Gendo Ikari scowled. According to the report he'd received, instead of getting on the flight to Tokyo-3 like he was supposed to, Shinji had run off, and nobody had been able to find him yet. By all estimations, by the time they did find him it would be too late, far too late. Growling, he called for someone to find someone, anyone, who might be able to pilot the EVA until Shinji was found and brought in.

Several hours later, while several of his operatives continued to hunt Shinji down, the group who had been sent to retrieve a pilot candidate who would be able to do what needed to be done until Shinji was found wheeled an old man who had to be at least seventy into the base.

"I told you to find me a pilot, not a nursing home reject!" he yelled.

"This guy is a pilot!" the man who was pushing the old man's wheelchair in yelled back.

"Alright, I'll bite." he sighed. "Who is he?"

"His name's Howling Mad Murdock, and apparently, he can fly anything."