So, I've been hitting a lot of EVA fics lately, and something slowly bubbled up out of my hindbrain for an alt-EVA scenario:
Postulate that somehow, some of the cast (my money is on the Kaji/Mits/Rits trio) manages to lose the Idiot Ball and decides to try derailing the Scenario. But there's damn few strategic windows of opportunity, so they have to find a crack to stick their wedge in....
Perhaps further postulate that some member of SEELE decides that being merged into a nigh-omnipotent group mind inside EVA-01 isn't worth being stuck with Kihl&crew for all eternity, and either helps out or turns a blind eye.
Things proceed mostly as in canon... until Asuka finds herself facing the Production Models. Three of which suddenly turn on the other six... because Kaji sneaked corrupted copies of the Dummy Plugs into them, and Ritsuko came up with a short-range remote-piloting system... and Toki, Hikari, and Kensuke are in Reiquarium-derived tanks in Terminal Dogma driving the rogue Harpies.
On the one hand, 1-v-9 is now 4-v-6. On the other hand, the three "good" Harpies are being piloted by amateurs, with all the issues of a remote piloting link. On the gripping hand, they have the same lolnope rapid-regen as the rest of the MP EVAs.
Fridge Logic suggests that, in the EVA-verse, this would have to lead to an even Worse End, with any combat victory over SEELE being merely temporary. But if Misato hasn't been so obsessed, maybe Shinji hasn't been so alone. Maybe Rei's been approached from a "choose Shinji over Gendo" angle. Maybe, just maybe, with a somewhat prepared Rei, a not-so-broken Shinji, and the Lances, something like a end-of-HERZ scenario might be achievable....
Postulate that somehow, some of the cast (my money is on the Kaji/Mits/Rits trio) manages to lose the Idiot Ball and decides to try derailing the Scenario. But there's damn few strategic windows of opportunity, so they have to find a crack to stick their wedge in....
Perhaps further postulate that some member of SEELE decides that being merged into a nigh-omnipotent group mind inside EVA-01 isn't worth being stuck with Kihl&crew for all eternity, and either helps out or turns a blind eye.
Things proceed mostly as in canon... until Asuka finds herself facing the Production Models. Three of which suddenly turn on the other six... because Kaji sneaked corrupted copies of the Dummy Plugs into them, and Ritsuko came up with a short-range remote-piloting system... and Toki, Hikari, and Kensuke are in Reiquarium-derived tanks in Terminal Dogma driving the rogue Harpies.
On the one hand, 1-v-9 is now 4-v-6. On the other hand, the three "good" Harpies are being piloted by amateurs, with all the issues of a remote piloting link. On the gripping hand, they have the same lolnope rapid-regen as the rest of the MP EVAs.
Fridge Logic suggests that, in the EVA-verse, this would have to lead to an even Worse End, with any combat victory over SEELE being merely temporary. But if Misato hasn't been so obsessed, maybe Shinji hasn't been so alone. Maybe Rei's been approached from a "choose Shinji over Gendo" angle. Maybe, just maybe, with a somewhat prepared Rei, a not-so-broken Shinji, and the Lances, something like a end-of-HERZ scenario might be achievable....