Hello everyone! ! Thank you for choosing to take your time to read my newest story. I hope that it will please. Without further ado, let us begin, shall we?

XXXXX

Gendo Ikari sat motionless at his desk with his fingers steepled, inside the brightly lit confines of his large office, the artificial sunlight inside the geofront spilling in from the large windows that replaced three of the walls. To many, they thought the office was simply a show, used to trigger a psychological impact to whomever was summoned into it. The walk over the large seraphic design on the floor, and having to view the imposing one upon the roof, added to the anxiety one would feel as they had to traverse the massive room to come to a stop at Gendo's desk, who would maintain his rigid and intimidating pose.

This was, of course, done on purpose. Everything that Gendo did was meticulous and thought out. Ever since the day he had lost his wife, Yui, and begun working in secret against SEELE to snatch Human Instrumentality away from them, Gendo had to ensure that everything went according to his plan. Which meant he would stoop to any low, manipulate whomever he needed, and commit any atrocity required to see to it that he would be reunited with his love. No man or angel would ever stand in his way.

Which is why the predicament he had found himself in for the past nine years had been a glaring problem that threatened to tear down his hopes and dreams. The problem being his missing son, Shinji Ikari. Gendo let out the smallest grunt, as he thought again about the incident that had occurred two years after he had entrusted his three year old son to his teacher.

The only information that they had, gathered from unwilling witnesses interrogated by Section 2, was late one afternoon as Shinji's teacher was walking him home from elementary school, a black van came to a screeching halt in front of the two and four men jumped out, instantly killing the teacher with a shot to the head with a silenced pistol and pulled Shinji into the van, quickly jumping back in and taking off, all of which transpired in less than six seconds.

The Section 2 agents that had been assigned to Shinji's detail attempted to pursue them, but were unable to catch them, and had been given the slip. There had been no ransom note, and no attempt to contact anyone associated with Shinji or his deceased teacher. The police that were assigned to the case drew the conclusion that the kidnapping was part of a human trafficking ring that had been active in the area lately, though this had been the first time that such a direct and violent abduction had been carried out.

From the little that NERV's intelligence branch could gather, much the same was deduced and even the Magi had come to the same conclusion. Yet no matter how hard they tried, they could find no trace of Shinji being carried through any of the local gangs and promptly vanished from Japan. And so, for the past nine years, NERV's intelligence department has spent much time and energy combing every inch of the world to find Shinji, if he was even still alive. It gave Gendo no end of grief, not because Shinji was his son, but because he was one of the key parts to his plan as the Third Child, being possibly the only person who could pilot Unit 01.

Gendo frowned as he thought more on his son. Gendo's indifference to Shinji's plight as a son rather than a tool was not one borne from malice, it was simply that he had no room to think of him as his son. For what his plans would entail, no such attachments could be made.

The fourth angel would soon be appearing in a matter of days, and Shinji was still missing – if he still lived. To make matters worse, with Unit 00's haywire activation test Rei was still in bad shape, having barely survived the Eva's rampage. She could be forced to pilot Unit 01, but in her condition the chances of victory would be slim indeed.

Letting out a troubled sigh, Gendo pushed away from his desk, deciding to get up and make his rounds when his door was suddenly knocked upon with an urgent frequency. Gendo stopped his ascent and sat back into his chair, resuming his position. "Enter."

The large double doors directly across from Gendo's desk opened, revealing Vice Commander Kozo Fuyutsuki, looking almost alarmed about something. He quickly crossed the large office, a USB flash drive held tightly in his right hand and a manilla folder in his left. Reaching the desk, he forewent any normal military dues and held out the flash drive. "Gendo, you need to watch this."

Curious, though not allowing it to show on his face, he reached out and took the flash drive from his old friend, already moving to plug it into his personal computer. "What's this all about Fuyutsuki?" he asked, his tone carrying it's usual dry severity.

"It would be better if you saw it first Gendo."

Gendo stared up at his colleague for a moment before turning his gaze down to his desk, where he pushed the small switch that would cause a monitor to rise up from the middle of it. A red virtual keyboard and mouse appeared on the desk in front of him, which he quickly manipulated to pull up the single video file that was stored within the drive. The video file began to play, showing what looked to be a video shot from outer space and over looking what appeared to be Southern Asia. Fuyutsuki began to commentate.

"We pulled this video from one of SEELE's satellites. As you know Section 2 has been constantly using it along with the Magi to track for any sign of Shinji." The video begun to zoom in onto the Earth below and soon a slightly grainy image of Southern China came into view, as the video feed continued to zoom to ground level. "This video was just captured less than two hours ago by the Southern Chinese border along Vietnam."

Gendo raised a slight brow to what he was hearing, or of what importance it could possibly serve. Ever since Second Impact, the world had been thrown into upheaval, causing many crises around the world, from territory loss due to rising sea levels, massive death tolls, loss of natural resources and even small wars. The Chinese-Vietnamese border being one of the many territorial disputes that had emerged. Second Impact caused a massive sea level change, which wiped out many miles of land along every coast, and Vietnam had been one of the countries hit the hardest, as their entire country had laid along the coast and was nearly wiped out due to the flooding. Since then, their government had suffered an entire collapse, resulting in their country falling into anarchy. The UN had attempted to restore order to the country after the Vietnamese leader begged for their assistance, but most of the citizens had fallen into many small war bands and showed no interest in cooperating with the UN, which caused them to withdraw and declare the entire area an international crisis.

But because of the mass hysteria the world suffered then, no further attempts at quelling the survivors would be made as the UN's help would be needed elsewhere. It only took a matter of years for the surviving Vietnamese people to unite under the strongest warlord and has since then been leading raids into China for the supplies they need, as their land is little more than a glorified beach for Cambodia and Laos, save the very most northern part.

While such a force would usually be nothing for a country as large as China, they had their hands full keeping their own country intact in the days following Second Impact. China had already been a growing hotbed of unrest due to their corrupt and heavy handed government, and the upheaval of the world did little to soothe the fears of the people, it rather served as the spark that lit the powderkeg. And even fourteen years after Second Impact things had still remained tense in the country, thus requiring constant martial law through the entire country, which prompted China to deal with the relatively small threat the Vietnamese rebels gave by using Private Military Contractors. And while much has remained in the dark, as China has been very reclusive since Second Impact, rumors have spread that the PMC's that China employs are no better than ragtag groups of mercenaries with a polished front to appease the overworked UN that can't spare much time to investigate deeper, including the troubling rumor of some the PMC's using child soldiers.

The video feed finally stopped it's zoom in on a small valley located only a few miles from the China-Vietnamese border, where a multitude of tents and military hardware were set up in a clearing. No logos were visible on any of the equipment, nor on any of the soldiers that were walking through the compound. Gendo's attention was soon shifted as the video feed was paused by Fuyutsuki, who reached over and quickly pressed the spacebar on the virtual keyboard.

"This is the forward operating base of the PMC Iron Phoenix. As you can see, there's no markings calling them as such, but the Magi ran recognition software on all the soldiers and was able to mark a few of them as officers from said PMC who are listed on the UN database. And while it had, they found this." Fuyutsuki pointed at the screen, towards a soldier who's features were only slightly visible due to the current quality of the video, but Gendo knew the Magi was capable of cleaning up the image and using even this odd angle to gather enough data to compile a facial recognition. He looked over as he saw Fuyutsuki open the manilla folder in his hand and withdraw a single piece of paper, which he handed to Gendo.

Taking the paper in his hand, Gendo had to use every last ounce of his self-control to not look shocked. In his hand was a report from the Magi, along with a generated image of a young boy around the age of fourteen, who Gendo knew right away who it was.

"Between the artificial aging program we ran on the last known photo and partial face data we have on video, the Magi was able to give a 96% probability that this -" Fuyutsuki pointed at a single soldier, frozen in frame mid-step, "Is Shinji Ikari." He turned to look at Gendo with a faint ghost of a smile. "We found him Gendo." Fuyutsuki's voice was had a joyful tone to it, but he didn't quite feel that way. Why he was in the middle of a war zone was beyond him, and the implications were grim.

Gendo stared between the frozen video, with only the top half of the supposed Shinji Ikari's face visible, but if the Magi fabricated image was true, then it was his son. He hadn't seen him since the day he left him with his deceased guardian, but even in a computer generated image he could see Yui's eyes in this Shinji. It had to be him. Gendo placed the file down and hit the switch on his desk once more to make the virtual keyboard and mouse disappear along with the monitor as it sunk back into his desk. "I want a recovery team assembled ASAP. Inform Captain Katsuragi that she will be leading the team – I want her here in two hours for a briefing. I want the operation to recover the Third Child airborne in three hours, understood?"

Fuyutsuki nodded once, giving a small salute. Although he grumbled for a moment in his mind, noting that Gendo chose to refer to his son as the Third rather by his name. "Understood." As he turned to leave to find the Captain, he was stopped by Gendo.

"Fuyutsuki. Be certain that the Captain understands the severity of this mission and the essence of time. The fact that he's survived out there this long is nothing we can be happy for. The sooner he's in our custody the better."

Fuyutsuki nodded once, before turning away with a small smile on his face. He let out a soft chuckle, wondering if that was Gendo's way of showing concern for his child. It probably wasn't.

XXXX

PMC Iron Phoenix is one of the largest underground PMC's in the world. Operating as a subset of the International Security Contractors (ISC) located in the USA, they're officially listed as a small set of military advisers that only help as trainers and field commanders for developing countries that could afford to employ them.

But their true purpose is to marshal groups of low paid soldiers to fight in the hundreds of small proxy wars that have sprung up over the past fourteen years, a group of soldiers that operate under their own rules, unbound by any rules of engagement or even basic morality. This includes the hiring of child soldiers, though many if not all who have come under contract with Iron Phoenix were not hired willingly. Many were children from whatever third world country the PMC happened to be operating in, forcibly drafted after their village was destroyed and the people within killed.

This allowed the ISC to continue to make a profit in even the most destitute third world country, while keeping their own casualties down and instead use the locals as disposable infantry that wouldn't raise any questions from the international community.

The forward operating base of Iron Phoenix in the China war theater was no different. Having hired the ISC to deal with the Vietnamese raiders that were constantly plaguing their southern borders, they sent out the 1st Iron Phoenix company to eliminate the threat. Commanded by the notorious Colonel Dave "Bloody Skull" Irons, who had a reputation for leading a ruthless band of mercenaries into some of the most bloodiest war zones in the forgotten corners of the world. The mercenaries were mostly ex-soldiers from military all over the world and a handful of child soldiers who survived the wars in the areas they were drafted from. Within the children soldiers, the oldest one was a Japanese teenager who had been with Iron Phoenix for nine years.

XXXX

Shinji plopped down on the hard metal bench of the table he'd taken a liking to in the makeshift mess hall – if it could be called that. Iron Phoenix had never been one to spare its budget on making the troop conditions more tolerable, like an actual tent for their buildings, instead of the drab green camouflaged tarp that was held up with poles in a rectangular fashion with mosquito nets that hung along it's perimeter. Sure it kept out the incessant rain, but it did nothing for the sweltering humidity and heat. At least he was dressed for the weather, having only a white tank top on and his green camouflage pant fatigues, with black army boots laced tight and splattered with mud. He reached up and rubbed the small scar across his nose he'd received from a scuffle with an enemy soldier, who almost plunged a knife through his head. It always seemed to ache in this kind of weather.

Looking out of the mesh net, he saw the rain still hadn't let up and the dark stormy clouds still blotted out the sun. Most days were like this since they arrived, and it'd gotten to the point where if it wasn't for his work shifts, he wouldn't know what time of day it was. It looked as if it was night out, but it was only 1600 or so.

Shinji let out a sigh as he looked at his metal tray that held the 'food' he was given. Another thing the budget didn't care to improve was the food either. He shrugged once as he scooped a spoonful of the unidentifiable brown mass that would certainly be over spiced and leave a bad taste in his mouth for an hour. Taking a bite, he grimaced, the taste reminding him of dirt that had been over salted. Well, it was better than the gruel he had been eating in Afghanistan for the past six months, he thought. Sand got into every corner of the their base, including the food, causing every bite to be laced with sand granules.

Fresh from the hellish desert of Afghanistan where they had just assisted a small group of banded warlords kill an opposing tribe, they were now thrust into the dense jungles of southeastern Asia. He couldn't tell if he preferred the searing heat or the sweltering heat. Looking through the white mesh of the mosquito net across from him, he watched the heavy rain fall with only passing interest. He had to admit this was one of the most beautiful places he'd been in. But he soon frowned, as natural beauty was only nice if he could afford to enjoy it without having to worry about catching a bullet in his skull from the plethora of hidden hideouts inside the dense jungle.

Another reason he hated the lack of any real walls on any of the regular troop tents. The Vietnamese rebels could get right up to the tree line that surrounded the small clearing their camp was located in and take all the time in the world to line up a shot without any fear of being seen. It hadn't happened yet, but it didn't stop him from keeping an extra eye out. He hadn't survived this long by being careless.

Glancing around the improvised mess hall, Shinji looked at the handful of mercenaries that were enjoying a late lunch. He recognized a few of the faces, but the others were too new for him to really ever ingrain into his memory. Most of the indistinguishable faces here would be gone within a few months if not less, some would lose their nerve and go AWOL as the only real binding thing they had was a contract, not an obligation. The rest would certainly die in some horrible fashion in the middle of this godforsaken jungle. It was a rule that repeated itself time and time again, no matter what battlefield Shinji had come to call home. He'd had friends at one point, mostly other child soldiers that had been thrust into this world as he was.

Shinji's eyes slowly traced the empty space in front of him, from one end of the rusted metal table to the other end. His mind filled the empty bench with ghostly figures of boys and girls ranging from all ages and races. He could still remember their smiles and laughter, ones that he enjoyed seeing when they would gather for dinner and be thankful they all still lived another day. Though, one by one, they had vanished, erased from existence by the horrible acts of violence that were committed in what seemed every day of Shinji's life. And he'd been there for each and every one of his friends deaths.

It wasn't some glorified death like you see in movies or read in books. They didn't die serving some higher purpose or to save another life. They simply were in the wrong place in the wrong time and the ones that weren't granted the mercy of a quick death languished on the dirt, bleeding from a wound delivered by a tool of war and screaming in agony and lamenting the cruel hand fate dealt them before they expired. They were expendable humans that no one in the world cared about, and only served to fatten the pockets of the ISC. This was the reality of the world that Shinji fought in.

His food forgotten, he glanced down at the small scar he could just see peeking above his tank top, under his left collarbone and close to the shoulder. A reminder of a bullet he'd taken for trying to rescue a comrade that had foolishly attempted to advance under enemy fire. It was in the jungles of Burma, 2010, and he was part of an offensive to overtake a suspected village that held anti-government rebels. He was ten then, and still held some foolish notion that he was fighting to keep his friend alive, the one that still remained.

While they were on route to the village, they were ambushed by the rebels, having caught wind of their plans. They had been surrounded on all sides, and had taken heavy casualties from the start. Lying face down in the dirt, the mud seeped into his mouth, its vile taste mixed with the blood that covered the jungle floor. It had taken all his control not to just run as fast as he could and pray he didn't get shot. Instead, he huddled in that disgusting mud, curled up into a ball and screamed as hundreds of deadly metal fragments soared overhead, seeking their next victim. He'd barely registered the feeling of someone shaking his shoulder, and when he looked up, he was sure it was going to an enemy but instead it was the Burmese teenage girl, Thiri, that had volunteered to join them to fight against the rebels that had killed her father. She was a kind girl, who took to Shinji like a younger brother. He couldn't understand much of what she said, having only picked up a few Burmese words in time he'd been stationed there, but they could still communicate through other means. He grew attached to her, in the few months they spent fighting side by side and even fancied a childish crush he held for her. She was also the only friend of his who still alive.

He barely could make out any of what she was trying to say, over the roaring orchestra of automatic gunfire, but the confident look on her face, tainted with only a hint of fear, told him enough of what her plan was going to be. He tried to summon up the words to dissuade her, but at that moment he wanted to believe she could save him, that she could make it all go away. As soon as she got up to begin running however, Shinji knew the horrible mistake he'd made in letting her go. He called out her name once, but it was already too late, she got no more than ten feet away when she dropped in a spray of her blood.

His heart stopped, as he watched her body fall. He became unaware of anything else, including his own screams as he called out for her. He didn't even remember picking himself up off the ground, running towards where she fell and it wasn't until he felt a searing pain tear through his chest that he was brought back to reality. It hadn't been the first time he'd been shot, but this one hurt more than any he could remember. Falling to the ground, the force of the round knocking him flat, Shinji let out an agonized scream as his hand shot to the wound. He pushed the pain to the back of his mind however, as he pulled himself once more from the mud, and did his best to crawl towards the prone figure of Thiri, who was laying on her right side, her back facing him.

Every movement tore at his wound as he crawled, causing Shinji to whimper in pain, muffling his words as he called out to Thiri. She was going to be okay, he repeated over and over in his mind, staring at his goal. Reaching her, he managed to pick himself up to his knees and with a gentle yet firm pull he rolled her onto her back. It would be an act that he would forever regret, an image forever seared into his mind.

She'd taken a bullet to the back right side of her skull and exiting out somewhere around her right eye. The right side of her face was torn apart by the force of the round, her brains leaking out from the wound. What remained of her face was frozen in pain, and her only visible eye stared into Shinji, boring into the horror stricken child. He could see it in her eye, all the blame that was directed towards him for letting her run out as she did. It was all his fault. Shinji didn't know if it was the gruesome sight or the shock of his wound, but he let out a single terrified scream before succumbing to darkness.

He awoke later in the field hospital of the main Iron Phoenix base, apparently a nearby patrol of government troops heard the ambush go off, and managed to help the surviving offensive fight off the rebels. Shinji had gotten lucky, the bullet tore through his chest and miraculously avoided his ribs, collarbone, and just barely avoided his lung. The bleeding had been stopped by the field medic that had survived, and he was evacuated.

Since that day, Shinji had grown distant from his troop, refusing to socialize with anyone. He didn't want to get hurt again, like he had with Thiri. It helped that he'd gained a reputation as being bad luck. Any operation he was assigned too always tended to turn into shit, with more than a few deaths at the end of them. He'd lost too many friends, and now only waited until he was granted the same release that his friends had been granted from this hell. He supposed that if he survived long enough, he could possibly try and leave Iron Phoenix. But he would end up with a bullet in his back if he tried, they would fear him letting the world know about the PMC's dark dealings with their child soldiers. He was consigned to fighting in one battlefield to the next, until he finally found the bullet meant for his hide. He wondered if he would be like the others, screaming in regret and fear for dying, as they cursed the bastard that shot them, or if he might go with a smile on his face.

He'd even considered suicide before, though every time he put the cold barrel into his mouth, he would be instantly plagued by the ghosts of his friends, all of them angry with him for being such a coward. He didn't deserve such a nice, clean death. He could see it in their hollow black eyes that bled black blood which stained their deathly pale flesh as they surrounded him at night. They were angry with him, for being the only one to survive, while they were all killed.

Every night they came to him. He had to sleep with the covers over his head in small cot, covered in his own cold sweat as he felt their ghosts surround his bed, all glaring down at him. Sleep never came easy to him, as he would grip his sheets in terror as he felt his heart hammer in his chest, their hateful glares burning through his woolen blanket. And when he did sleep, it was no respite. In his dreams, they would whisper to him, reminding him of his sins.

A loud crack of thunder snapped Shinji from his waking nightmare as he snapped his head up. His breathing was unsettled, and he leaned forward to rest his head in his hands. He could feel the cold sweat stain his body, and he knew it wasn't from the humidity. He let out a soft curse as he wished the Colonel would allow them hard liquor, but it was never rationed out until the area was more secure. Looking around, trying to find something to get his mind off his past, he saw the mess hall had emptied out, leaving him alone with his cold pasty food.

Shinji muttered out another curse as he grabbed another spoonful of food, he wasn't hungry anymore, but knew he would be in a few hours when he had to attend to his shift on guard duty. Doing his best to shove his dark thoughts of his past to the back of his mind, he began shoveling the disgusting meal into his mouth, finding it easier to eat if he tried not to taste it. Finishing the last spec of food, Shinji began to stand up to deposit his tray when he heard a voice call out to him from behind him.

"Private Ikari." the voice called out to him in English.

Shinji quickly stood, dropping the tray unceremoniously onto the table as he turned and saluted, his military training kicking in. "Sir!" before him was an officer that had been attached to the 1st company on this campaign. His dark green combat fatigues identified him as M. Smith, rank Second Lieutenant, making him his superior officer by leaps and bounds but Shinji never bothered to learn his first name.

"Colonel Irons wants you to report to him ASAP." Smith barked out, his tone authoritative yet artificial, making it clear he had never had any real field experience and was probably fresh out of some academy.

Shinji stifled his frown as he quickly acknowledged the order and watched the Second Lieutenant march off. Colonel Irons had been the driving force for all the misery in his life, since he'd been delivered to his 'care'. Shinji quickly shook his head as he turned to grab his tray. Thinking about the past life he could barely remember wouldn't help him any. Some days he wondered if those peaceful days he had as a child were even real. The fuzzy memories of his homeland only served to taunt him, rather than comfort him. Dropping the tray onto the stack of other dirty trays, Shinji braced himself for the trek across the camp that was being assaulted by heavy rainfall.

XXXX

Colonel Dave "Bloody Skull" Irons sat behind his fold out desk going over the latest batch of reports from the recon teams he'd sent out to patrol the long stretch of valley that ran across the Vietnamese border. He was in his forties, yet his age didn't show on his muscular body and if he had any gray hairs it wasn't noticeable as he shaved his head and only grew a mustache that was still a vibrant black. Born of African descent, his skin was dark, and he had cold brown eyes that instilled fear into any solider that crossed him.

So far they'd discovered several enemy hiding spots, but no enemy. They'd set up traps in case the Vietnamese ever returned, but for the time being it seemed as though they had vacated the surrounding area. His gut told him that it wasn't something as convenient as them all turning tail and fleeing back to whatever rats nest they called home. He narrowed his eyes as he placed the report back down onto his desk. Something told him they were preparing for something. Iron Phoenix had only been here for two weeks and had yet to make contact with the enemy, but this was the Vietnamese stomping ground. He wouldn't be surprised if they already knew Iron Phoenix was here and were planning an attack.

The flap of his tent shifted, causing the dull roar of the rain that assaulted the heavy tarp of his tent to increase. Looking up, he didn't suppress his ill smile seeing who walked through, dripping wet from the rain. "Shinji. Glad to see you wasted no time in your Jap ass over here." Colonel Irons spoke, his voice dripping with false joy. His relationship with the boy had been a strange one.

To say he hated the boy was no understatement and it wasn't something he hid either. Ever since he was first dropped off at his base nine years ago as a sniveling brat, he'd done everything he could to make the boys life hell. He knew that he'd been abducted from his home and sold off as a soldier to die in some godforsaken country, but it invoked no sympathy from Irons. If you asked why he hated Shinji so much, no definitive answer could be given, it was simply that the boy struck a nerve within him. So he constantly threw him into the worst conflicts he could. From the harsh plains of Africa, to the desert crags of Afghanistan, the rainforests of South America and the dunes of Egypt they had been fighting for years, but for reasons that mystified him Shinji came out the other end of hell injured, but never dead. It was a never ending source of irony for him that by giving him this Spartan-esque lifestyle he'd strengthened the very thing he wanted to kill. Hell, Shinji was the longest surviving soldier in the entire 1st company. They stopped counting his confirmed kills a long time ago, but it was easily past one hundred. The only thing that brought Irons any measure of joy from the situation was the teenagers mental problems that was slowly breaking him.

The shrinks had checked him out numerous times, and every time the result was the same. He was damaged more than the average child soldier. Most coped with their reality early on and adapted to the life they were in and only had a few instabilities. Shinji, on the other hand, always went on about trying to save as many people as he could, but they all died regardless. It was the reason that he saw the phantasms that haunted him at night. While the troops complained constantly about Shinji's screaming that would wake them up in the middle of the night, Colonel Irons loved the tune of it, when it drifted into his private tent.

Shinji grit his teeth, not letting it show though. He knew it was fruitless to talk back to the Colonel's insults. Doing so would only give the bastard an excuse (not that he needed one) to 'discipline' him. "Forgive me, Sir."

Colonel Irons waved his hand as he stood. "Stow it. I only called you here to let you know you're pulling double duty tonight on gate watch. Go relieve the soldier on duty now." Irons made no attempt to hide his grin. He watched as Shinji's eyes widened for half a second, before returning to their neutral state. He knew the boy wouldn't argue, even though Irons wished he would. God, he could only hope that some monkey out in the jungle would finally have the good sense to put a bullet in the teen. Even though he'd miss his personal stress reliever, at least he'd never have to put up with him again.

Shinji gave a quick salute, feeling his rage seethe under his skin. He'd just gotten done with the very same watch and was planning on getting some sleep before his next, but he wasn't surprised at the turn of events. He tended to get these surprise shifts once a week at least, followed by a mission. He supposed it was Irons way of trying to tire him out before a sortie, in hopes it would get him killed. As much as he wished for a release from this godforsaken world, he'd hate to give this asshole the pleasure of his death. Turning to walk out, he heard Irons speak up behind him.

"Glad to see you're a well trained dog who knows not to bark at his master now. Make sure you stay like that." Irons grinned as he watched Shinji shake for a moment before continuing to march out of his tent, once more stepping out into the torrential rainfall.

Shinji didn't try to suppress his visible rage as he walked towards the barracks, making other soldiers give him a wide berth. He swore he would see that bastard on the ground and pleading for his life someday.

XXXX

Misato Katsuragi sat in an unpleasant mood on the turbulent VTOL assault craft that was currently transporting her and her team. The mission she'd been given was unsettling to say the least. The Third Child was a hot topic that anyone involved in the Evangelion project knew about. Most thought he was dead, and that NERV was wasting money trying to find him, that it was mainly the Commander trying to find his lost son. But then, the Third Child had been found after years of searching, but it was in a war zone of all the horrible places.

She double checked her gear she'd been given by the Chinese NERV branch, who supplied them with their VTOL as well. A standard issue grey flak jacket with the NERV logo on the back, a FAMAS bullpup rifle with four full clips of 5.55x45mm NATO rounds. Two fragmentation grenades and a survival knife attached to the left shoulder strap. It made her a bit nervous, truth be told. She'd had the training, certainly, but she'd never actually gone to a real war zone.

The plan was simple, she was to make contact with the PMC, offer a price to take Shinji Ikari from them, then extract back to NERV HQ. She crinkled her nose as she thought about it. Negotiating with these people just feels wrong. Why do we have to buy off a child stolen and forced to fight in wars? Is this the kind of world I'm fighting to save? Misato let out a sigh as she sunk in her seat.

"You okay Captain? You look a little nervous." A male voice called out to her, just audible over the roaring engine and the hammering sounds of the heavy rain splattering against the hull of the VTOL.

Misato let out a soft chuckle as she peered across the VTOL, where Makoto Hyuga sat strapped into his seat wearing the same gear as she was. To either side of him sat two more NERV security guards who thankfully had experience in the JSDF and had volunteered to come along as their escorts. They had the same equipment, but wore helmets and goggles that covered up their features. "I don't really think you should be asking that when you can't keep your leg from shaking Makoto." She pointed towards his right leg, which was moving on it's own volition.

Makoto let out a nervous laugh as his right hand shot out to grasp onto his knee, stopping his leg, while he used his left hand to straighten up his glasses. "It's only nerves Captain, I'm just excited is all." He tried to sound convincing, but he cursed as even he could hear the shake in his tone.

Misato gave the man a small smile, before she sat back up in her seat and readjusted her lucky beret. "I'm honestly surprised you chose to volunteer, you never struck me as the kind of guy that would risk his neck in these types of situations."

Makoto seemed to beam with pride for a moment as he puffed out his chest. "Well, I couldn't let you go out alone could I? It's my duty to make sure you stay safe." Upon further inflection as to what he had just said, a small pink tint colored his cheeks as he nervously coughed. "A-As your aide of course."

Misato laughed as she gave the nerdy technician a sly wink, causing him to turn a shade of red. "Well thank you Makoto." She wasn't blind, she knew the awkward tech liked her. She thought he was kind of cute, but liked her men a bit more forward.

"Captain Katsuragi, can you come up here for a moment?" The pilot called out from the cockpit in Japanese, though he had a thick Chinese accent. He was the only pilot at the China NERV branch that spoke Japanese, but his accent made it a bit hard to understand.

"One moment," she replied as she undid her belt. Standing, she quickly crossed the VTOL, feeling the strange sense one gets when walking in a flying vehicle. Leaning into the cockpit, her features illuminated with the green glow of the technical readouts, she looked through the windshields, seeing that most of the view was obscured by thick rain clouds and rain. Glancing down to the two pilots, she spoke,"What do you got for me soldier?"

The pilot pointed towards a tactical display in the center console that showed an elevation map of the surrounding area around the VTOL. "We're nearing the PMC F.O.B, but we're getting strange readouts on our radar, look here -" He pointed again towards the tactical map. "It's picking up on what looks like a massive amount of movement."

Misato furrowed her brow as she watched the massive white blob move in unison through the forest. They were still in China, so it had to be some localized troops, perhaps even something affiliated with Iron Phoenix but – there, in the clouds! "Look out!" Misato yelled as she saw something soaring towards the VTOL. She barely had time to brace against the door of the cockpit as the pilot pushed hard against the stick, causing the VTOL to bank right as the rocket meant for them whipped by harmlessly.

"Shit!" the Pilot yelled out as he saw more were joining them. He started yelling to his co-pilot in Chinese, and the VTOL began to strafe left and right as it began defensive maneuvers. "Captain Katsuragi! Get back to your seat!"

Misato growled as she would if the damn ship could stop moving for a moment! "We need to hurry and get to the PMC base! I don't think these guys are Chinese, so they're going to be in trouble soon if we don't –" She was cut off by the sight of a red glow coming from the horizon. The PMC Iron Phoenix base was surrounded by an inferno.

"I think it's a bit late for that Captain Katsuragi." The pilot spoke grimly, as he kept his head on a swivel looking for more incoming enemy fire.

"I don't care, get us in there! We have to find and rescue the Third Child!" Turning hard, she turned towards her team that regarded her with worried looks. Shinji, you better not die after surviving this long.

XXXX

Shinji let out a hard curse as another mortar round exploded no more than twenty feet from him. He thought he might have seen someone standing there, but he could really care less at the moment. He tried to figure out what the hell had happened, but everything was moving way too fast. One moment he was in the barracks getting his gear together, the next everything had gone to shit and quick. The base was hit hard by multiple mortar and rocket strikes, the fact that the barracks hadn't been immediately blown away amazed Shinji. He wasted no time in grabbing his personal FN SCAR-H, his sidearm, a Beretta 92FS and a flak jacket to throw over his tank top before fleeing the massive building that served as a perfect target.

Now, he was greeted by the burning ruins of the base that had been absolutely peaceful not two minutes prior. He needed to find his squad leader, but the base was in absolute chaos and he needed to find some solid cover and quick, infantry would have to be storming the base any moment now. He spotted some concrete road blocks near the road just twenty feet ahead of him, he could take cover there and take a moment to get his bearings before figuring out what to do.

As soon as he started running forward however, a familiar sound of deadly steel pelting the earth behind his feet made him aware he was under fire, and it was coming from behind him. Adrenaline blasted into his system and Shinji's heart pounded in his chest as he ran as fast as he could towards the concrete road block. He could actually feel the mud from the displaced earth that the bullets were throwing up lick against his legs, informing him of just how close the rounds were getting to him. The barrier was only feet away, and he pushed off as hard as he could in a jump, and prayed. He barely noted the barrier passing underneath him as he hit the packed in dirt of the well traveled road on the other side, and heard the gunfire that had been chasing him slam into the concrete, shattering pieces of it off.

He quickly rolled up against the barrier and gave himself a moment to catch his breath and try in vain to wipe the mud from his face. He waited until the sound of the metal slugs peppering the concrete wall stopped before daring to pop his head up once to see if the enemy was close, but didn't see anyone. Dropping back down quickly he guessed that they must have been firing from the treeline. There was no way he could possibly fire back at them. Looking around again, he saw the road was mostly clear, save the occasional soldier that would run across, heading to his assigned area. Shinji cursed his luck for being caught in this mess without any direction to follow beyond his own.

The only intel he had on the enemy so far was they were firing from the northern tree line. If he couldn't get a proper area to defend, he should probably just join the next soldier that ran north to form a defensive line. Then, he caught the sound of an inbound helicopter, and glanced up to see a large grey VTOL, with a logo he could just barely make out on the side of it's door. NERV? The airship blasted past him and towards the landing zone for supply helicopters.

Shinji narrowed his eyes as he stood into a low crouch that would keep him hidden from sight behind the barricade. He didn't know what he could do to help with the current attack, but if that VTOL held the enemy, they were about to get flanked. He needed to intercept them. Checking his SCAR once, he saw everything was in order and mud hadn't gotten into anything important. Taking a single deep breath, he made a break for an opening in the concrete barrier on the other side of the road.

XXXX

"You two stay here and keep the engine on, if we're not back in thirty take off without us." Misato yelled over the roar of the engine and the rain. Luck seemed to be on their side, the helipad was on the southern end of the base and was the farthest from the fighting. Shutting the sliding metal door to the passenger bay, Misato turned to see the two NERV security guards securing the area, while Makoto nervously looked towards the tracer rounds that were lighting up the dark sky to the north, accompanied by the sounds of explosions and gunfire.

She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, causing the man to flinch as he turned towards her looking afraid. Seeing who it was however made him look ashamed as he averted his eyes from her. She gave him a comforting smile. "It's okay to be afraid Makoto – I'm scared shitless myself," she interrupted herself with a chuckle. "But the fact that you stepped off that VTOL means you have the courage needed, right?"

Makoto took a deep breath, and nodded once, loosening up. Reaching up, he tried to wipe the rain off his glasses, but saw it wasn't going to do much good. "Yeah, I guess it does, doesn't it?" he asked, feeling proud of himself, now only thinking he had a less that certain chance of dying today.

Misato winked at him, "Besides, I need my knight to keep me safe, right?" She hid a snicker as she saw his face go red. Maybe he wasn't the most forward, but she did have to admit teasing him was rather fun.

"Captain! The area is clear!" One of the NERV security called out.

Misato motioned with her head to tell Makoto to follow her, which he did with a stuttered and mumbled reply. Looking out, she saw the helipad was surrounded by chain link fence, and the only exit was about twenty feet out, leading into a road surrounded on either side by concrete barriers. To the left of the exit though, was an area full of tent looking structures, made with blue tarps. "That looks like a supply depot! Lets cut through there and try to stay out of sight, we don't know how Iron Phoenix is going to react to our presence so lets keep ourselves hidden until we can find a good time to introduce ourselves!" She yelled out, barely able to hear herself over the storm and gunfire.

The two NERV security guards nodded and one took point as he raised his FAMAS and started down the path, while the other moved behind Misato and Makoto, taking up the rear. As they moved, Misato turned towards Makoto to tell him to stay close to her, but judging by his serious expression and firm grip on his weapon, no such words were needed. Deciding to take after his example, she started keeping her eyes peeled for any strange movement from the dancing shadows of the base, as explosions from mortars illuminated the sky briefly.

Once they crossed into the supply depot, Misato felt herself breathe a bit easier, no longer having to worry about being spotted from far away. The NERV security guard on point was being cautious, stopping at each tent and carefully peeking around, ensuring that no one was around it. They slowly made their progress through, and judging by the increasing sounds of battle, the fight at the northern part of the base was far from over. A loud crack of thunder caused Misato to jump slightly, and was happy to see the others with her had the same reaction. They were all on edge, and the storm wasn't making things easier.

The NERV security guard on point checked the corner they were about to turn once, pulled back, and then moved out again and was then greeted by the crack of gunfire that barely missed him as his instincts told him to jump back. The hail of bullets continued as it tore through the blue tarp, making them all drop with a yell as it strafed across where they had all been standing.

Misato yelled out once, "Stop shooting! We're not the enemy!"

XXXX

Minutes earlier . . .

Shinji slowly stalked through the supply depot, going around each corner with his SCAR raised and his finger ready to unleash a storm of steel on whoever found himself on the wrong end of it. He spotted the unknown soldiers come out of the helipad in a standard line formation into the supply depot, undoubtedly seeking to stay out of sight while they moved closer to the base. Even if he had no love for Iron Phoenix, if they were overrun his own life would be forefit.

It was funny, as much as he wished to be rid of this life, he still clung to life. Perhaps he just really was a selfish coward that would do anything to make sure he stayed alive. A loud crack of thunder made Shinji realize he had lost some of his focus, causing him to shake his head. Now wasn't the damn time. Taking a deep breath, he popped around the next corner, only to find a soldier pointing a FAMAS at him six feet from him. His instincts kicked in in a flash, and he squeezed the trigger causing a burst of rounds to scream from his barrel towards a target that had already retreated behind the flimsy cover of the tarp. Wasting no time, Shinji swept his assault rifle left, pelting the tent and hoping to hit his target.

"Stop shooting! We're not the enemy!"

Shinji stopped, his finger letting off the trigger, as he heard the woman's voice ring out. It wasn't that he thought she was sincere, it was just the sheer shock of hearing what language she called out to him in. It had been Japanese. Shinji's mouth fell agape slightly as he ran the words through his mind again, he was somewhat rusty as the last time he had spoken Japanese was with his oldest friend, Kou, who had been abducted around the same time as him but died in their second campaign in Africa years ago. Since then he'd only spoken English, having been forced to learn it in a US based PMC.

But why would a group of Japanese speaking soldiers have come all the way out to the middle of nowhere? Shinji's hand shook on the trigger, his fear telling him to keep up the fire before they popped back around cover, but he forced it down, he had to know why they were here. Doing his best to remember his mother's tongue, he called out. "Who are you?! Show yourself!" He knew he probably fumbled a word or two, but figured it was close enough.

Misato was surprised when she heard the shooter respond to her in Japanese, she was about to yell out again in what little English she knew when the young voice called out to her. She looked towards the NERV security guards and nodded her head, whispering, "It's okay, he's with the PMC, if we comply we can diffuse this. Just follow my lead."

The two NERV security guards looked skeptical, trading looks with each other. Makoto noticed this and let his FAMAS drop and let it hang by it's shoulder strap. "I'm with you Captain." he spoke with a nod, receiving a thankful smile in return. The two NERV security finally agreed, and mimicked Makoto.

Misato nodded again and stood, letting her own weapon hang as she raised her hands up. "Okay! We're coming out!" Taking a deep breath, she let her leg proceed her, as she slowly edged into the open and prayed she wasn't about to die. Turning, she saw that their shooter was staying perfectly still, with a SCAR assault rifle pointed straight at her. She involuntarily flinched seeing it, but kept moving forward.

"That's far enough! Who are you!?" Shinji hated that he didn't know any more advanced words in Japanese, throwing in another phrase in English, "Identify yourselves!" He couldn't help but notice that the woman who stepped out was beautiful, more so than most women he had seen in his life.

Misato noticed that the shooter couldn't have been older than fifteen, but he certainly had a well toned body that would be expected from a lifelong soldier. When she looked towards his face, clear blue eyes and short brown hair, she couldn't hide the shock she felt. "Y-You! Are you Shinji Ikari?!" she asked, not believing her luck.

Shinji's spine crawled as the beautiful woman called out his name. He suddenly felt incredibly freaked out and his mind started throwing insane ideas at him as he kept his rifle trained on her.

Realizing that she must have freaked him out, Misato quickly added, "I'm Captain Misato Katsuragi of the Japanese NERV branch, we've come to find Shinji Ikari!"

Shinji felt his confusion grow more, some of the words Misato Katsuragi used were lost on him, but he understood enough to know she was affiliated with something called NERV and was looking for him. But why would someone from Japan want him? His first wild thought was they might have been people coming to kill him for some past crime he'd committed in another country, but that was even more absurd than what they were here for. A small voice from the back of his head suggested an idea to him, but he didn't listen to it, it was impossible. "What do you want with Shinji Ikari?" he called out.

Misato felt her sweat mingling with the rain, as the boy who looked exactly like the photo she had in her mission briefing holding his rifle at her with unwavering precision. What she said next would likely determine his next actions. "His father sent us to find him. We've been looking for Shinji Ikari for years, and have only now discovered he is somewhere within this base." She saw the look on his face shift to surprise and she knew she was on the right track.

His father? Shinji let his rifle point drop slightly, as he felt a wave of emotion that he hadn't felt fall onto him. Fuzzy memories of a stern bearded man came to him, speaking to him, though he couldn't remember the words. It wasn't the man who was shot the day he was abducted, he knew that much. Shinji felt his mouth go dry as the implications of what the woman in front of him spoke of rang in his mind. And the voice that he'd ignored earlier came back to him with a smug tone, in a told-you-so manner. They've come to get you out of here.

His natural caution won out over his hope, however, and he had to continue with his facade. "If. . . If you found Shinji, what would you do with him?"

Misato almost felt her heart break at hearing the question. While his tone had been firm, the pause at the start told her all she needed to know. He was a boy who had been thrust into a world he didn't want, his innocence torn from him, and he couldn't even allow himself to be given over to hope. She slowly let her hands drop, and saw that Shinji didn't react to it. "We'd offer to take him back to Japan with us, where he could be reunited with his father and at the very least, you wouldn't have to use that," she nodded towards his gun, "ever again." She didn't have it in her to tell him that she was going to drag him from this battlefield to the next, and sincerely doubted she could explain it to him in the middle of an active war zone at any rate.

Shinji's hands trembled at hearing what she spoke, not truly believing his ears. All his long developed instincts told him this was far too convenient, that her offer couldn't possibly be real. But he wanted it to be, so damn much. A vision of his earliest memory came to him, of a smiling woman with short cropped brown hair, her smile warmer than the sun that beat down around them. He never had any proof or conformation of her identity, but he knew the memory was of his mother. For whatever reason it showed itself in his mind, it helped him decide. Shinji lowered his SCAR and nodded. "Alright. I'm Shinji Ikari, how are we getting out?"

Misato smiled and turned towards the three behind her, who all looked immensely relieved. With a wave of her hand, she beckoned him over. "We have a VTOL on standby at the helipad, it'll get us out of here."

Shinji nodded once and jogged to catch up with them, moving in behind Makoto who gave him a sideways glance, but decided to save any introductions for later. The NERV security guard on point turned and started moving quick back the way they came, ready to get the hell out of here now that they'd secured the target.

As they moved, Misato reached pulled out a radio and turned it on. "VTOL come in, we've secured the package and are en route, over." Static exploded from the radio but was soon interrupted by gunshots coming out from it.

"Captain! You need to hurry we have hostiles coming over the fence!" The sound of a side arm rang out twice. "They don't look like PMC's, and there's a lot so hu – argh!" The radio cut off back to static.

Misato gasped as she heard the cutoff from the radio. "Chang, come in!" She called out, using the pilots first name, her voice tinged with worry. "Dammit Chang, respond!" Silence. "Shit! Double time people the VTOL is in danger!"

The NERV security guard on point nodded once before breaking out into a sprint, with everyone keeping up behind him. No one spoke a word as they all understood that their only exfiltration was compromised. As soon as they cleared the supply depot and could see the helipad through the chain link fence.

Misato let out a silent gasp as she saw that four Vietnamese rebels, all dressed in ragtag outfits and heavily armed were dragging the corpses of the pilots from the VTOL. But before she could say anything, she screamed in surprise as four bursts of automatic gunfire went off next to her.

Shinji glared at the rebels, quickly lining up shot after shot and sending short bursts of fire towards his targets and watched them drop in a spray of blood as the heavy rounds tore through their flak jackets. They didn't have any time to react to the new threat and all four went down.

Misato looked at the teen in shock, as he looked towards them like they were crazy. "What are you waiting for?!" Shinji yelled out, looking at them, "Get to the VTOL! There's going to be more where they came from!"

Misato shook her head once, and had to remind herself that this kid probably had done such a thing hundreds of times in the past nine years. "Get to the pilots, pray they're still alive! Go go!" The five charged across the muddy field, and it seemed as if the rain started coming down even harder. They crossed the field in a matter of heartbeats, and when Misato came to a sliding halt by the pilots, she didn't need to check their vitals. Both had numerous wounds, but they had been finished off with a bullet to the head each. "They're both dead."

Mikoto blanched as he realized they were stranded. "Captain, what are we going to do?!" The NERV security guards both seemed to share the techs worries as they looked at each other, when Shinji spoke up from inside the VTOL.

"Hurry up and get inside, I'll fly us out of here!" He quickly reached down and pulled off the bloody headset from the pilot.

For the second time, she looked at Shinji in shock, "You know how to fly one of these?" Just who the hell is this kid?! For a moment she was reminded of a certain red headed German who too had a pilots license, and almost wanted to laugh at fact of another Child sharing the same skills.

Shinji looked annoyed as he stopped halfway into the cockpit. "I can give you my life story later, just get everyone in the damn VTOL so we can get the hell out of here!" As he didn't how to curse in Japanese, he drifted between English and Japanese.

"He doesn't need to tell me twice." Mikoto spoke as he jumped into the VTOL, followed shortly by the two NERV security guards, who stopped to pick up the corpses of the fallen NERV pilots and bring them inside.

Misato shook her head once and decided she had a lot of questions for the young soldier as she jumped in and quickly slid the steel door shut closed behind her. Looking into the cockpit she saw Shinji already manipulating the controls. "Everyone's accounted for!"

"Roger that," He spoke in English, "Get ready!" As he started to pull back on the stick, he saw Misato quickly climb into the co-pilot seat, and he was about to say she needed to get back, but decided against it as he lifted the VTOL up and once he got to the proper altitude, shifted the engines forward to send them flying off.

Misato let out a long breath, as she felt immensely better, now that they were airborne. She felt like she'd just ran a marathon after everything that had happened. She decided to bug Commander Ikari for a raise after everything was done. This was way above her pay grade. Glancing over at Shinji, she saw he was looking down towards the burning base as he banked around it to lead the VTOL further into China. His eyes were watching as the rebels were clearly outnumbering the PMC and Iron Phoenix had already sustained massive casualties if the splayed out bodies were any indicator.

Shinji narrowed his eyes as he scanned the defensive line. He hoped that maybe, just maybe he might see the bleeding corpse of Colonel Irons, but within seconds they were already clear of the burning base as he put the accelerator to full. He might not get the satisfaction of seeing the bastard die, but at the very least he knew there was no way he'd survive this.

"Are you regretting leaving them behind?" Misato asked, watching his face. She didn't know how he felt about the PMC, but after being there for so long, she wouldn't be surprised if he held some sort of feelings towards them.

Shinji snorted once and shook his head as he looked forward. "Anyone I cared for there is long dead. And the only people that are left are ones I want dead. Whatever awaits them, they brought on themselves." His face darkened, as he thought that he himself will probably have such an end. It was a case of the pot calling the kettle black. Looking over at Misato, he saw she was looking at him like she pitied him more than anything else in the world, which made him feel uncomfortable. "So. . . where to?" he asked.

Misato looked forward herself feeling an overwhelming sadness grip her as she heard his words. The poor boy, what hells had he seen? "Head towards Bejing, we're expected at the NERV branch there."

Shinji nodded, already manipulating a tactical readout that served as a GPS. "So, this NERV, what are you guys? Some kind of military? I've never heard of it."

Misato nodded once as she adjusted herself to get more comfortable. "I'm not surprised. But lets save that for later okay? It's going to be a long explanation."

Shinji looked at her with a raised eyebrow, but decided against pushing her for more information at the moment. He was already in their care, he might as well wait until they were in better circumstances to talk.

As silence grew between them, with the only sound being the roar of the engines and the rain which started to let up the further they traveled, Shinji felt a strange sensation grip him. As he looked towards the horizon that was ever growing brighter, as the clouds thinned, he realized that he was free, truly free of Iron Phoenix. He took a single deep breath, as the reality of that statement sunk in. For nine years he had been under their "employ" fighting in dirty battlefields to line the pockets of men he'd never meet. His life had been centered around killing and doing whatever necessary to stay alive. Each day he knew exactly what would be expected of him, and even if an enemy attack or mission would be sudden, he still understood that world and his place in it.

For the first time, he was no longer bound by the rules he had come to know for his existence. The clouds fully parted, and Shinji winced as the sunset came into view out of the western horizon, momentarily blinding him with it's orange brilliance. Truly, his life was now in his own hands. Shinji smiled a true vibrant smile as he leaned back into the pilots chair.

XXXX

You have no idea how bad I wanted to put GET TO DA CHOPPA! when they were running to the VTOL. So, damn, hard to resist.

It's kind of a challenge to write Shinji's dialouge right now too. I have to be careful what words he uses when he speaks and I have to keep it in line with someone who only knows the basics of Japanese, as his last real learning experience was when he was a kid. I hope I did okay portraying that. Also, there is ALOT to his backstory, but it's going to be explained over time.

Anyways! I hope everyone enjoyed this first chapter. Next chapter we get into the meat of Neon Genesis, that being BADASS ANGEL ON EVA FIGHTS.

This is new ground for me, my first Evangelion fic ever. I've loved the series since I first saw it damn near ten years ago and I've always wanted to do this. If you liked it, please consider leaving a review and letting me know, so I get plenty of motivation for chapter two okay?

So until next time, stay awesome!

Shinobi no Ryu