Evangelion Ressurection: Hell on Earth

The rain hadn't abated by morning, and it was someone tugging at the jeans he wore that caused Shinji to snap awaken and fall off the couch with his hands instantly going to protect his pants and make sure they were pulled up. A squak from underneath him told Shinji he had fallen on Penpen, who hadn't been fed and was looking for food. Shinji got to his hands and knees and the small penguin flitted out from beneath with a squak of protest before Shinji muttered, "Yeah yeah Penpen, don't get your feathers in a ruffle I'll feed you."

Grabbing the shirt from the back of the couch he shuffled barefoot into the kitchen, and reached into the fridge grabbing a pair of fish from inside, and putting it in the dish for the penguin. His mind was in a haze when he looked to the digital clock in the kitchen announcing that it was only 8:37 am. Without thinking of his own hunger he went off down the hall to his room and grabbed a fresh change of clothes before wandering into the bathroom, which was as tidy as he had kept it. The first thought to pop into his mind was, What the hell happened with Misato that she kept things so clean?

Ten minutes later showered and feeling slightly refreshed he grabbed a couple pieces of toast before he was out the door. What he didn't expect was to quite literally run into the person standing outside the door. Shinji and the other person went down in a heap, and all he saw as he fell was a flash of blue. When Shinji realized there was a body on top of him, he looked up to see Rei looking down at him. She had ended up stradling his hips, her hands propping herself up as she looked down at him. Immediately the irony hit him, it was in a similar fashion with Rei on top that had caused Shinji to get to know the girl

"Rei, sorry about that.."

"Are you okay Shinji?"

The words struck Shinji unlike anything he ever thought could. Rei had spoken without the mechanical stiffness he had come to expect from her when she spoke. She wasn't so monotone any more, and it actually brought a smile to the man's face as he nodded.

"Other than the fact that I can't feel my legs at all, yeah."

"Why can you not feel your legs, are you hurt?"

"No Rei, you're just sitting on them and making them go a little numb."

Rei looked at Shinji, and her cheeks flushed a crimson color as she rose and laughed about it. If eyeballs could pop out of heads naturally Shinji's would have been rolling on the floor at Rei's laughter. Certainly Kensuke said that Rei had opened up, but Shinji had no idea that it would have come this far. He had almost forgotten and looked to Rei solemnly for a moment, and then regained his own footing.

"How's Kensuke?"

"He woke up several hours ago, said it felt like someone had stabbed needles through him."

"Well, that doesn't surprise me considering what happened to his Eva."

"I came here to say... Thank you Shinji. If it hadn't been for you Kensuke might have been killed by that Angel."

"Rei, there's no need to thank me, I was doing what I could in the situation. Come on, I'm heading down there now. Misato told Ritsuko I'd be down for a synch test at 8, and seeing as how it's almost 9, I'm sure their wondering where I am."

"That's why I came, Toji called and asked if I could check to see if you were coming down."

Shinji only nodded and stepped into the elevator which was heading down to the first floor of the apartments. When he got out he walked across the foyer with Rei tagging alongside him, until he reached the gloomy daylight outside. Squinting a little bit he turned to walk down the street towards the nearest subway station, despite the rain, when Rei grabbed his arm and pointed to a car sitting on the street, "Would you like a ride as well? I don't think Asuka would mind giving you one."

Shinji stopped and looked at the cherry red coupe that sat there, almost waiting for Asuka to pop out and yell out asking what the hold up was. Finally he gave up, he had to face her sooner or later. Rei opened the back door on the passenger's side and climbed into the seat, leaving Shinji the front seat. Through it all Rei getting in the back door Shinji thought only one thing, -What the hell is this? A setup?!-

Shaking his head Shinji lowered himself into the front seat, pulling a pair of sunglasses from the breast pocket of his shirt and sliding them onto his face as he glanced over to Asuka. She was staring at him, and it had instantly become a showdown. Rei's gaze fell first on one, then the other, then moved back and forth waiting for either of them to say something. After leaning forward between the pair she looked at both of them from close range then shrugged and lowered herself into the back seat, "Asuka... would you at least turn on some classical music if we're going to be here all day?"

Shinji was the first one to laugh and glance back at Rei, she had amazed him once more by actually cracking a joke. Would there be no end to these surprises? The engine rumbled to life as Asuka glanced back to Rei lying through her teeth, "Sorry Rei.. it's still odd having the original three pilots back together."

Asuka did turn on the radio, but not music like Rei had asked for, it was a news station and already the top story was last night's battle.

"Last night at about 12:30 am local time, an Angel appeared on the shore three kilometers away from Tokyo-3. After a short battle with an unnamed robot, the Angel continued towards the city only to be stopped by our own guardian angels, the Evangelions. There are no reports of injury in the city, as combat took place outside the perimeter of the city. Eyewitness reports placed four Evangelion units at the scene. It seems that even though the government publicly announced the dismantling of the Evangelion project, they have continued it in secret."

At that point Shinji leaned forward and flicked off the radio before leaning his head back into the headrest in disgust, "Why the hell do they have to ruin a perfectly good morning by talking about that?"

"Shinji, why do you believe our battle last night ruins a good morning?"

"Because Rei.. I hate hearing about our exploits. The praise feels good when you've done the right thing, but when they have to report it.. it seems to lose all meaning."

"Just ignore Shinji, Rei. He doesn't know how to accept anyone saying 'Good Job' or anything like that. The thing I don't like is how they're calling us Japan's guardian angels.. well I suppose the Evas are angels in a way, but that makes it feel like we're doing it for no reason other than to protect Japan. We're protecting the world, not just Japan, now if they said the world's guardian angels that may be more accurate."

"Asuka, do me a favor would you?"

"What's that Shinji?"

"Tell me what exactly we're hiding this time.. why are the angels coming to Japan again? I mean the last time it was because of Lilith in Terminal Dogma.. and when my father received the first Angel Adam. I mean everyone knows about it all, he spilled it in front of the Japanese government, and they had him commited to a mental institution instead of spending life in prison." Shinji turned in the seat muttering loud enough for the other two to hear his comment, "Though that's one of many things I fault the government on."

"Shinji, you do not really mean that? Your father was a great man.."

Shinji cut Rei off before she even had a chance to blow the horn on what his father was and wasn't, "Rei, if he was such a great man, then where the hell was he when I needed a father?! He only ever brought me into NERV because he needed me to pilot Unit 01, even though there was almost no chance of it activating.. Don't talk to me about how my father was.... is.. whatever."

Rei went silent as she looked at the back of Shinji's head, how she would have loved to slap him at that moment. She had once been loved by the man, and sometimes at night she still woke up believing that Gendo had woken her up for some purpose or another. When Shinji's father was around, Rei had felt wanted.

"Shinji.. I don't know if we're hiding something or if the Angels are now coming here first because the Evas are the only thing that stand in their way of doing whatever the hell they want with the world."

The last ten minutes of the drive went on in silence, Rei almost afraid to say something to Shinji with as volatile as he was about his father. She watched the scenery passing by, and let her thoughts drift back to Kensuke which brought a faint smile to her lips.

Asuka on the other hand was taking quick glances at Shinji from the corner of her eye, he had been resting almost the entire way his head leaned back against the seat and seemingly taking a nap. She would have killed to have the opportunity to know what was on his mind at the moment, this new Shinji was indeed an enigma to her. Try as she might Asuka couldn't get any sort of read on him, and she wanted him to spill it all. Finally she turned into a parking stall in a rather large lot before she slipped out of the driver's seat and Rei followed suite from the back seat.

As soon as the car had stopped Shinji forced himself to come away from his thoughts, and he rose out of the car. Rei was already a little bit ahead of Asuka, and Shinji advanced through the rain his head bowed and hands tucked into the pockets of his jeans. Without seeming to be bothered by the rain he finally entered the building and looked around without thinking, this wasn't the Geofront. He had no clue as to where they were, and Asuka glanced to Shinji as he took to looking around the place.

Asuka motioned for Shinji to follow and lead him off after Rei, "Shinji this happens to be an above ground connection to the headquarters in the Geofront. I figured you looked a little lost. If you would like I could give you a tour of the place later."

Shinji looked at Asuka, his eyes narrowing slightly behind his sunglasses. Why was she suddenly trying to be close after last night backing away. He removed the sunglasses and put them in the pocket of his shirt before he shrugged, "I guess with no school this time around while battling Evas I'm going to have a lot of free time, so sure just let me know when you're free to give a tour."

"When your synchronization test is done, sound good to you?"

"Make it an hour afterwards and you got a deal."

Asuka parted then and went over to the elevator that Rei had been holding for the other two, and stepped inside. Just steps behind Asuka, Shinji stepped in as well. Rei swiped her card through a reader, and pressed a number sequence into the keypad before the door shut. Instantly it was like the bottom had dropped out on the world, and the elevator descended through a glass tube downwards through the Geofront. Shinji had certainly seen the Geofront before, but never from the middle of it and in the air. Finally he managed to find the words, "Kind of a nice view from the elevator."

"The undercity takes a lot away from it."

"Yeah, I think I have to agree Rei, what do you think Asuka?"

Asuka looked to be staring off into space before the mention of her name brought her back to the present, "Yeah I guess."

Finally the elevator came to a stop and the trio left the elevator behind, heading towards the building that housed SOUL. As they passed through the doors they saw a man in a military dress uniform standing there. None of them really paid any attention to the man as he swiped his own card, and the door opened. It was Rei that first really paid attention, suddenly suspiscious as to why the military was here.

"Excuse me, but I have something I must do. Please go on without me."

The other two were left shrugging as Rei walked off towards the door the man had entered, and slid her card through the slot following him down the escalator towards the command center. Rei kept her eyes on the man, watching for even the slightest movement that would raise her suspicions. He seemed to be perfectly at ease with what he was doing here, and didn't seem at all bothered by the fact that someone was following him, if he even knew in the first place.

When the escalator ride ended, a pair of armed guards met the man at the bottom. After a hushed conversation one of the guards picked up a radio and queried some faceless individual in the command center before he nodded to the second. The guards took up flanking position behind the man, and lead him into the command center.

-This is quite odd. He's military, and yet he's in Central Dogma. What's worse, he received permission to go into the command center, what is going on?-

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"Shinji certainly is relaxed inside the plug today ma'am."

"Yes Maya, he is.. Shinji, your synchro-graphs are reading quite well, they've gone up even higher than the last recorded set from a few years ago.. they're matching the readings we received from Eva 01's observation systems."

Shinji continued to sit still in the LCL filled plug, his mind cleared of all that had happened in the past day. Finally his eyes opened and he looked at the picture of Ritsuko before he shrugged, "I guess I found out a lot about myself while I've been gone."

Ritsuko made a mark on one of her charts before looking at the screen and gave a half smile, "Either that or someone was anticipating riding an Eva while they were gone.."

Shinji gripped the control grips a little tighter, but even through his gritted teeth he managed to keep the reply from carrying the edge he actually wanted to put behind it, "I haven't been anticipating this Doctor Akagi.. I feel I have an obligation to protect people. I was given the ability to pilot this Eva, and even though I don't want to pilot it, as long as people are safe I'm willing to put up with something that I don't want to do."

Ritsuko frowned a little bit at the words that Shinji had spoken, even though they weren't sharp she could sense where they were stemming from. Could she really blame him though? After all he'd been through after the first Angel conflicts, to not want to pilot the Eva would be natural, but to have a goal like that, she actually thought highly of Shinji, "So what you mean to say is you don't want to be a hero, you don't want people to care about your accomplishments.. so long as they live?"

"Why can't everyone understand that? Just because I pilot Evangelion does not mean I like it, and all the news agencies seem to make a big deal about it whenever the Evas protect everyone. I would rather live anonymously, even if I was piloting the Eva."

Ritsuko could relate with Shinji's feelings on that matter. Since college she'd had a name to live up to, her mother's. Always Ritsuko had been in the shadow of Naoko Akagi, even in recent years she hadn't been able to surpass her mother in the eyes of people around her. Ritsuko shook her head slowly and picked up the microphone once again, "Alright Shinji, that should be enough for today. I'm impressed, you didn't come across as someone willing to lay down their life for others while you were gone, you really have grown Shinji."

---------------------

The door of the office in front of him looked forboding, at least that was one way Taichi could describe it. Light came from within, so it wasn't like there was no one there, but just the fact that he had come all this way to face a woman whom he'd never met that had the Japanese generals cowed, frightened him a little bit. She had to be quite a strong figure to have turned such proud and strong men as the generals into willing participants in her plan, but there was a reason he had been given this post, there was only one thing to do.

After hesitating long enough he reached up and knocked on the door. No answer came from inside allowing him to enter, and his face screwed up a little bit before he reached forward to knock once again this time a little harder. However this time there was an answer that called through the door, "Come in."

Gripping the handle of the doorway he opened the portal and stepped inside. Head bowed as he approached, he had been instructed to do so by General Kaji to show that in this relationship, at least for the time being, the Japanese military was the submissive side. Upon reaching the desk he bowed before standing stiff backed and looking at Major Misato Katsuragi with a salute, "Colonel Taichi Kaji reporting."

Misato who had fallen asleep at the desk the previous night crying herself to sleep looked at the man standing in front of her. The last thing she wanted to deal with was some bureaucratic military officer. She started at the polished shoes, followed up to the pressed slacks and jacket. However when she reached the man's face she fought to keep her eyes from widening in shock and her jaw from hitting the floor. The clean shaven face of the man was almost an exact match of Ryouji Kaji, and she had to do a double take at the picture on the desk and compare the men before she rose from her seat instantly awake.

"Taichi.. Kaji? Are you any relation to General Kaji by chance?"

"Yes Major.. he is my father."

"I see... would you happen to know a Ryouji Kaji?"

"Yes Major, unfortunately I happen to know him quite well. You see he is my twin."

Misato suddenly turned a stern eye on the man, there was something in the way he said the words that made her wonder if there was a bad history between the twins, or just between Ryouji Kaji and his family. Her eyes never left the man as she leaned forward planting her hands on the desk, a small smile creasing her lips, "Then tell me.. if he is your twin as you say, what was the birthmark he had.."

Taichi couldn't help but smile inwardly, Ryouji had shown that birthmark to every woman he'd met and with it being in one of the most intimate of places, Taichi would know every woman Ryouji had ever slept with, should they query him such as Misato did. Suddenly he cut off the thoughts, -What reason do I have to care who he sleeps with?- Finally he cleared his throat and answered the question, "The birthmark that Ryouji had was located.." He took a moment to clear his throat, which was all that Katsuragi needed to understand.

"That'll be enough Colonel. Your official rank in SOUL is that of Captain. You have access to all data files class four and below, and I'm quite certain you will be sending them to the General anyways. So I have taken the liberty of making copies for you, I'm sure you're well aware of the predicament I put the generals in. I have also taken the step of procuring you residence in the city. Is this understood?"

"Perfectly Major. I assume the file classes you talk about are one through ten with ten being highest security and on a need to know basis?"

"That would be correct. When you show up it would also be advised that you not wear regulation military uniform or salute. For the last few years we've been hiding from the government and making preparations for when and if the Angels would return, so as you can expect someone walking around in a military uniform at all times would be detrimental to your welcoming."

"If there is nothing further, permission to be dismised?"

"Granted, the guards outside will show you to your apartment. Work days start at zero eight thirty hours. You start tomorrow as head of the combat information center team of Hyuga, Ibuki, and Aoba. Our senior members, and a crack team."

Taichi snapped his arm up into a salute, technically even though in military terms he was of a higher rank, he was of a lower rank in terms of SOUL. Katsuragi waved the salute off, and Taichi turned his staccato footsteps beating on the floor as he left the office. He looked to the guards and nodded once before he was lead off down the corridor.

-Well, she certainly is quite a looker. Still, she doesn't seem like the type that could bring the old men to their knees so readily, unless there's more to Misato Katsuragi than she lets on. Regardless, my orders are not to go snooping for the secured stuff, but she makes things so much easier by just handing the unrestricted data over as compared to having to dig for it.-

Misato slumped down into her chair, her eyes glaring at the picture that sat on her desktop. With her drumming fingers she occupied her mind before she finally found the words, "Ryouji Kaji, just what the hell kind of family are you from? You never talked about it before, but it looks like I still get to find out."