It had taken him nearly the full hour he had been awake so far in this Loop to pull it off. He had barely finished his tailoring when the Third Angel had arrived, barely gotten his new outfit on before Misato arrived to have her car take the brunt of the exploding JSSDFÆs vehicle.
Now he had unnerved her enough to lead her to the elevator that Ritsuko would come out through.
Yes, everything was going to his plan. Now for the initial salvo towards his old man in Operation: Mindfuck.
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Ritsuko shook her head, clearing her thoughts. It was just the undried LCL on her suit, not any dampness from a fourteen-year-old making her body flood with desire. I may need to start reading some therapy books. This power-fetish may be getting out of hand. ôThis isùö
ôI know what this is, Dr. Akagi,ö said Shinji, dressed in a military-like uniform that strongly resembled his fatherÆs. He even adjusted a similar pair of yellow-tinted glasses as he stared ahead. ôUnlike NERV, SEELE, the supposed Human Instrumentality Commission, and even the UN; my information network is very thorough. I am well aware that this is Evangelion Unit 01, created primarily by my mother, as a tool and weapon to confront the Angels upon their return.
ôI am however surprised that after all of this time, this and its cousins are the only viable weapon at the disposal of the human race.ö
Misato and Ritsuko blinked at the kid, shocked not only at his depths of knowledge, but at his perfect delivery of said information in a manner exactly like Gendo.
ôNow if the psychological profile of Gendo Ikari was accurate as my sources insist, then he is likely watching this from somewhere.ö Shinji tilted his head up, spotting his father standing on the sealed platformùdisplayed by what Shinji knew to be bullet-resistant glass from several assassination attemptsùand arched an eyebrow. ôAs expected.ö
Gendo stared down at his child, his mind trying furiously to do two things.
The first was to understand why those who watched him had failed to report such a change in the boy. This was no quiet wallflower with self-esteem issues.
In addition, the second was to not imagine Ritsuko saying, ôWe created a clone of you, one-eighth your size.ö
ôI know why you summoned me, Commander Ikari,ö Shinji continued, removing his glasses and his handkerchief to clean them, his eyes closed. ôI also fail to see any reasonable compensation for me to risk my continued mortal existence upon.ö
Misato gawked at the boy. ôWait, what?ö
ôCaptain Katsuragi, I was to be labeled the Third Child,ö added Shinji. ôThe Commander had hoped to bully me with emotional blackmail to pilot this Evangelion Unit to combat the Angel currently attempting to track down the parent calling it here, believing that it is finding the First Angel.ö He had to fight hard not to smile as he caught a glimpse of shock on his fatherÆs face as he opened his eyes once more. After all, he had hinted perfectly that he knew what really laid buried under NERV to his father and Dr. Akagi.
ôHowever,ö Shinji continued, pulling out a small detonator box and flipped open the cover for the detonator switch, ôsuch actions are unnecessary at this moment.ö
With that, he pressed the button.
ôBlue Pattern has à been silenced,ö came a reply over the intercom, as the eyes of everyone in the chamber focused on the Third Child as he slid the remote detonator into his pocket once again.
It really didnÆt do anything except send a radio signal out into Tokyo-3. Shinji had merely used a trick Tabris had taught him to bypass the AngelÆs will and make it instantly self-destruct.
However, they didnÆt need to know that. As far as they knew now, Shinji not only had a lot of information he shouldnÆt, but access to effect toys to eliminate the Angels with the literal push of a button.
ôDr. Akagi,ö Shinji continued, turning to walk out the nearby door, ôI want a Synchronization Test scheduled in three hours to test my compatibility with Unit 01. If I must deal with this farce, so be it. I shall have a list of my terms and compensation packages ready by then; both of which are not negotiable. I after all have many methods to survive Third Impact intact.
ôIf I am needed before that, I shall be in the cafeteria. I believe they are serving pizza today for the meal.
ôDismissed,ö he said, as the door closed behind him.
Ritsuko just stared at the door, face pale. She really needed to find that self-help book soon. I think I just had an orgasm.
Misato just stared in shock. ôOkay, what the fuck just happened?ö she asked. ôDid he just destroy the Angel?ö
Gendo said nothing as he turned and walked down the hallway. He was torn between feeling proud of his child and having him interrogated by Section 2 until he got answers. Either way, the Committee would not be pleased.
ôI need a drink,ö he murmured, rubbing his forehead.
<hr>
As Shinji continued to walk down the hallway, he let a small smile appear on his face. After all, the fact he wasnÆt currently laying on the ground laughing his ass off, he considered this a major victory.