From: trek1030@hotmail.com Subject: [Eva/Xover][FanFic] A Hero from another universe, Chapter 1 Neon Genesis Evangelion Fanfic: Crossover: Gundam Wing Of Evangelions and Mobile Suits: A Hero From Another Universe Chapter 1: The New Kid by Rainier E. (trek1030@hotmail.com) Author's notes: Hi all! This is my first (public) Eva fic! Also , this is my first post to rec.arts.anime.creative (I really hope I got the formatting of the message right) Hope you enjoy. All C&C can be sent to trek1030@hotmail.com This fic takes place before Toji becomes the Fourth Children. Oh yeah, and I know a Gundam is no where near as huge as an Eva (I think, maybe I'm wrong), but in this fic, it is because it suits my purposes. "Oh my god, another one!" yelled Misato as she saw what was on the screen of Ritsuko's computer. Startled, Ritsuko turned to face her friend, who had just entered her office unannounced. "What are you yelling about?" "That! Is that what I think it is?" yelled Major Katsuragi as she pointed to the screen. "And just what do you think it is, Major?" "The fourth child!" yelled Misato. She was now staring at the picture of the boy wearing a green tank-top and had hair that seemed to defy the laws of physics. "But why a fourth child? We only have 3 Evas!" "Well you are mistaken, Mi-chan," responds Ritsuko as she begins laughing at the clueless Major. "He is not the Fourth Children." "Well what the hell are you doing looking at pictures of 14- year old boys on your computer?" says Misato, grinning at the thought herself. Sometimes she could picture Shinji and her and doing something ....... inapproptiate for a teen. Clearly annoyed at her friend's immaturity, Ritsuko turned to Misato and explained to her the situation, and who that boy was. ********** Meanwhile, in the Commander's Office. "Well, exactly why did you just conform to the command of the UN?" queries Fuyutsuki. "Because, Professor, I do not need them annoyed at us," responds Commander Ikari. "That may lead to them interfering with our plans. And we do not need any more organizations that SEELE to do that." Fuyutsuki reflects at what had happened only hours earlier as he walks next to the commander's desk. The UN had come to NERV with what seemed like a bright idea to them. They informed NERV that they were sending in a specialist as reinforcements against the Angels. Some one who was experienced with war. The wars between the space colonies and some nations of earth had been won months earlier. No longer would there be fighting, no longer would there be the loss of human life at the hands of another human, at least they thought. And that is what the gundam pilots had strived for, but could never attain. The UN thought that they were doing their part in the fight against the Angels, whom they thought were just aliens. They had no idea about the plans of Commander Ikari and SEELE. The Commander of NERV dismissed this act as a desperation, the UN trying to prove to themselves that they still have at least some power. But still, the Commander accepted the command. "How exactly is the new pilot going to fit into our plans, Ikari?" questioned Fuyutsuki. "He doesn't even pilot an Eva." "I do not care. That's your problem now," responded the Commander. "I officially give you the duty of dealing with this mess. I do not have the time" As the sub-commander walked out of the office, he could swear that he saw a slight smirk on the Commander's face, most probably at him. ************** "Come on Ritsuko" stammered Misato "How the hell is be going to fight the angels without an Eva?" "Well they did say he was coming with his own weapon to pilot," said Ritsuko. "Perhaps it is the Eva from the space colonies, or maybe even the Eva from the United States. We'll find out soon enough, he's sceduled to arrive in about 8 hours." While they were speaking, the sub-commander appeared at the door. "Major Katsuragi, " he called out. "I take it that you've found out about the new pilot?" "Um... Yes, sir. Sorry." "Well, it doesn't matter anyway. Everyone would have found out when it became public," said the sub-commander. " Your shifts for the rest of the day have been cancelled. Your new duty for today is to meet the pilot at the train station and to give him a ride to his apartment." Major Katsuragi just accepted, happy because she got the rest of the say off. The sub-commander handed to Misato a manila envelope with some information about and for the boy (such as information about which school he'd go to, his classes, his living arrangements, etc.) and a NERV "welcome kit" , the same as Shinji got when he first arrived : a NERV handbook and NERV ID card. As Misato quikly reviewed the information, she blurted out, "You can't be serious?!" "About what, Major?" the sub_commander replied. "He's moving in next door to me! Do you expect me to be his gaurdian also?!?!" Ritsuko snickered, having just sit back to watch the events fold out. "Of course I'm serious. Your apartment building is close not only to NERV but to the school. But I do not expect you to be his gaurdian, in his file, he has been reported to be VERY self-sufficient." Misato sighed. She started making her way out of the NERV building and to the parking garage where she could get to her car and get the hell away from the Geo-front. *************** Shinji was listening to his SDAT, while Asuka was studying her Kanji, when suddenly Misato suddenly burst through the door. "You're home early, Misato-san," greeted Shinji, shutting off his SDAT. "Please just don't tell us that we have to go report to NERV for some more damn tests," said Asuka. Both her and Shinji groaned at the thought of having to be in that blood-like liquid that Ritsuko called LCL. "Well, you two, I do have a surprise, and it doesn't include you two doing tests" answered Misato with a smile. Shinji and Asuka sighed with relief. "Shinji, tonight you're gonna be making dinner for four!" exclaimed Misato. "Why, who's coming over?" asked Shinji with a puzzled look. "It better not be that wind-up doll, Wonder Girl," said an Asuka starting to get angry. "No, no Asuka. Our guest tonight will be a new pilot, your new teammate." Answered Misato. The two teens jaws dropped to the ground as they took in the words Misato said. They stared in silence until Asuka spoke up. Or rather, screamed. "I WILL NOT HAVE ANOTHER PERSON LIVING IN THIS APARTMENT," screamed Asuka. "IT IS ALREADY CROWDED WITH YOU, PEN-PEN, AND BAKA- HENTAI BOY OVER THERE." "Calm down, Asuka," Misato said, trying not to be scared of the German terror. "He's not moving in with us. I just thought it would be nice to have a welcome dinner. He will be moving in next door." Asuka calmed down a bit. "So it's a guy, eh? Hope he's not a baka-hentai like Shinji over here." Shinji blushed as Asuka was yelling at him. ******************* Stood at the train station, waiting. "Damn," thought Asuka," He should be here by now. I don't wanna wait for that baka." Meanwhile, on the train. "Give me all your money, jewels and other crap!" the masked man yelled at the passengers, brandishing an Uzi. His partner, another masked man was walking the isles with a brown cloth sack, holding it open for people to drop their valuables. "Now that's better," said the masked man with an Uzi. The second masked man arrived at the chair of a boy wearing a green tank-top and black shorts. The boy had some very unbelievable hair. "Come on, kid. In the bag" "No." the boy responded coldly, with almost no emotion. "Dammit kid," the masked man said, reaching for something in his jacket. "I said No." "Put your god-dammed stuff in the fucking bag NOW!! You Fucking kid!!" yelled the man as he pulled out a 44 Magnum handgun out of his dark jacket. "Put your stuff in or I'll blow a hole in your fucking head!!" The boy reacted immediately, his face showing no emotion. He reached up, snapped the man's neck, and grabbed the magnum, all in one swift movement. He turned and shot the other masked man dead, square between the eyes, the man's brains flying out the back of his head and onto the wall of the train car. His job finished, the boy back down in his seat. The rest of the passengers stared in shock. "Dude! That was cool!" said the boy in the seat ahead of the boy in the green. "Hey, what's your name?" The boy in green turned to look at the boy, his face still showing no signs of emotion. "My name is Heero Yui." ****** Heero walked off the train holding his one bag. Behind him, people were applauding very loudly. All this time, he remained even more emotionless than Ayanami Rei. Misato, Asuka, and Shinji just looked on in awe. Heero walked up to Misato, then stopped about four feet away. "Major Katsuragi, I am Pilot Heero Yui." he said while saluting Misato was startled by this boy just stood there shocked. It wasn't until Asuka elbowed her in the side that she remembered to return the salute to Heero. "Well Heero-kun, you can call me Misato-san." she said. "Welcome to Tokyo-3! These two are Pilots Ikari Shinji and Soryuu Asuka Langley." Heero still stood there emotionless while the other two pilots greeted him. Then there was a long silence. Misato decided it was creeping her out. "Come on Heero-kun," Misato said smiling. "Get in the car and we'll bring you over to your apartment. You can have dinner with us." Silently Heero put his bags in the car and sat in the backseat next to Shinji. He remained silent. ******************** A little later, in Misato's apartment, the four of them were enjoying a meal that Shinji had prepared. "So you're the Fourth Children?" asked Asuka, trying to start up a conversation. "'Fourth Children' ? " asked Heero. "You must mean the Evangelion Children. No, I am not the fourth. I do not even pilot an Eva." "Wait a sec, " said Shinji, puzzled. "If you don't pilot an Eva, then why are you here, and what do you pilot?" Asuka and Shinji looked on, waiting for an answer, when Misato answered for Heero. "Heero here is a gift from the UN. They thought we might need his help." "Why would we need HIS help? He can't even pilot an Eva!" Said Asuka, almost yelling. "I am the pilot of Gundam XXXG-00W0." replied Heero coldly, as he resumed eating his ramen. "What's a Gundam, Misato?" both Shinji and Asuka questioned. "Well guys, a Gundam is a... a.... um, I don't really remember. Ritsuko just told me today," Misato said as she gave up after not remembering. "A Gundam is a Mobile Suit made from an experimental metal alloy called Gundamium. As I understand it, your Evas are made from an early version of the Gundanium alloy." said Heero, stopping a second to get a sip of his soda. Neither Asuka or Shinji responded, so Heero went on. "There are seven Gundams, each unique. I fought along side the other six in the colony wars. "I was sent here because I am a soldier. I but a tool to protect life from future battle by fighting now." "Why do they think that YOU are gonna help us and not get in our way?" retorted Asuka snobbishly. "My Eva is way more powerful than a Mobile Suit! Its about 70 feet taller too! Your weapon doesn't have a soul, how can you expect to fight an Angel? You can't even generate an AT field!!!" "My Gundam arrives here tonight." said Heero, still with no emotion. "NERV will upgrade its current configuration to combat the creatures known as Angels. "My Gundam will never have a soul of its own, it is just a machine. Gundam Wing Zero is just a tool, I am the weapon. " Asuka, Shinji, and Misato were speachless from that last statement. So Heero just continued. "The Gundams are more than just normal mobile suits. And I am more than just another pilot. I will destroy my enemy, and acheive the goal, at any costs." There was a silence as Heero was done talking and went back to eating his ramen. No one had anything to say to that. Misato, drunk by now, decided to break the constantly forming ice. "So, are you going to school tomorrow, or are you going to spend time getting your apartment ready first?" asked Misato, bringing the conversation back down to less emotional subjects. "My orders specify that I must go to school, so that is where I will be, in class 2A." Heero responded. " I am finished now. Thank you for the meal. I will see you two pilots tommorow at school." And with that, Heero walked outside and back to his apartment. **************** Heero sat on his bed, arranging his few personal items on his nightstang. A picture of him and Relena, a picture of him and the other Gundam pilots on their trip to the mountains, and a picture of him as a child. The picture of the other pilots brought back memories to him. He lied down on his bed and thought about what happened to the other pilots after the end of the colony war. Quatre Winner: The pilot of XXXG-02S, the Gundam Sandrock. He was currently helping to govern the colony he used to call his home, before they drove him to build the Wing Zero Trowa Barton: The pilot of XXXG-04H, the Gundam Heavyarms. He was still in the circus, perhaps trying to forget the pain of the war. Duo Maxwell: The pilot of XXXG-03DC, the Gundam Deathscythe- Hell. He was trying to live a normal life with Hilde, as the owner of a junkyard on some colony. Chang Wufie: The pilot of XXXG-O5A,the Altron Gundam. He was part of the UN security forces, just like Heero, but was off somewhere, on order to put an end to the aftermath fighting because of the war. As he looked over to the next picture, he saw the little, smiling boy that had once been him. How he longed to be able to end the Endless Waltz of war, peace, and revolution so that he may stop being the soldier that was part of him. Knowing there was school tommorrow, Heero got some sleep, trying to fortell what the next day would bring. Wing Zero had fortold him a possible future, would this telling be as true as the ones in the past? *************** "That BAKA!!" Asuka shouted loudly as Heero left the apartment. "Calm down Asuka" said Misato, cowering in fear at the red- haired girl with steam practically coming out of her ears. "Misato-san's right, Asuka," added Shinji. "I'm sure Heero didn't mean anything bad." Shinji could tell he shouldn't have said that. Asuka now focused her anger at her baka-boy. "The Gundam pilot owes me one." Shinji thought to himself. Shinji tried to ignore Asuka as she kept yelling at him for the next 20 minutes, even while he was doing the dishes. "-and then YOU think YOU'RE the BEST because you have a higher sych raio!! HA! I AM THE GREATEST PILOT EVER!! I AM THE ALSO A BEAUTIFUL GODDESS THAT HAS GRACED YOUR PRESCENCE, BAKA-HENTAI BOY! DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT JERKING OFF TONIGHT WHILE TRYING TO LOOK INTO MY ROOM!!! YOU'RE SUCH AN IDIOT! --" Asuka said more, but then Shinji put on his SDAT, thankful that the ear-buds also acted as ear plugs. Asuka got really pissed off and stormed into her room, yelling at the top of her lungs, "SHINJI NO BAKA!!!!!!!!" ***************** The Next day at school. "Class," the sensei started to say, " this is Heero Yui. He will be your new classmate. Please, Heero, take any empty seat you see." Heero walked and took a seat near the back of the class. He stayed there til lunch, expressionless and cold, not paying attention to class, but working diligently on something on his laptop. "That new guy is scary" said Toji. "He's as quiet as Rei!" exclaimed Kensuke. It was now Lunch time, and Toji and Kensuke were with Shinji as usual. They were talking about the new kid. "Hey Heero! Come over, join us!" Shinji yelled to the new kid. "What are you doing, Shinji?" asked Kensuke and Toji simultainiously. "He's all alone here. I know what that's like." said Shinji, with a solemn look on his face. The other two boys didn't contest him. "Yes, Pilot Ikari?" Heero responded, now next to the three stooges' table. "It's nothing Heero. Just call me Shinji," said Shinji. "I thought you might want to join us for lunch, maybe we could talk." Heero was about to turn around with an annoyed look on his face, when Kensuke chimed up. "Hey, are you the next EVA pilot? Oh, God, I wish I was one. I can't even imagine how cool it must be to control a giant mech and blow stuff u-" Kensuke was interupted from his dream-like state by a very angry looking Heero. Heero looked Kensuke in the eyes, an angry look on his face. "You have no idea what the pains of war are. You have no idea much of your soul is lost through the animality of battles. It is definitely not.... fun." Heero stormed off back to his desk. The rest of the class, who's attention had been gotten by Heero's "speech", was now staring at him wide-eyed as he came back to his desk. Rei looked on from her seat near the window. Heero's words had brought sadness upon her; perhaps in him, she could find another, besides Shinji, who felt the pain of fighting, and the loss of one's self. A single tear fell unnoticed by all, and Rei felt a sadness remembering the fights against the Angels. ************** At NERV HQ, the EVA synchro testing lab place "But thats NOT FAIR!!" shouted Asuka at Dr. Ritsuko Akagi. "Why doesn't HE need to go into that LCL crap!!??" "That's simple Asuka," replied Ritsuko. "Heero's mech doesn't need to synch, it uses an entirely different kind of system, even different than all other mobile suits. He isn't piloting an EVA, he doesn't need LCL to control it." Asuka shut up, still fuming. "Now here's the entire schedule for today, if no one interupts me that is," Ritsuko said, that last part looking at Asuka. "I will begin from the beginning. You three Eva pilots will be synching, then you will enter your Eva's and join Heero, who will already be in combat training. We want to see how the Gundam and Eva's work as a team." "Hai!," all four pilots said in unison, before they left to the lockerrooms. "Why are you here, Heero?" said Shinji as he was changing into his plug suit. "I was ordered to change into a uniform that matches your uniforms." responded Heero as he pushed the button on the wrist of his plug-suit. "I do not see why I need to be wearing... this to be piloting. There is not synching involved, and Wing Zero can be piloted with me wearing anything." "BAKAS!!" Asuka yelled from across the seperator screen. "These aren't just plug-suits for synching, they're also the unforms for NERV mech pilots!! Sometimes I just don't get how stupid people like you two can always be the hero and save the day." Asuka trailed off... ** "Are these the modifications, Dr. Akagi?" inquired Heero, staring up at a Wing Zero that looked like it had been mutated into some sort of creature. "Yes they are," answered Ritsuko. " We've had to 'upgrade' your gundam to fight Angels." Seeing a worried look on Heero's face, she explained further. "The changes are mainly superficial. That is the same armor that the eva's have. We replaced most of the structurally weak parts of Wing Zero. In addition, we've also replaced some of the actuators and robotics for movement with the latest technology. Wing Zero will be even more agile than it was before." "Arigato, Akagi-san." Said Heero as he stepped forward to the elevator that would take him up to the cockpit. **** In Commander Ikari's office. "Fuyutsuki," said Gendo Ikari, as he stood up from behind his desk, "I've just recently read over Heero Yui's personel report and combat records. I've decided to make him part of my plan." "I hope that you're doing the right thing," Kozou said. "Yes, I am," Gendo said as he sat back down. "Heero will be part of the force against the Angels. I feel that we need a real soldier in our fold, and having a pilot with that mentality just handed to me, I could not pass it up. Ritsuko has already finished the modifications to his Gundam. Fuyutsuki, please report down to there and report back with the results of Heero's tests." "Hai." said Fuyutsuki as he walked out of Gendo's office. ******* In the control room. "Good job, everyone," said Misato to the three EVA pilots," all your synch rates are up." Askua and Shinji both had relieved smiles on their faces as they heard the news. Rei had no reaction. "Now, will all three of you report to the EVA cages and prepare for launch into the geofront to begin some combat training" commanded Ritsuko writing something down on her clipboard. "I wonder how powerful Heero's gundam is compared to the evas?" thought Misato out loud. "I take it that you haven't read the reports about Heero and the Wing Zero?" responded Ritsuko to Misato, almost startling her. "Well.. um... I guess I haven't," said Misato, with an embarrassed smile. "In some of the combat reports," explained Ritsuko to the Major, "it is stated that Heero, all alone, basically slaughtered three batalions of Virgo mobile suits and Mobile dolls." Seeing a startled look on Misato's face, she continued telling her about Heero. "Since the age of about 9, Heero has been trained as a soldier. In a sense, he is the perfect soldier. He was originally the pilot of Gundam 01 in the first attack on earth." "He attacked earth?" Misato said, even more shocked. "Well I see that you haven't been keeping up with the times, Misato," said Ritsuko as she stood to check on another computer station. "I didn't really expect so, NERV keeps you so away from global stuff like that. Yes, Misato, Heero was the weapon that the space colonies sent to rebel against the UN govenment. But, he did not follow his orders, which was to take over earth. Instead, he went renegade and fought along side the other Gundam Pilots to bring an end to the wars between the space colonies and earth. In the end, they did succeed, too bad that the 'Angel War' began right after." "Is that why Heero acts so emotionless?" inquired Misato, trying to comprehend this new info about Heero. "You'll have to ask him." responded Ritsuko, "All I know is the official stuff in the reports." "Well maybe you'd be able to answer my original question: How powerful is that Gundam?" "It uses the 'ZERO System'." answered Ritsuko to the question. "That system is what makes that gundam so powerful. I don't know much about the system, all information about it has been classified. "But in addition to the ZERO system, the Gundam has a double beam rifle that I've modified, and also a beam saber similar to a progressive knife. And with Heero's combat experience added on top of things, I'd say that that thing may be as strong as an eva, but the only way to find out is through the combat test we should start beginning." "Oh yeah!," shouted Misato, as she remembered what she was doing. She then saw the three evas join the Gundam in the geofront who was already finished blassting away at targets. "All right everyone, let's begin this combat simulation." ********** ** Inside the Wing Zero, Heero felt at home. He felt at peace being in the familiar cockpit. He smiled for a second, before it faded from his face. He then engaged the ZERO system. The space around him flashed psychodelic colors. He could see farther than his eyes could see, understand more than his mind could comprehend, and his mind was clear. "Heero, just set your beam rifle to low-level training mode, and just shoot at the targets as we record data on your reaction time." said Dr. Akagi as she ended the transmission to the gundam. The targets appeared on Heero's view screen, and he shot at them, never missing, never hesistating, always a perfect shot. The targets kept appearing faster and faster, Heero never missing one of them. Zero guided his mind to see the task at hand. The targets appeared one after another, and soon the gundam was a blur, moving fast to hit every target dead center, never missing one. Then the targets stopped appearing. "Where is my enemy?" Heero stated out loud to no one in particular. "The simulation's over Heero," said Ritsuko, responding in the form of a transmsision. "Wait for the eva's to join you for training after they finish their synch testing." "Hai". In the control room, Ritsuko thought to herself. How could he have gotten a perfect score on the test? The targets were supposed to adjust to the speed of the pilot and soon overcome him. But Heero never missed a shot, never wasted a shot. And near the end, the time he paused between shots was less that 1/1000th of a second. The MAGI, who were controling the test, gave up and ended the test. Ritsuko looked down at the output screen to see the MAGI's assesment of Heero. Back in the geofront, the three evas entered. Misato sent a transmission to all four pilots, "All right everyone, let's begin this combat simulation." "What are we to do, Misato-san?" this question came from Shinji who was broadcasting on an open channel that all four mecha were tuned into. "Glad you asked, Shinji," replied Misato, "Heero will be going one on one with each of you. No weapons, only progressive knives on low power and eva hand to hand combat. So, who will be first to t-" "I'll beat the crap out of that BAKA!! " yelled Asuka as Unit 02 stepped forward. "Alright then, Asuka, Heero, begin!!" Shouted Misato from the control room. ****** Unit 02 rushed at Wing Zero, progressive knife in hand. Wing Zero backhanded it with the sheild and Unit 02 fell to the ground. As Heero put his beam saber to the fallen Unit 02's neck, he sent a transmission to it's pilot. "Pilot Soryuu,to you surrender?" "Dammit BAKA!!" With that, Unit 02 punched away the hand that was holding the beam saber. The saber fell. Unit 02 was now back on its feet and lock in hand to hand combat (or maybe "EVA to Gundam" combat). Unit 02 punched Wing Zero in the face. As Wing Zero stumbled back a few steps, Heero could hear Asuka laughing over the open com frequency. Suddenly the Wing Zero's cockpit was a flurry of colors, followed by a vision of what must be done to complete the objective. There was a deafening roar in the geofront, as Heero engaged Wing Zero's new wings and flight engines. He flew at Unit 02, grabbed it, and flew to the top of the geofront. "Pilot Soryuu, do you surrender?" stated Heero over the open frequency. "What the HELL are you doing?? NEVER!!" was the response the gundam pilot got. Wing Zero turned and dive bombed straight down while still holding Unit 02 in its arms, engaging additional afterburners. Unit 02 was slammed into the ground at three times the speed of sound. Wing Zero got up. Unit 02 layed motionless. "Objective complete." stated Heero into the com. "Asuka!!" yelled Shinji. There was no response. "Major Katsuragi, and Dr. Akagi," said Heero on the open frequency, "I suggest that you eject Unit 02's entry plug and give medical attention to Pilot Soryuu. I estimate that she is unconscious." The entry plug ejected from Unit 02. A medical and recovery team rushed to the plug. ***** "What did you do to Asuka!!!" yelled both Misato and Shinji over the com frequency. The question was directed toward Heero. "I completed objective number one. May I procede to my next?" responded the emotionless Heero. "I'll fight him," yelled Shinji as he ran toward Wing Zero screaming with his progressive knife at his hand like a lance. Everyone in the control room was shocked and surprised at Shinji's outburst of emotion and urge to fight. Commander Gendo Ikari was watching everything from his office. He was listening to everything, too. He was surprised at Heero, but he was shocked at Shinji. The way he has spoken, the was he had screamed, it seemed to the Commander that Shinji was out for revenge. ***** Unit 01's progressive knife was stopped by Wing Zero's sheild. The two massive fighting machines began a sword fight. "Why did you do that to Asuka!!" Shinji yelled at Heero through the com. "It was my objective." responded Heero, dodging a swipe from Unit 01. After a near miss, Heero said, " You seem to have a reason to fight." Shinji's response was a jumpkick that knocked down Wing Zero for a couple seconds. "You must be able to harness your emotions to become an effective fighter." Said Heero. "You must still be able to think clearly to accomplish the objective, but you must still believe in your reasons." Eva Unit 01 let out a scream from its purple mouth. It ran in a rage to Wing Zero and began to form an AT-field around its fists as it tried with all its might to beat the crap out of Heero and the Wing Zero. ****** Back in the control room, everyone saw the scream. Then they saw the fight. "Oh my GOD!" screamed Misato, "is Unit 01 going berserk again!?!" "Major..." Maya trailed off, pointing down at the computerscreen. "What's wrong?" asked Ritsuko as she and Misato ran to see what was on the screen. They saw what was on it. Shinji's synch rate was at 300%. Shinji was in total control of Unit 01. ****** The fight raged on. "You..." Shinji began, speaking through the com. "Hurt.... Asuka...." "Shinji!" yelled Heero. "I was completing the objective!! Just like you are trying to do now!!!" The two mechas were now at a stand-still. Unit 01 had its progressive knife pressed against Wing Zero's neck, Wing Zero had its beam saber pressed against the neck of the EVA. Both mecha were battered and needed repairs. Then suddenly, both beams went dead. Then, both mechas lost power. "Okay, you two. The combat simulation is over. It's a draw between both of you two." transmitted Misato. " Now exit and meet me in the debriefing room. Rei, you too." The two evas returned to their cages, power restored. Wing Zero returned to the bay where they performed the upgrades. ******* In the debriefing room. Shinji was seated on the bench in the center of the room. Next to him was Rei. Heero stood in the shadows, leaning against the wall. Everyone was still wearing their plugsuits. Misato walked into the door. She walked right up to Heero, who greeted her with a salute. Instead of returning the salute, Major Katsuragi grabbed Heero's collar and slammed him into the wall. "What the hell were you doing!!??" She questioned the youth. "I completed the objective." "Asuka's in the hospital right now! Thank god her injuries weren't serious..." Misato started to trail off to herself as she let go of Heero. "Will she be able to pilot again?" asked Shinji with a look of concern. "Yes, Shinji, yes she will. In fact, she'll being going back to school in two days. " responded Misato. She turned to Heero. "This was a combat SIMULATION!" she stressed that last word. "Did you know that the pilots can feel through their Eva?" Heero nodded. "Then WHY did you do what you did?" yelled Misato. Shinji was looking at Heero, also waiting for answers. "I was completing my objectives." responded Heero. "Pilot Soryuu would've done the same, had she been capable." "These are your teammates, Heero," said Misato, "don't ever hurt them again, or I will personally kick your ass out of NERV!!" With that, Misato stormed out of the briefing room. But before the 3 pilots could leave, Commander Ikari stepped in. Rei and Shinji stood. Heero stood perfectly straight and saluted. To Rei and Shinji's surprise, Commander Ikari returned the salute the same way. "So you are the boy," said the commander, "the pilot of Gundam Wing Zero." "Hai." responded Heero. Shinji didn't know what to expect from his father, but he certainly didn't expect what he did next. Commander Ikari shook Heero's hand. "Heero," began the commander, "did you know Treize Kushrenada?" Heero's eyes grew big in shock at the mention of the name. "Hai." "Were you the original pilot chosen for the Epyon?" further questioned the commander." "Hai". was all he responded. The commander nodded and began to leave the room. But before he did, he turned to Shinji. "Shinji," Gendo started, "Hai, father?" replied Shinji, a little scared. "Good job," the commander said to his son, "I hope you realize what power you and 01 have. In the future, just like today, do not hesitate to fight." The commander left the room. Shinji, Heero, and Rei were dumbfounded. ********** As the three pilots walked to the locker room, Heero spoke. "I am sorry I hurt Pilot Soryuu," he said, "I realize now that you are emotionally close to her." "What?" Shinji, shocked by this, turned to look at Heero. "What do you mean by that?" "I mean that I regret to have harmed Asuka," responded Heero, " it was my order to b-" he was interupted by Shinji. "I know you were following orders, Heero," said Shinji, " I just hope I am not forced to harm another pilot. What I want to know is what do you mean that I and Asuka are 'emotionally close'?" "Don't worry Shinji," chuckled Heero, "Romantic involvement is nothing to be embarassed about. You must be true to your humanity, after all." "But there's nothing going on between me and Asuka!" said Shinji, almost yelling. Heero thought for a second. "Oh yeah, I realize it now," said Heero, relieving Shinji for only a moment. "I could hear her yelling at you last night. She does not return the feeling to you, right? You love her, but she does not love you back." "NO HEERO, NO!" Shinji responded, while blushing a deep shade of red. "It's not like that!" "Don't be embarassed, Ikari-kun" this time from Rei. "I have seen you around her. You seem happier, almost complete. Except when she is slapping you." Shinji was shocked at Rei. Not only at what she said, but that she said it. "See Shinji, even Rei can see it." said Heero, "Did you even notice the rage you went into when you realized she was hurt?" "I... I.. um.." was all Shinji could say. He tuned out Heero and Rei who had started to talk as the three entered the locker room. This was getting to weird for him to comprehend. ******* Rei and Heero were at the cafeteria seated across from each other on the same table. They were both eating bowls of ramen. Shinji decided to go home to cook dinner for him and Misato, so he could not join them. "Heero," Rei questioned, "why do you pilot?" "Because," Heero responded normally, he was not shocked at the question because he knew nothing about how Rei normally acted, he had met her just today. "I must." "And why must you?" "Because that's the only way I can put an end to the fighting. To all fighting, and to bring peace. I bring and keep peace I must be the one who is fighting. I owe it to the little girl and her dog...." that last sentence slipped out by accident. Rei stared at him, obviously puzzled by the last statement. Heero decided to tell Rei about his first mission. "The girl was from my first mission, many years ago. "The day before my first mission, I was playing in the park. I was lying in the grass, when a dog came up to me and licked my face. I picked up the dog and happily smiled at it. A little girl ran up to me and said 'thank you for finding my dog'. She was about 8. She asked if I was lost, and I said I wasn't. I played with her and the dog in the park. Afterwards, I walked with her to her apartment building. That was my last day of freedom and happiness before I started the colony wars with my mission that night. "I was supposed to blow up a mobile suit plant, that was near that park. I loaded a Leo type mobile suit with explosives and, by remote control, ordered it to walk into the factory and explode. I succeeded in my mission, but there was something wrong. "A piece of a blown-up Leo had landed on and destoyed a nearby apartment building. I ran into the mess to see if there was any survivors. I saw.... the girl and her dog... under the rubble.." Heero's voice cracked, and tears began to form in the corners of his eyes. Rei was beside him now, with one arm around his shoulders, her other hand on his. "Rei.." said Heero. Rei put a finger to his llips, telling him to be quiet now. "That is a very sad story, Heero-kun" Rei said as she put her head on his shoulder. Tears silently formed and fell from her eyes. They sat their, sobbing, letting their emotions get the better of them. ************* TO BE CONTINUED....... Author's notes: WOW! I know this chapter started slow, but I just needed Heero's character to be better explained and to set up everything for all the other characters. This is my first (public) fanfic. Oh yeah, I do realize that Rei is out of character, and that near the end, so is Heero. I'll try not to do that that much. There will be many, many more chapters of this story. Please read them all!! o_O =) I plan on the next chapters to go on gradual changes in the mood. Sometimes it may be a Darkfic, other times full of WaFF,sometimes full of action, and maybe even a lime or lemon. Till next time. Send all comments and criticisms to trek1030@hotmail.com Very soon, I will be starting a webpage. As of now ( December 3,2000) the page is crap. its URL is http://www.trekency.com When I finally build the page, it will be the home of my fanfics and fanart. Check the page in about a week. Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ Before you buy.