Evangelion Ressurection: Hell on Earth

Author\'s Note- I know in the anime Toji completely lost his leg, but I felt that would be a completely demoralizing blow to him mentally. So instead he retained both legs, but has had to go through intensive physical therapy since. It\'s likely he may never walk without the crutches, but he still dreams. Anyways, on with Chapter 3.


The silence in response to his question worried Shinji. It had been well over a minute since he had asked of Misato if he was a coward. Finally he took a sip of the tea that she had made, and he thought it a little funny that she was drinking tea and not beer as she would normally do. No longer could he take it, his voice was pleading as he posed the question to Misato once again, \"Please Misato.. whether you think it will hurt me, whether you think that I\'m a fool or not... I beg you, tell me do you believe me a coward?\"

\"No Shinji. You\'re not a coward. You\'re still worrying about what others think too much though. Listen to me, and listen good to what I have to say Shinji. Since you\'ve been gone, Asuka has changed. I think what you said before you left might have actually struck a bit of a nerve with her. She\'s actually mellowed out a bit since you\'ve been gone. And though she\'ll try to hide it, she\'s actually missed you.. a lot.\"

Shinji choked on the tea he was drinking, and sputtered as he set the cup back down before he reached inside his sport coat and pulled out a cigarette from a hidden pack. Slowly he rose and looked towards the balcony before looking back to Misato, \"I\'m sorry, but after that I think I could use some air. Care to talk outside for a little bit?\" Misato looked at the cigarette in Shinji\'s hand and her mouth dropped open before she snapped her gaze back to Shinji.

\"One of the things you picked up while you were gone? Well, seeing as how I can look at you now you\'ve definately changed Shinji. You\'re not longer a boy Shinji, I remember when you were so lanky. You look like you\'ve added some muscle to your frame... what the hell am I saying?!\"

Shinji laughed as he rose and stepped out onto the balcony and lit the cigarette. For a moment he took a drag before watching Misato cross the apartment towards the doorway. He set his back against the cement railing as he let his vision fall over the city to the side, \"Well, old habits die hard eh Misato? You always did size up men, even though I\'m fifteen years younger than you.\"

Shinji broke out in laughter before he turned and leaned his forearms on the railing and looked at the city proper, \"Tell me something Misato.. You know I\'ve been wandering these past few years.. doing odd work here and there. Finding out that even if we did get a few people from Tokyo-3 that said the Evas were a menace, the populace at large feels the Evas saved them many times over. So what I want you to tell me... NERV is still around, I know that much, but what is their purpose now that the angels are gone.\"

Misato suddenly took on an air of seriousness, and narrowed her eyes slightly at Shinji wondering just what he knew and just what he was getting at. She leaned on the railing next to him, and reached into his coat pocket before he could reject and pulled out the pack of cigarettes. After putting one between her lips she looked at Shinji who lit the cigarette for her, even though he didn\'t know she smoked she seemed quite adept at inhaling the cigarette without coughing, \"So Shinji.. why are you suddenly asking about NERV after all this time? For all you know it might have been disbanded along with SEELE.\"

Shinji tapped the ashes from his cigarette before he looked to Misato with a small smile, \"I see.. in other words officially NERV is no longer around. I guess my source of information failed to mention that. Misato, what\'s become of the Evas? I know they weren\'t destroyed as the information they released to the public said. So, why all the cover up? I already know about the new breed of Angels that are supposed to be out there. No more use covering up for Ritsuko, is there?\"

\"No Shinji, there is no more use covering for Ritsuko. I\'ll tell you everything. NERV is still around, but not an official government agency as it was six years ago. Ever since the Angels were declared dead four years ago, the official order came from the government that they were to be destroyed and all information pertaining to them be destroyed as well. However we managed to sneak four Eva units out of NERV Central, and replace them with empty shells. Indeed the armor of the Evas was destroyed, and they believed when we sent them the video footage that it was the real Evas. The Marduk Institute, which was revealed to be a fake, was made up of dummy corporations.

However because of SEELE believing for so long that it was real, they had funneled money into it even though it was a seperate entity they were hoping to expediate the Human Instrumentality Project. When SEELE was disbanded the council in return for amnesty told the government that Commander Ikari was the reason all their money had gone to waste. Your father was cleared of all charges, but forced to resign. Fuyutski was given lead of NERV for the disarmament, and managed to get the money to me along with the order to hide the Evas from the world. It seems somehow they knew of the code that resided in the Bible, and your father had prepared for the eventuality that NERV would have it\'s funding pulled. Currently I\'m head of NERV, well we don\'t call it that any more, we call it SOUL because we\'re no longer government affiliated.\"

With the explinations done she flicked the cigarette from the balcony and then looked at Shinji who had done the same moments before. He looked impassive, as unreadable as ever as he thought about the words she spoke, but there was a slight smile curving at the corner of his lips.

\"So in other words, SOUL as it\'s called now controls four Eva units. I know of Units 00, 01, and 02 but where did the fourth Eva unit come from? Not only that, Asuka can no longer pilot Unit 02.. so who are the new pilots you have? I feel Ayanami is still the only one that can control Unit 00.\"

\"Unit 05 was shipped from Germany shortly before the Kaworu incident, and arrived in time to be \'destroyed\' along with the other Evas. Rei still pilots Unit 00, Unit 05 belongs to Kensuke Aida. Toji would be the pilot, but after the incident with Unit 03 we felt it prudent not to ask him. Kensuke was the only other one we felt we could trust in this matter, besides he\'s a very adept pilot. Unit 02 is piloted by none other than Asuka. It would seem that after your little incident two years ago sparked her desire to fight again. Her synch ratio is actually a little higher now than it was. Unit 01... is unusable at this time. No one has been able to even synch with the Eva.\"

\"Misato, don\'t even think of asking me. I put the Evas in my past, no longer do they rule over me like they once did. Perhaps once they held a fascination for me, but when I found out they were my father\'s attempt to play God by creating his own \'Angels\' I don\'t think I could ever pilot them again. The Evangelions, I had hoped they wouldn\'t be needed but if things get out of hand, I will attempt to synch with Unit 01 again. IF they get to far out of hand.\"

\"I understand Shinji, but all I ask is that you at least talk to Ritsuko and let her perform a synch test? It would make all of us feel better if we had a pilot waiting in the wings should things get carried away that might pull us out of the fire.\"

Shinji grimaced at the words, he didn\'t want to go near the Evangelions whatsoever unless it was a last ditch effort. Although he couldn\'t disagree with Misato\'s logic, if people saw that someone was there to help them should they need it, perhaps it would be a psychological boost. Shinji pounded his fist on the railing, he had planned on having nothing to do with the Evas upkeep or combat abilities. He figured he might be able to help the command center staff, Misato was right a long time ago. He thought far too much, just listening to what Misato said about how the Evas had been kept safe.

\"Not to mention I suppose if what Ritsuko is telling me is true, that they may be more powerful than the Angels we might need everyone available on the field. Dammit, I promised myself I wouldn\'t be dragged into this shit again. Everyone depended on me back then, I suppose I can\'t let people down now. Misato, tell Ritsuko I\'ll come with you first thing tomorrow.\"

\"I understand Shinji, I\'ll call her when we get back in. Tell me, do you plan on seeing Asuka at all?\"

\"Not yet. She\'s the main reason I came back, I felt I needed to apologize to her about that night when I left. If possible for the time being can we keep it from her that I\'m back? I promise that within a week, I\'ll talk to her and let her know I\'m back. Ayanami, Toji, and Kensuke too. Which reminds me.. fill me on everyone.\"

Much of the rest of the afternoon was spent filling Shinji in on the last couple of years he\'d been gone. Toji was no longer confined to a wheelchair, through intense physical therapy he was actually on a pair of forearm style crutches that allowed him a greater level of mobility. It was Toji\'s goal within the next couple of years to be completely devoid of the crutches, and it had been Hikari supporting him all along. The pair were already engaged and Toji had turned down college for the chance to learn under Doctor Akagi, something that Hikari had pushed Toji to do.

Rei was, well she was still Rei. However Rei seemed to have opened up a little bit in the wake of Shinji\'s disappearance, and she had actually opened up to Kensuke. His exciteable nature had actually caused her to open up a little more, actually giving them a small measure of common ground to talk on. Kensuke wanting to be a soldier and following orders, and Rei almost perfect at following orders to the letter. Shinji had gotten a good laugh, but the fact that Kensuke and Asuka had never really hooked up since their dinner made Shinji wonder. Why hadn\'t Asuka hooked up with someone?

\"And Asuka.. well Asuka is still Asuka, more or less. She\'s as exciteable as ever, and still acts like she knows it all, but things have changed about her. For one, like I said earlier she thinks more about other people than she did back then. She doesn\'t go around crushing people\'s hopes and dreams, and in an Evangelion she\'s actually found some amount of teamwork with Ayanami and Kensuke.\"

Misato looked up in shock a moment later when the doorbell rang, and a call came from the opening doorway, \"Hallo Misato. Ready for our shopping trip?\" Shinji jumped up and looked at Misato as she immediately headed out into the hallway to head off the red-head, this is definately what Shinji did not want, to be meeting up with Asuka at this place and at this time.

\"Asuka, go ahead and wait down in the car Asuka, I\'ll be down in just a minute.\"

\"Okay, just hurry up I\'m dying to spend some money. Besides I want to talk to you, I just heard through the grapevine that a certain idiot is back in town. Doctor Akagi told Toji, and Toji just got home a while ago and filled in Hikari. And off course, Hikari had to tell me.\"

Shinji almost let out a frustrated damn when he heard Asuka come through the door, he moved quietly alongside the wall of the kitchen that led to the hallway and the door outside and pressed himself flat against it. Asuka had abided by Misato\'s words though and had gone to wait by the car outside. Misato couldn\'t help but laugh at Shinji\'s actions, he really didn\'t want to face Asuka just yet.

\"Alright Shinji, you have a week before I tell her you\'re living here again, if I can assume that. All my information about Toji and Kensuke is on this piece of paper because I assume you\'re going to want to see them as soon as possible. Try to be up by eight tomorrow morning though, that\'s when I\'m heading down to SOUL headquarters which is located inside Central Dogma. The place is an abandoned military base and they haven\'t used it. So the SOUL Organization purchased the base and has been using it since. Bye Shinji, see you later, and it\'s good to have you back.\"

Shinji looked at the information on the paper and smiled to Misato before he picked up his cellular phone and began punching in the first phone number on the page, \"Bye Misato, I\'ll see you in the morning then.\"

The mechanical ringing on the other side of the phone ended after three rings and a female voice answered the phone, \"Hello?\"

\"I\'m looking for a Toji Suzuhara, is he there?\"

\"One moment.\"

While the phone was put down Shinji rose and took the duffle into his room and flipped it onto the sleeping mat. He tucked the paper into his pocket and left the apartment, and he was in the elevator heading down when it was picked up on the other line.

\"Hello?\"

\"Is this Toji Suzuhara?\"

\"Yeah, who the heck is this?\"

\"Uhh, yeah about that ask Ritsuko, oh wait I overheard Asuka saying that she already told you and you had passed it on to Hikari.\"

\"Shinji! Man you really are back aren\'t you? How have you been, we have to catch up!\"

\"Yeah I\'m back Toji, I\'m right now on my way over to Kensuke\'s. If you want to meet there I\'ll treat you two to dinner, as long as you don\'t mind ramen.\"

\"You got it! Meet you there in thirty minutes, oh and uh Shinji.. if you need a place to stay while you\'re back....\"

\"No need, Misato already offered me my old room back. Alright, thirty minutes Kensuke\'s place.\"

The line had gone silent and Shinji could swear he heard Suzuhara cursing in the background. A short cab ride later, which gave him time to think and prepare to face his two best friends from several years ago, and he arrived at a small house. Name plaques on the wall outside referred to it as the Aida household and Shinji waited at the door lighting up a cigarette.

\'Why the hell did I come back? I know I told Misato it was to prove to myself that I wasn\'t a coward. And I actually offered to pilot that damn Evangelion. I promised myself I wouldn\'t get into it any more, but I suppose Misato is right. If everyone knew that I was waiting to help them out, the only one that would have a problem with it is Asuka. And that\'s because she doesn\'t want anyone to pick her up. Well, I\'ve got no choice if the Evas have undergone a complete neural restructuring like Doctor Akagi has said in emails, then the chances of Unit 01 going berserk are hopefully close to zero. And the dummy plug is gone, we\'re no longer fighting for the government we\'re fighting for humanity this time.\'

Shinji\'s thoughts were interrupted by a metallic clinking that had started some time ago but was now even closer. There coming down the sidewalk was Toji, leaning on the crutches not ten meters from Shinji.