and savagely beating him for the way he talked so badly about his troops, to the demise of the Angel. "Major Ikari." Turning his head slightly, he spotted the commander of NERV standing a few feet behind him. The bearded man stared at him for a few seconds before turning and walking, a signal to follow him. Rolling his eyes at the power play, he stood up and sped up so that he were standing shoulder to bicep with the man. Gendo gave him a glance before nodding simply and Shinji couldn't help but smile slightly. He knew how to work politicians and power hungry men; Gendo was just another "notch on his belt," so to speak.

After a few minutes of walking, they ended up standing in front of an unremarkable door, though it did have a security pad stationed beside it, so the person it housed was definitely important. After punching in the numbers, not bothering to so much as hide it, Gendo motioned for him to step in first. Ignoring the play this time, more interested on who was behind the door, he stepped inside and Gendo followed. The room was meant for a single occupant and the bed was hidden behind a curtain. Gendo gave him a nod before walking forward and pulling the curtain to the side, revealing the bed and its occupant.

She was heavily bandaged and looked as if though she were about to die. Despite this, she was definitely awake. Her eyes were a crimson color and were staring up at his 'father' with a glint of respect and the tiniest glimmer of affection, which both Ikari's saw.

"How are you doing Rei?" His hand lightly rested on her forehead as he bent down to stare into her eyes. He looked like an actual father, and if Shinji were a different person he would have felt bitter resentment at the sight. Now, he just felt a slight amount of awkwardness for intruding on such an intimate moment, but mostly indifference. Straightening, Gendo turned to Shinji and appraised his facial expression and was apparently satisfied with what he saw as he nodded, "Major Ikari, meet Rei; my adoptive daughter and pilot of Unit 00." An upturn of his eyebrow was the only indication that Shinji was surprised at the fact that this girl was technically his sister.

Stepping forward, he offered her a small smile, much to Gendo's surprise - though he obviously didn't show it - and bowed ever so slightly, "Greetings Miss. Rei, or should I call you 'Sister?'" The tone of amusement was clear to everyone in the room, and Gendo felt a small amount of pride swell in his chest before discarding it.

Rei's eyes regarded him, drinking in his appearance, a small blush adorning her features at the joke. She knew who this was, and she was secretly awed at him. She had read of the exploits of a young genius that she had found in her adoptive father's office, looking through them with awe and a slight amount of hero-worship; most of the articles detailing his rise in ranks in the war between China and Vietnam. She had read his report and had heard of his skill in Unit 01, and though while she would have been jealous of his skills, she knew that he was definitely a prodigy at nearly everything he did; piloting a gigantic robot was simply another thing to add to his impressive resume.

"Shinji-san" Gendo's eyebrows rose at this, Rei hardly - if ever - called anyone by their given name, this was something he definitely had to look into, "it is a..." The commander of NERV knew that she was trying to remember the phrase, seeing as how she never used it "pleasure to meet you?" In the end it sounded more of a question than a statement, though the chuckle that came from the younger Ikari alleviated her of any sort of worry.

"No Rei, it is my pleasure to meet you."

If Gendo had been a more devious or ill-hearted man, he would have been furious at the blush that rose on the pale girl's cheeks. Being the slightly more caring, if not showing it to anyone but Rei - and that was only in private - man he only felt a small amount of protectiveness at the sight. He would let whatever feelings Rei was developing or had for the Third Child alone, outwardly showing indifference, while on the inside silently cheering his only child on. He grew worried when he saw Rei's complexion pale once again, before she began coughing rather violently, blood coming out of her mouth. The strain of piloting Unit 01 before the Major had took her place had definitely affected her, and with a look to the dark-haired boy, that clearly stated it was time for him to leave, he hurried out to call for a nurse.

With a brief look back at the-still-coughing girl, he stepped out of the room and towards the lobby to exit back to his home, not having been there in a few days. A vibration in the pocket of his black shorts alerted him to a call. Touching the sleek black phone, he raised it to his ear and asked, "What is it?"

There was a scurrying of papers on the other side before he heard the voice of his personal assistant, "Ikari-sama, there seems to be a problem with your living arrangements."

Pausing, he definitely didn't want to hear the rest of what his assistant had to say. Sighing, "What is it?" he responded, irritation clear in his voice.

His assistant had heard him with that tone countless of times, so she was only slightly annoyed; "Well, it seems that the monster hadn't caused too much property damage, but it had destroyed a small sector of the residents area. The sector that you owned."

A tick formed on his eyebrow; how awfully convenient. Turning slightly, he stared at the back of Gendo Ikari, who had just rushed by. For a brief second, Gendo's eyes had moved and had locked with his own and a small, nearly unnoticeable smile had appeared on his face. Nearly growling, he replied to his silent assistant, "Fine, don't bother setting up a hotel; I already have other arrangements." Shutting off his phone, he slipped it back into his pocket and began walking towards the general direction the commander of NERV had disappeared to. A voice halted his movement, "Shinji-kun!"

Turning, he regarded the Captain that had been placed in NERV, his face losing the slight annoyance, "Katsuragi-san." She sighed dramatically, a small smile curving her lips, "Please, Shinji-kun, call me "Misato!"" Rolling his eyes, he simply nodded, "Fine. What is it you need Misato-san?" A tick appeared on the woman's brow, though she wiped the look from her face, replacing it with a honeyed smile.

"Oh, I just came to pick you up. The Commander heard of the destruction of your housing" Shinji snorted, though Misato ignored him, "and he was able to process the proper paperwork for you to live in a NERV designated condo in Tokyo-3!" Misato looked positively gleeful as she leaned in, her face only inches away from his own, though he didn't show any other emotion besides the slightly bored one he had worn throughout their conversation, "Right next to my own." This time, a slight worry crossed his mind before he quickly discarded it, 'What's the worst that could happen.'

It had been nearly a week since he had arrived in the small condo designated by NERV, and in the span of a few days he had felt more irritation than he had in his entire life. Every time he left the condo, Misato would be right outside, pestering him about inane subjects; "Why don't you go to High School? It'd be a great way for you to meet more people your age!" and "You should really stop focusing so much on your work, you need to relax!" or maybe even, "Can you help me with my chores!"

He had replied to each one of her questions with a flat, "Because I don't want to." She would huff and puff about it, only becoming more annoying. He was nearing the limit of his patience. The fact that he was getting countless of calls from Ritsuko for coming in and doing synchronization tests only increased his annoyance; though he eventually blocked her number. When his cellphone started vibrating, he was already in the process of chucking it when he saw that it wasn't a private number. Sighing, he clicked the 'Receive' button and put the phone to his ear.

"There is an incoming Angel," The flat voice of the commander of NERV greeted him, "Head to the local High School and pick up Rei. Keep her safe."

The clicking of the dial on the other line alerted Shinji to the end of the order. Sighing, he grabbed a gray sweatshirt from a small pile off to the side of his room and slipped it on before slipping on a pair of gray loafers, the only footwear he could find in his hurried state. Cursing when he noticed he was still in his boxers, he rushed back to his room and quickly put on a pair of jeans before running back to the door, grabbing his NERV ID on the way out.

I actually liked this one.