Shinji Ikari Raising Project

[Dartz]

Or, an odd plotbunny that needs to be let out to breath. Something may come of this. Maybe nothing.

He opened his eyes for the first time.

“Unfamiliar Ceiling,”

A familiar sentence for Shinji Ikari. For a moment, he hoped it might’ve all been a dream but as his mind threw off the fog of sleep, the dream refused to decay.

He glanced around, trying to make sense of where he was. He lay on a cot-bed, under a lightweight space-blanket of the sort he was reasonably familiar with. The ceiling above was dirtier than the hospital he was used to. The air smelled of dry dust and a woman’s perfume.

To his left, an empty nightstand with a single lamp.

It didn’t work when he tried to switch it on. The bulb flickered once, popped, then went dark forever. He cursed it under his breath. Still, there was enough light to see by.

He checked himself. All present and accounted for. Naked, so someone had undressed him. It was a pleasant surprise to note that the stigmata scars on his palms had disappeared.

As had the calluses on his finger-tips. Odd, he mused, rubbing them against his thumb in turn. They should’ve been thick from his cello strings.

The wall opposite him was blank. In the gloom he guessed it was painted blue. He could make out the outlines of furniture ghosts as brighter patches in the paint. There’d been something there once... and it’d been taken away.

He thought for a moment, that maybe they’d been rescued by other survivors. Other people had come back! He felt a thrill run through his body.

No more loneliness. He was alive!. People were alive! Asuka had to be somewhere here too... maybe. He looked out the bay window to his right.

And saw the blackest night sky he’d ever seen in his life, filled with the brightest stars, cresting over a star-lit rocky plain so desolate and lifeless, it made him pause and think for a moment.

No trees. No burned stumps and broken telegraph poles. No cross nailed to a makeshift memorial he’d taken days to construct. No streak of blood. Days alone. With all of humanity in one red tide overseen by a decaying face the size of a mountain. He felt himself sicken as the memory struck him hard. It was a brick to the mind.

He had been there. With her. She’d come back. And..... something....

Then he woke up here. In a starkly empty room, looking out over an equally impossible wasteland, which could easily have been the surface of the moon.

“Where am I?” he wondered aloud.

There was no answer except the distant whirr of a ventilation system blowing through ducts in the ceiling. It was dry, industrially tainted air. There was something reassuring about it. It reminded him of the Geofront for a moment.

Craning his ears, he thought he could hear movement outside, through a door. Shuffling feet.

“Hello!” he called out. “Hey!”

The shuffling stopped.

Life!

The door opened a moment later. The lock snapped. The hinges squawked and harsh light flooded the room. The windows turned immediately to an opaque black mirror, shining with the reflected light.

A woman’s figure stood silhoutted in the light.

“Misato?” he murmured.

No, he realised a moment later. She wasn’t as.... big.

“I’m sorry,” she answered in perfect Japanese. “My name is Kotono Ito. I’m glad to see you’re awake,”

“Ikari Shinji,” he answered, feeling his voice strain.

A snap of a switch, and the lights overhead fizzed to life. His eyes didn’t even need to adjust. He saw her face first, youthful and smiling at him, framed by jet-black bangs. Hazel eyes were full of cheer. For a moment, he though of his guardian... but she was much thinner than Misato.... and far more athletic.

And he doubted Misato ever dressed like that. Seriously.... a pink blouse and white trousers?

She giggled behind her hand. “I think you should get dressed. There’re clothes at the end of the bed.”

Shinji took a few moments to process for a moment. Dressed?

A cold draft tickling around very private areas informed him that yes, he was naked. And yes, she could probably see everything. The silvered mylar blanket had pooled around his legs as he sat up.

“Sorry!” he yelp

She chuckled. “Come outside when you’re dressed,”

She stepped back, closing the door behind her. Shinji swore she heard her laughing at him.

The concret floor was cold and gritty under his feet. He could feel the heat being sucked out of the soles of his feet.

It wasn’t uncomfortable, just a little bit strange. He padded about a little, testing his body. No aches and pains. He didn’t feel as hungry as he normally did when he woke up. He didn’t feel thirsty. He didn’t feel a need to use the bathroom.

He felt fine.

His reflection in the glass looked perfectly healthy. Well fed. Not dirty and starved after days grubbling around on a beach for dead fish and barely-fresh water.

Maybe it had all been a dream. The rock just beyond was illuminated

A pile of clothes waited on the floor for him. What was there, was a few sizes to big for him, well worn. Jeans and a basic blue t-shirt, which told the whole world in plain English that he’d attended something called ‘Republicon’. A belt kept the trousers from falling, but the sneakers were for larger feet and slipped as he tried to walk. He guessed it’d been borrowed at short notice.

He took a deep breath, steeled himself, and opened the door.

And was greeted by the soothing scent of dinner being cooked. Kotono stood over the range, puts bubbling in front of her. She turned and smiled at him.

“Welcome to my humble home,” She raised a spatula. “I thought you might be hungry, so I cooked up something quick,”

He wasn’t. He blinked. “This place is huge,”

It was. Just the living area alone was easily bigger that Misato’s apartment. There was a kitchen area over by the front door, spaciously appointed with everything possibly needed. There was a table, set ready for a meal for two.

There was a meticulously neat living area, couches centered around a huge flatscreen television, easily larger than the pre-impact model jealously guarded by Touji’s father. It must’ve cost..... Shinj’s mind boggled at the numbers. Then at the collection of books and movies and electronic hardware underneath it.

And still those jet-black windows looking out onto the lunar surface beyond. Above, an open-sided staircase lead to some sort of mezzanine level, while opposite him were more doors, leading to rooms he guessed were like his own.

“Thanks,” said Kotono, “About the one thing we have a lot of out here is space. Might aswell use it to get comfortable,”

How could they justify using living space fit for a family, for just one person? He banished the thought as rude.... maybe she’d earned it somehow. Or maybe she didn’t live alone.

A thought occurred to him

“Is Asuka here?”

Kotono looked at him, with what he felt might almost have been pity.

“She has red hair. About my age. She’s hurt,”

Again, the image in his mind made him sick to his throat. And how would she feel about him if she found out what he’d done to her?

“She isn’t here right now,” the woman said, keeping her voice as soft and soothing as she could manage. “It’s just you here.”

“Where are they?”

“I don’t know.” She stopped. He was about to say something before she spoke again “It’s complicated. You just woke up. You’ve been through a lot. I’ll answer any questions you have when the time comes, but for now, I just need you to take time to get your bearings,”

She was looking right at him, still wearing that soft sister smile in a way that forced him to think about Misato. He licked his lips, remembering the taste of blood in her mouth.... and that sad smile on her face as he’d been pushed back into the lift car. She was still smiling when the door shut.

Ten seconds later, he’d heard the blast.

If Asuka survived somehow, maybe she did? Yes.... He swallowed the lump in his throat, and feigned scratching at his eyes to hide the tears before they became too obvious.

Something lit the room up, a brilliant, hot light flooding in in an instent. Blinking, he stared at a white magnesium flare rising up above what seemed to be a distant horizon, illuminating the cold, barren world beyond the windows for the first time.

It was an ancient, pock-marked surface, mottled in shades of brown black and grey. Deep black shadows were cast like voids in craters. It was a perfect darkness, beside perfect light with no shades inbetween.

The sky above was still black as ink. And the flare was quickly rising up above distant mountains. A half second later, he knew he was looking at the sun. The windows darkened themselves automatically, enough to make staring comfortable at least.

How?

“Where.... where am I?” he forced out.

He could feel a thousand caterpillars crawling across his back.

Kotono set down her spatula. He could see her reflection in the window in front of him, crossing the floor behind him. He still started as she placed a warm hand on his should.

““Shinji.” she said, looking right into his eyes. “You’re in my apartment. On 77 Frigga. We’re deep in the main belt.”

What? His mind whirled for a moment, trying to make sense.

“Main belt? As in..... “

“We’re on an asteroid. In outer space.” she clarified. It was the truth. He was certain. There was something about her voice, a flat, dead certainty in her tone that was irrefutable.

I’m in Space.

His mouth hung open for what felt like an eternity, before the connection between brain and mouth was made.

“What?” he managed to say.

------

The dome was in darkness, lit only by the lights on the house behind, and the headlights of an automated lawnmower still puttering around going about it’s duties.

“Does he know yet?” Jet asked her.

Kotono took a deep breath of fresh air, drinking in the scent of fresh cut grass. “I told him where we are. He’s still taking time to assimilate that. He also asked me if Asuka, or Misato or Ayanami were here. Then he asked about his father,”

“What did you tell him?”

“I told him that I’d answer his questions when the time came, but for now, just to get used to being here,” She paused. “I don’t want to lie to him. He’s going to have to be told everything eventuallly. ”

She was there solely because she was the least likely to spook him

“We need to do this gently. He needs to get used to the idea of being alive, and being in space with us before we tell him the truth.”

Kotono nodded. “I’ll give him a tour of Frigga tomorrow. But he’s going to ask difficult questions. And I don’t think I can explain where he is, without explaining what he is,”

“Right, right.” Jet seemed to stare at her feet, before taking a long deep breath. “That’s the 64 million credit question right there. How do we tell Shinji Ikari that he’s really an android, based on a fictional TV show?” A pause. “And not have him collapse into an existential black hole,”

“I don’t know yet.” Kotono admitted. “He’s a real sweet boy. Cute, polite, considerate.... the exact opposite of Mackie,” She gave an alto chuckle. Jet smirked in amusement. “But I kind of feel sorry for him. I know he won’t take it well.”

“I knew this was a bad idea. Anika’s going to pay for this.” That was a promise. “Please, try wake the frame. It deserves the chance at life. What’s the worst that could happen?”

There was a curse under her breath which Kotono couldn’t make out.

“Are we going to tell anyone else about this?” she enquired.

“Fuck no! Not yet.” She took a moment to actually think. “I’ll send a message out, see if anybody has any advice on handling this. I won’t tell them exactly who we have, that’s asking for trouble. Just that we have a new android.”

----

Shinji.... there's an explanation I have in story.
________________________________
--m(^0^)m-- Wot, no sig?

[robkelk]

"What can you tell me about this message?" Noah Scott held up a Trekkie-surplus PADD displaying the posting that had been made to a quiet forum for people who had to live with being not-quite-fictional, or who lived with people who were not-quite-fictional – a forum that was very carefully not hosted on a StellviaCorp server.

"A word-pattern analysis of the message combined with a financial means analysis of known fans of Neon Genesis Evangelion gives a 97% probability that the message originated from 77 Frigga."

"Thank you, Takami." Not for the first time, Noah wondered whether it was really a good idea to make his sysadmin that good at figuring things out.

Yayoi frowned. "If Jet's group didn't want to go public with this, and they're still looking for help, then our options are limited. Normally I'd volunteer to pay him a visit, but I don't think the Friggans would appreciate that in this case. They're trying to keep this a secret, probably for his sake."

"Yeah, you're everybody's big sister – mine too, even though you're a day younger than me." Kohran grinned. "If anybody could get Shinji Ikari to relax, it'd be you. How about encouraging him to grow away from who his template was and becoming his own person?"

Noah shook his head. "That worked for you and Sora, but you had a couple of years experience living with the knowledge of being ... what was Skuld's term, again?"

"'Lookalike'."

"Thank you, Kohran. You already knew what it meant to be a lookalike before you stopped being one. Shinji doesn't have that experience to build on."

"What about shock therapy?" Yuu asked. "Ask Greenwood to send a few of their Ayanamis over to visit, or maybe get the Roughriders to send over a dozen Jesses. Or both at the same time."

Leda shook her head. "I think that would be the fastest way to destroy Shinji's sanity."

The room was silent for a moment. Then Miyuri said a single word.

"Anika."

"I don't see how Sailor Atalantae could possibly help here."

"Not Anika Springfield. Anika Daini. She already lives on Frigga, and she knows what somebody needs to do to open up to the world. Sure, she isn't a trained psychologist, but that isn't what Shinji needs. He needs a friend."

"Ah. I suspect Shinji could use the help of a trained psychologist, but you're right – he needs a friend, and she's probably the best person to be that friend, given the apparent options." Noah thumbed the remote to open his office door. "I'll reply to this matter personally. Thank you, everyone."

(Yes, I'm referring to something in LoGG that I haven't published yet... Sorry about that.)
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[Dartz]

Thanks

Though, you pretty much nailed exactly what I had planned. Shinji is Anika's 'brother' in a technical sense. His body was built as an exercise following plans 'liberated' from Anika's builder, solely for practice for repairing for Anika..... It was Anika herself asked for the lifeless frame to be waved, rather than dismantled, arguing that it deserved a chance at life.

Two weeks later, Shinji was the result.
________________________________
--m(^0^)m-- Wot, no sig?

[M Fnord]

I must say, I have this urge to put Shinji in a room with Gina Langely and see what happens. Of course, after she kills the poor boy I wouldn't want to be within a light-month of Jet and the gang, but...
Mr. Fnord interdimensional man of mystery

FenWiki - Your One-Stop Shop for Fenspace Information

"I. Drink. Your. NERDRAGE!"

[LynnInDenver]

Jeph set his PDA down, sighed, and pinched the bridge of his... no, now her... nose. "Oh, goddamnit... NENE!" she yelled through the open door between the offices. "Jet's at it again!"

"...I'd ask if it's that bad, but I can hear the female voice, so I know it's that bad."

"Read your email."

"...oh CRAP."

"You swore. That just confirms it."

"I'm just hoping that they get him into a more assertive personality before Gina finds out."

Jeph shivered. "Yes, they'd better get that before that happens."
--

"You know how parents tell you everything's going to fine, but you know they're lying to make you feel better? Everything's going to be fine." - The Doctor

[Black Aeronaut]

Benjamin sighed happily to himself as he sat down in his suspended chair, feeling the battered and dings wood of his desk under his palms. Then, faster than you could look, he brought up the login with a quick keystroke, followed equally quickly by his entering the password. With a quick glance at his schedule for the day, he knew it was going to be fun.

That was, until he heard Gina cursing in the next room.

"Was die verdammte Hölle? Gott verdammt noch mal, Jet! WARUM?"

This was then followed by the sound of Gina repeatedly head-desking.

Benjamin blinked at that, then tapped the intercom button for Jess's desk. "Jess, clear my morning schedule. Something just came up with Gina."

------

Apologies to any German speakers here if that's rather... off. Used Google Translate there.

[HRogge]

For once it might be even an advantage for all the catgirls at Jenga (many of them visiting Frigga regularly) that their memory goes only back a few years... for them Shinji Ikari will be just a normal name of a boy they meet there. If Shiji get used to the idea of being alive and NOT in his 'original' reality, he might start enjoying to have a normal life. Being recognized as someone from an anime will not help.

...

Use this one...

"Was zur Hölle? Gott verdammt noch mal, Jet! WARUM?"

[Dartz]

The thing with Shinji.

He's the first android woken on Frigga, intentionally. Mackie came about because of a hardware glitch on 37 Fides. Anika was built by someone named Flint who is now doing his community service for AI slavery. It wasn't anyones intention to wake up Shinji Ikari specifically. They were expecting either something like Anika.... an independent personality, or someone from Bubblegum Crisis (Possibly a Knight Saber).

And hopefully, *not* Largo. That was all Jet wanted.... something that wasn't Largo.

Well, they got that.

And a response to whatever message Noah sends:

“Thanks for the message.

I really should learn to cover my tracks better. Your right. We were hoping to keep things quiet for his sake. We’re still working things out here. Technically, he looks healthy so far. His body, under the skin, is the same as Anika’s. Exact same hardware. He was built to plans we salvaged from Flint, and when we waved the inert body, and saw what appearance it was taking on, it was a surprise to say the least.

Not an unpleasant one. I was afraid we’d get Largo. Don’t get me wrong. We’re glad we have him. But this isn’t going to be easy.

The problem is, as far as Shinji’s concerned, he is the real Shinji Ikari. He’s the Shinji who woke up on a beach after Third Impact with all that entails. He remembers everything. We need to give him time to adapt to his setting, and get him used to the idea of being here, and that there are people other than humans.

I have him staying with Kotono right now in her apartment. They’re both culturally Japanese, so that helps. Later in the day, we’re going to give him the tour of the place.

Anika’s going to help. Of course she is. It was her idea to wave the body in the first place. We have Mackie too.... he might respond better to another boy his age. I’d like him to meet me and Mackie. Then give him a little Bubblegum Crisis to watch, just to get the idea into his head. He’s going to start becoming aware that he’s different pretty soon.

Hopefully we can guide him towards conclusions on his own, rather than outright having to tell him. That way, when we do finally tell him, it’s a confirmation of something he already suspects rather than another bolt from the blue.

It still won’t be easy on him. But it’s better than the alternative.

After that, we’ll play it by ear. It might be good for him to spend time with Sora, when we’re certain he’s able to handle himself better.

I’ll also have to inform Gina and Ben... and let them know. I’m not sure what I’m looking forward to less.

Thanks again for the advice.

-Jet

________________________________
--m(^0^)m-- Wot, no sig?

[Cobalt Greywalker]

Note, this was written before the reply to Noah was posted (and A.C. wouldn't know its contents anyway).

---

“Jet.” A.C. sighed, shaking her head. “Jet, Jet, Jet.” Well, dealing with the existential angst of a newly Awakened A.I. was something of a rite of passage for a Builder…

“A.C.!” A holowindow popped up to her left, showing the worried face of Lebia. “Have-“

“Yes.” A.C. cut her off.

“But-“ This time all it took was a raised eyebrow to silence the blonde, reminding her that A.C. knew com systems better than the android. “O.K. What are we going to do?”

A.C. let the implicit demand slide.

“I’m sending my advice to treat him as his own person, NOT as the Shinji of the franchise. Then I’m going to send a note to Gina, reminding her that since she’s not her template, treating Shinji as his template would be rather hypocritical.”

[Black Aeronaut]

Message from Gina to AC:

No, I understand what you mean. When I awakened I had the memories of Asuka up to about midway through the series. Thank Skuld that's all I had, otherwise I would have been a total basket case for Ben to deal with. It was bad enough as it was. If I meet this Shinji I'm gonna be treating him with kid gloves... Even if that means I gotta let the dumkopf bawl his eyes out in my lap for a while.

[Warringer]

"No, Jeb. That guys problems cannot be solved with more boosters..." - Naedial to Jeb

[robkelk]

And a response to whatever message Noah sends:

Thanks to Yuku playing silly buggers with forum access, I couldn't get on until now... so here's the message. Or, rather, the messages.

---

To: "Jet Jaguar" (jet@survival-shot.fen)
From: "Noah Scott" (big-cheese@stellvia.fen)
Subject: An email that may be of interest to you

Hello, Jet. I don't know whether you've met my sysadmin, Takami Sakuragi. She's very good at what she does, and one of the things she does is detect patterns. Real patterns – she has a filter against apophenia. She told me what she figured out about a post that she gave a 97% probability came from you folks.

Please find attached an email that I just sent to everyone I can think of who might want to barge in and help you. We respect your desire to handle this on your own. The best thing we can do for the boy right now is to stay out of his life and not treat him like a sideshow freak. But the best thing you folks can do for him right now is be friends with him. Miyuri thinks Anika would be the best person for him to befriend, out of everyone you have there.

If you decide you want outside help with this, all you need to do is ask and we'll come flying. But until then, StellviaCorp will stay out of your way.

Noah Scott
Proud parent, happy husband, and President of Stellvia Corporation. In that order.

ATTACHMENT

To: "Gina Rhodes" (red-rider@roughriders.fen
CC: "Ben Rhodes" (black-rider@roughriders.fen)
From: "Noah Scott" (big-cheese@stellvia.fen)
Subject: I expect you've seen THAT post by now

I won't insult your intelligence by saying which post, or where. I also expect a few of you have also figured out where it came from.

Most of the StellviaCorp higher-ups (read: the adults in the Scott family who are still resident on-station) have had a meeting about this. We see a couple of matters here that do not require our immediate attention, because the people involved don't want our immediate attention – they want to solve this one themselves. When he's ready to deal with the fact that he's a lookalike of a known fictional character, then we can help him come to terms with being thrust into this crazy world. But until then, I strongly suggest we follow the guiding principle of the Fenspace Convention and butt the hell out of this until they ask us to help. Then, and only then, do we volunteer to get the kid some professional help. Or even some knowledgeable-amateur help; everybody receiving this email is either a lookalike or living with one or more lookalikes, so we have practical experience that most professionals lack.

And he'll need that help. Everything he's sure of is wrong, and everyone he meets who he thinks he knows has changed. (Especially Gina, who left her old persona behind years ago and now has an adopted daughter – I can't begin to imagine how he'll handle that.) But that's for later. The problem that we have to address is how to keep well-wishers and curious people from overwhelming the poor boy. We aren't the only ones who can run the same origin analysis that Takami ran as a matter of course – it'll just take most people longer, if they can do it at all. And I'm stumped here. Any ideas, anyone?

Noah Scott
Proud parent, happy husband, and President of Stellvia Corporation. In that order.
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[LynnInDenver]

To: "Nene Romanova" (nene@jmc.fen)

From: "Jeph
Antilles" (lordandmaster@jmc.fen)

Subject: RE: I expect you've seen THAT post by now

>I won't insult your intelligence by saying which post, or where. I also
expect a few of you have also figured out where it came from.
We can appreciate that over here.

>Most of the StellviaCorp higher-ups (read: the adults in the Scott
family who are still resident on-station) have had a meeting about this.

>We see a couple of matters here that do not require our immediate
attention, because the people involved don't want our immediate
>attention – they want to solve this one themselves. When he's ready to
deal with the fact that he's a lookalike of a known fictional
> character,
then we can help him come to terms with being thrust into this crazy
world. But until then, I strongly suggest we follow the
>guiding
principle of the Fenspace Convention and butt the hell out of
this until they ask us to help. Then, and only then, do we volunteer
>to
get the kid some professional help. Or even some knowledgeable-amateur
help; everybody receiving this email is either a lookalike or
>living
with one or more lookalikes, so we have practical experience that most
professionals lack.
Well, to be fair (Nene's fine with you knowing this), she came through the 'waving process with full knowledge that she was based on an fictional character - having knowledge of at least FOUR different incarnations on oneself tends to do that, and it was easier that way. Still, I take your meaning on that. I've not created an AI yet that wasn't aware of their nature upon awakening, but I am well aware of the various concerns and dangers of such.

>And he'll need that help. Everything he's sure of is wrong, and everyone
he meets who he thinks he knows has changed. (Especially Gina,
> who left
her old persona behind years ago and now has an adopted daughter – I
can't begin to imagine how he'll handle that.) But that's
>for later. The
problem that we have to address is how to keep well-wishers and curious
people from overwhelming the poor boy. We
>aren't the only ones who can
run the same origin analysis that Takami ran as a matter of course –
it'll just take most people longer, if they
>can do it at all. And I'm
stumped here. Any ideas, anyone?
Well, for our part, we're reassigning the freight run personnel for the Blue Midget that we send out there. Only one person on board isn't familiar with living with a lookalike, and she's due to get moved into one of the captain slots anyway, so we'll just move up that timetable. The remaining crew will get briefed and explicitly ordered to not interfere unless pointedly asked by Jet herself.

To: "Jeph
Antilles" (lordandmaster@jmc.fen)

From:  "Nene Romanova" (nene@jmc.fen)

Subject: RE: I expect you've seen THAT post by now

>Most of the StellviaCorp higher-ups (read: the adults in the Scott
family who are still resident on-station) have had a meeting about this.


>We see a couple of matters here that do not require our immediate
attention, because the people involved don't want our immediate

>attention – they want to solve this one themselves. When he's ready to
deal with the fact that he's a lookalike of a known fictional

> character,
then we can help him come to terms with being thrust into this crazy
world. But until then, I strongly suggest we follow the

>guiding
principle of the Fenspace Convention and butt the hell out of
this until they ask us to help. Then, and only then, do we volunteer

>to
get the kid some professional help. Or even some knowledgeable-amateur
help; everybody receiving this email is either a lookalike or

>living
with one or more lookalikes, so we have practical experience that most
professionals lack.

I'm already ready to offer my assistance... such as it is.

>Well, to be fair (Nene's fine with you knowing this), she came through
the 'waving process with full knowledge that she was based on an
fictional character - having knowledge of at least FOUR different
incarnations on oneself >tends to do that, and it was easier that way.
Still, I take your meaning on that. I've not created an AI yet that
wasn't aware of their nature upon awakening, but I am well aware of the
various concerns and dangers of such.
Between original, 2040, both Hutchins works, the Bert Van Vliet works, and Hosmer's writings, that estimate is perhaps low there.

>And he'll need that help. Everything he's sure of is wrong, and everyone
he meets who he thinks he knows has changed. (Especially Gina,

> who left
her old persona behind years ago and now has an adopted daughter – I
can't begin to imagine how he'll handle that.) But that's

>for later. The
problem that we have to address is how to keep well-wishers and curious
people from overwhelming the poor boy. We

>aren't the only ones who can
run the same origin analysis that Takami ran as a matter of course –
it'll just take most people longer, if they

>can do it at all. And I'm
stumped here. Any ideas, anyone?

Well, I can talk to Anika, and see what I can do to run some cyberspace interference... but yeah, it's not going to be IF, it's going to be WHEN others piece things together.
--

"You know how parents tell you everything's going to fine, but you know they're lying to make you feel better? Everything's going to be fine." - The Doctor

[Black Aeronaut]

To: "Noah Scott" (big-cheese@stellvia.fen), "Greenpeace Crolis"
(greenpeace@prometheusforge.fen), "Leonard da Quirm"
(leonard@prometheusforge.fen), "Lebia Maverick"
(visionaire@prometheusforge.fen), "Sora
Hasegawa" (sora@ptichka.vvs.fen,
all-call@yggdrasil.fateful-lightning.fen

CC: "Gina Rhodes" (red-rider@roughriders.fen), "AC Peters"
(ac@prometheusforge.fen), "Jeph
Antilles" (lordandmaster@jmc.fen)

From: "Ben Rhodes" (black-rider@roughriders.fen)

Subject: RE: I expect you've seen THAT post by now
Gina and I have been talking about this all morning.  Of course, as you all know, the fact that this isn't an easy subject for her is a foregone conclusion.
On that note, we'll be staying out of this... for the most part, anyhow.  Once Shinji (if he still wants to go by that name by the time this blows over) has it in his head that he wants to meet Gina, she has said that she'll go ahead and meet him.  I'd only ask that no one try to stop him... well, beyond that initial impulsive-but-well-meaning urge to reconnect to someone familiar.
While Gina has changed quite a bit from being Asuka, that persona has been rebuilt over the foundations of the old one.  There's still a few tics in there that are trademark Asuka Langely-Sohryu and Shinji is gonna notice.  Gina has no problem so long as he accepts that she's changed.
Doubtlessly, he's probably also going to want to meet Jess.  This... could prove to be even more problematic.  Jess is an entirely different person.  She can act like Rei Ayanami if she so feels inclined to do so, but that's all it is.  Theatrics.  And as some of you who watch the cosplayer camps know, Jess only puts on theatrics when she's up on the stage.  Jess is not going to put on any of her theatrics for Shinji.  While I think it is a good thing, it's something we need to make sure he is good and ready for.
I've noticed that Chris Marsden isn't on the mailing list.  I would
have thought he'd be on there because he's got a Rei who is... well...
Rei.  I think it might be easier for Shinji to cope if, once he's deemed
fit to interact with people outside Friga, if he meets that particular
Rei Ayanami first.
Thoughts?
-Benjamin M. Rhodes
Supreme Commander, Roughriders
On time, on target, or your money back.

To: "Gina Rhodes" (red-rider@roughriders.fen), "Greenpeace Crolis"
(greenpeace@prometheusforge.fen), "Leonard da Quirm"
(leonard@prometheusforge.fen), "Lebia Maverick"
(visionaire@prometheusforge.fen), "Sora
Hasegawa" (sora@ptichka.vvs.fen,
all-call@yggdrasil.fateful-lightning.fen

CC: "Ben Rhodes" (black-rider@roughriders.fen), "AC Peters"
(ac@prometheusforge.fen), "Jeph
Antilles" (lordandmaster@jmc.fen)

From: "Noah Scott" (big-cheese@stellvia.fen)

Subject: I expect you've seen THAT post by now

I won't insult your intelligence by saying which post, or where. I also
expect a few of you have also figured out where it came from.

Most of the StellviaCorp higher-ups (read: the adults in the Scott
family who are still resident on-station) have had a meeting about this.
We see a couple of matters here that do not require our immediate
attention, because the people involved don't want our immediate
attention – they want to solve this one themselves. When he's ready to
deal with the fact that he's a lookalike of a known fictional character,
then we can help him come to terms with being thrust into this crazy
world. But until then, I strongly suggest we follow the guiding
principle of the Fenspace Convention and butt the hell out of
this until they ask us to help. Then, and only then, do we volunteer to
get the kid some professional help. Or even some knowledgeable-amateur
help; everybody receiving this email is either a lookalike or living
with one or more lookalikes, so we have practical experience that most
professionals lack.

And he'll need that help. Everything he's sure of is wrong, and everyone
he meets who he thinks he knows has changed. (Especially Gina, who left
her old persona behind years ago and now has an adopted daughter – I
can't begin to imagine how he'll handle that.) But that's for later. The
problem that we have to address is how to keep well-wishers and curious
people from overwhelming the poor boy. We aren't the only ones who can
run the same origin analysis that Takami ran as a matter of course –
it'll just take most people longer, if they can do it at all. And I'm
stumped here. Any ideas, anyone?

Noah Scott

Proud parent, happy husband, and President of Stellvia Corporation. In that order.

[Bob Schroeck]

OOC: It looks like the Grover's Corners is out of the loop on this one. That said, I trust that if it does come down to professional help for Shinji someone remembers that Kat is a therapist -- music therapist, to be sure, but a therapist nonetheless. And she is about as unthreatening a person as you can find above the age of six months.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

[robkelk]

OOC: Considering that Noah knows Kat helped Sora get over her agoraphobia, Kat's at or near the top of the list of "professional help" – but he'll only ask her for that help when Shinji's ready to accept it. So the GC folks are only out of the loop right now...
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[robkelk]

To: "Ben Rhodes" (black-rider@roughriders.fen)

CC: "Gina Rhodes" (red-rider@roughriders.fen

From: "Noah Scott" (big-cheese@stellvia.fen)

Subject: RE: I expect you've seen THAT post by now

> I've noticed that Chris Marsden isn't on the mailing list. I would have

> thought he'd be on there because he's got a Rei who is... well... Rei. I

> think it might be easier for Shinji to cope if, once he's deemed fit to

> interact with people outside Friga, if he meets that particular Rei

> Ayanami first.

I completely forgot about the folks on Greenwood... Chris, I'll send you the entire mail chain under separate cover. tl;dr: somebody just awakened an AI who thinks he's Shinji Ikari and doesn't know he's an AI. This is sort of a mini-SMOFcon, involving people who can relate to that.

I didn't forget about The Professor and his companions, or the SOS-dan, but they aren't really the type who could help here. (I suspect The Professor and Haruhi would do more harm than good, actually. And Haruhi doesn't seem to know she's a lookalike, so she couldn't help anyway.)

Noah Scott

Proud parent, happy husband, and President of Stellvia Corporation. In that order.
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[Dartz]

Meanwhile, as I try collect these and figure out how to work them into the narrative:

To those that’ve sent their best wishes. Thanks. I’ve archived them all for Shinji’s benefit, for later. To those who’ve sent advice, I really appreciate it.

Right now it’s just the six of us out here and three blitzkrieg students. Another couple of weeks and it would’ve been a different story. Nine people shouldn’t be overwhelming. We think it’s best to keep it at that for the time being. It’s the best way to give him a soft landing.

And I’ve a little experience handling these matters. The first thing a Panzer Kunst Anfanger has to learn is to how accept themselves and the changes they’ve gone through.

The hard part’s going to have to come here. After that, we’ll make a decision on what to do next. It also depends on what Shinji himself wants to do, or where he’d like to stay. I amn’t going to force him to leave. It probably would be best for him to spend time elsewhere, once he's aware.

Kotono’s asleep at the moment, but I can speak with her in the morning. Anika’s busy learning what Neon Genesis Evangelion is. All of it. I know he’s going to be asking a lot of tough questions tomorrow for us.

I’ll be in contact as the situation changes.

-Jet

________________________________
--m(^0^)m-- Wot, no sig?

[Cobalt Greywalker]

An email to Jet, in response:

---

To: "Jet Jaguar" (jet@survival-shot.fen)

From: "A.C. Peters" (rock_doc@prometheusforge.fen)

Subject: RE: Thanks for the kind wishes

Jet,

It’s things like this that stop me awakening more A.I.s. Roberta still has moments (at least, that she tells me of) where her ‘pre’ awakening memories get to her. Given her template, that can be rather traumatic at times. I don’t doubt that Shinji’s going to have the same issues.

What has worked for me is to get her to acknowledge her memories as just that, memories. Because of how she came to be, they only have what effect she allows them to have. It helped somewhat that she wanted to put that behind her. If you can get Shinji to the same position, it might make things easier for him to choose what he wants to do going forward.

And Shinji, because I know Jet’ll show this to you eventually, I want to say that the horrors of the past have one fear, and that is you no longer being controlled by them.

Well, that and that you’ll come along to kick them between the legs.

Ready to supply armoured boots,

A.C.

[Dartz]

And more.....

----

Shinji slept at Kotono’s suggestion, despite not feeling tired.

He woke up screaming less than an hour later.

And couldn’t fall back asleep again, for what felt like an age. He didn’t want to fall back asleep again.... not to nightmares like that. He just tried to lay there and enjoy the quiet.

A hundred questions clamoured for answers in his mind, all at once. He’d been promised answers. Eventually. Shinji had the dread feeling deep inside that he wouldn’t like them. Maybe it’d be the best never to know to truth, and be forever in the dark.

Dare the german scientist open the box? Didn’t the cat only die when the box was opened. Left unobserved, the cat would perpetually be alive.

Or something like that?

He took a breath and tried to pull the too-light blanket close.

At least it was.... peaceful. Nothing was expected of him.

“And Kotono. She isn’t a bad person really,”

-----

Most of the mails should be arranged here.... not entirely in posting order. I still have to figure out how to make them fit properly into the narrative of things.

“It’s just starting now, Jet,” said Anika.

She had popcorn and snacks all waiting. The Control room was darkened into a makeshift theater with most of the monitors reporting that they were happily churning away on automatic. An oversized monitor normally used for displaying a map of the asteroid’s tunnels. An image was paused onscreen

Centre frame, a boy with his wet hair held down over his face by it’s own weight.

The cyborg wordlessly took a seat, suppressing a yawn as she crossed her legs. Anika didn’t dare remark on how tired she looked. A wry grin spread across Jet’s face as she squelched down on laughter.

Anika gave her a puzzled stare. “What?”

“Just a message I got. It might be a fun idea when he's feeling better to introduce Shinji to Hideaki Anno,”

“Why?”

“FWHACK!”

She kicked out at the air, the momentum of her leg rocking both her and the seat back. It hung in mid air for a half-second, before crashing back down hard enough to buckle the legs.

Anika winced. A kick like that would break someone.

Jet was chuckling away to herself, allowing a day’s worth of stress to evaporate. She rolled her head to the side to face Anika, “I really don’t want to watch this again right now,”

Anika groaned. “Well it’s your fandom. And that Eva forum just didn’t have a good atmosphere when I started to ask questions,” She eased back, putting her booted feet up onto the desk between keyboard and mouse. “Eva fen really have too high an opinion of themselves. Donut?”

“Thanks,”

Jet ate it in three bites. Anika savoured a little more. The frozen image on the screen waited.

“Speaking of it. Did he just do what I think he just did?”

“Yeah,” Jet confirmed with a nod. “That’s what we’re dealing with. Even if it's not him....”

Anika set the movie playing again. The scene switched for a moment to a shoot of flooded ruins, before settling on a girl laying asleep in bed.

“I didn’t think it’d be like this.” Anika said, quietly.

“What were you expecting?”

“I don’t know. “She squirmed a little, scanning around the room looking for answers from shut-down control panels.” “Something more like me I guess.” She glanced at Jet’s face. “Feel an ‘I told you so’ coming on?

“All I did was remind you of something you should’ve already known,” the cyber said.

“I know. But when I saw the finished frame, all I could think about was that once, I’d been like that.” She tapped herself on the chest. “I’m the same as him. That frame had all the potential to enjoy life and experience things and be happy that I have.” she cast her eyes down at the floor. “I just didn’t want to waste it

Onscreen, the boy was pleading for help. His doppelganger was sleeping down in the accommodation block.

“And that’s how you convinced me,” Jet took a breath. “But still, once he knows he’s going to need guidance from another AI.”

The suggestion was obvious. Anika’s answer was instinctive.

“Why not Mackie?”

The boy’s attempt to wake the girl managed only to rip her hospital gown off.

Jet wore a rueful smile. “He’s my brother and I love him to bits, but someone who uses ‘cockalicious’ as an adjective probably isn’t the best person for the job.”

Anika sighed and closed her eyes.“I know.” She cringed. “And we’re the same basic design and I know how silly it is for me to be worried about telling him what I am. It’s a habit that dies hard,” Her insides were squirming in a way she didn’t think they were able to do. “It’s always tough for me to tell people,”

The screen shifted to an image of a locked door. Anika crossed her arms across her chest, sinking down into herself.

Jet nodded. “I understand. You don’t have to.”

Anika spoke after a moment’s thought. “No... I will,” Her voice was small and uncertain of itself. She glanced back up at the screen and blinked. Her eyes seemed to zoom in. “Did he just do what I think he just did?”

“Yeah,” Jet confirmed, lazily.

Anika squirmed in her chair. “Ewwwwww!”

Jet laughed again, seeming to enjoy her discomfort. When the film was over, and what she'd suspected was confirmed.... she replied to that last message. There was the beginnings of a plan now.

-------

Shinji Ikari was unaware of the fuss being made on his account across the interwave.

He didn’t understand why he felt so well rested, considering how poorly he’d slept. He felt alive and full of energy. He guessed Kotono was still asleep as he padded out and around the living area.

It was cold. But he felt warm inside.

The sun was up outside, illuminating the magnificent desolation beyond the window. The time according to the clock mounted on the wall was nearing 0800 and he decided that the best way to make himself popular, was to cook up a quick breakfast. And it’d be a nice way to thank her.

It certainly made him feel.... normal. He found himself smiling as he dug up ingredients from the refrigerator. There wasn’t much variety, but there was enough to work with. He preferred gas to electric.... but an electric hob was all there was.

At least he wouldn’t have to microwave anything. That ruined the flavour.

Sweet smells and steam permeated the apartment, chasing the dryness out of the air. If he closed his eyes, he could almost pretend that he was back home. He could hear Misato shuffling around as she got ready for a days work, while Asuka slept like a corpse in the room next to him. Penpen was rattling inside the refrigerator.

He fought the resulting image down. And the rattling was a bad motor.

He heaved a sigh. I’ll see them later today, he promised himself. If they picked me up, they had to have picked up Asuka. He felt himself smile

He almost heard her voice snark. “And taken us all the way out into the asteroid belt,”

It seemed a ridiculous idea for about half a second. He was on an asteroid, in deep space. He paused and pondered. There was a time, when the idea of the Evangelion had seemed impossible.

Maybe....

Maybe it was some sort of Lifeboat project, like the moonbase. If Earth was destroyed by Third Impact, humanity would remain. Yes. That was it. In space, there was eternal proof of mankind’s existence.

He heard someone creaking down the the stairs behind him. Kotono was slouching like a zombie, bags hanging under bloodshot eyes.

“Morning,” he said. A sudden pang of guilt reminded him that he might’ve been responsible

She blinked, taking a few seconds to comprehend that he was supposed to be there.

“Morning, Shinji,” she croaked out.

“I cooked a breakfast!” he announced.

Kotono’s brain seemed to be stuck with the handbrake on. “Thanks,” she said, offering a smile that for a brief moment seemed genuine

“It was the least I could do, Ma’am,”

She did after all, cook dinner for him. And take him into her own home. And seemed to be a nice

She scowled at him. “Ma’am is my mother. Called me Kotono, please.”

He gulped. “Yes ma’am...”

Her eyes narrowed.

“Sorry. Kotono,”

He had to force himself to say it, fighting against what felt like years of conditioning.

“That wasn’t so hard.”

Yes, it was. “There wasn’t much here, but I tried my hardest.” His smile was still forced

“It’s hard to get good food this far out in space,” said Kotono, with a sigh. “Anyway, I have to go get dressed, so keep trying.”

She seemed pleased. This was, he concluded, a good thing. He still had no real idea where he was or how he got there, but if the people there liked him, it couldn’t hurt.

And, as Kotono’s breakfast cooled uneaten on the table while the shower continued to hum. Hot food was making him feel just a little lethargic, but comfortable. She reappearred thirty three minutes later, looking fresh, clean and newly made straight from some ancient pre-impact animé.

“You took too long. It went cold,” he explained.

She shrugged. “I’ll microwave it,”

Which would ruin the flavour. He sighed again. She probably didn’t even care.

The microwave began to humm. Shinji blinked, craning his head around. It was humming a tune.... a definite tune as it cooked. She sat herself on the counter-top beside it, crossing her legs and dancing her foot in time with the tune. Disco lights flickered inside to cooker, following the rhythm,

Why would a microwave humm like that?

“So Shinji,” Kotono interrupted him, before he even had a chance to speak, “I’m going to give you the grand tour today. You can meet everyone here,”

“Asuka, Misato?”

A pause. She looked at the microwave. Only ten seconds to go.

“They aren’t here,” she answered, the cheer draining from her voice.

The question which followed should’ve been obvious

“Then where are they?”

Another pause. She took an obvious breath. The microwave finished with a flourish, a light show and a crystalline ‘ding!’. Her soft smile returned.

“You should get dressed while I finish this, That way we can leave as soon as you’re ready,”

It didn’t matter how polite she spoke, or how gentle her voice was, It wasn’t optional. She was hiding something behind that smile of hers.

For his own benefit, no doubt. She was just like the others.

The bathroom was luxuriously appointed with fully tiled floors and walls, polished spotless, with drop-drying towels hung neatly away on chromed hangers. Misato always left such a mess! He smiled sadly at his reflection in the mirror, before undressing himself. He folded his nightware, placing it tidily beside the sink, then stepped into the bath and setting the shower running.

He stood there for far longer than he expected, letting the water spray against his face. Something about the heat seemed to drain the energy right out of him, slowing his mind and body down into a dull lethargy that seemed oddly soothing.

Here I am.

He sniffed once to clear his nose, then let out a solitary whine from deep inside his throat, watching water drain down the plughole while trying to convince himself that it really was only water running down his cheeks.

“Shinji! Are you done yet!”

His eyes snapped open.

Zoned out. Back to reality.

He dried himself off, swallowing a deep gulp of air as he yawned. He hadn’t been tired earlier, but he was about ready to fall over now. He could feel himself slowing down.

The value of a hot shower.

A toothbrush had been labelled for his use, and he was mildly startled to find that he didn’t need a razor. Even if he hadn’t shaved himself more than once every couple of days... there should’ve been something other than bare skin.

Bare skin everywhere.

Not unusual... the plugsuit required it..... but there should’ve been some growth. It must’ve been days. It must’ve been.... how long? How long would it take to get into space. There was a small part of it that seemed beyond belief.

Maybe beyond the window was a massive screen. Or a movie set.

He wrapped himself from the waist down in a towel. People were alive and that was a good thing. There was something going on behind his back. It was that same feeling he used to get as he walked the corridors Geofront. There was something beneath the surface.

And, thinking on that, he really wasn’t certain he wanted to find out what was happening here.

He sighed and opened the door, a blast of colder, dryer air reinvigorated him, mind and body. People were alive and that was a good thing.

------

"Even if if Shinji's memories aren't real, the feelings behind them are," That's Jet's response boiled down into it's constituent components. There's a reason why she considers Mackie to be her brother after all.... they were hardware linked when he first awakened.

Now it's a race against time to get him to bond with Anika/Kotono/Mackie or Jet herself before he finds out..... so that either he rides through it with their support, or if it does cause him to breakdown, he'll want to grab onto one of them and he can be pulled back that way. If that don't work..... they're out of ideas.

Backup plan.... an apartment will be prepared for Sora and Shinji. Because sending him immediately away to Stellvia will just make him think he's being sent away again. Which would be even worse....

There's not much more that can be said... I think. But I had it all planned to be discussed in the story later.
________________________________
--m(^0^)m-- Wot, no sig?

[robkelk]

Backup plan.... an apartment will be prepared for Sora and Shinji. Because sending him immediately away to Stellvia will just make him think he's being sent away again. Which would be even worse....

(raises eyebrows)

Not that Sora would mind (as long as they have separate bedrooms), but she's with the Soviets now... Did you perhaps mean Yayoi?
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[Dartz]

(raises eyebrows)

Not that Sora would mind (as long as they have separate bedrooms), but she's with the Soviets now... Did you perhaps mean Yayoi?

Yes. Was a typo. My bad. I meant Yayoi....
________________________________
--m(^0^)m-- Wot, no sig?

[Foxboy]

"But Daaaaad! Why not?" Lime asked plaintively.

Eljay pushed his battered glasses up his nose. "You can't go see him because you will remind him of a bad stretch of his life when you open your mouth."

"Huh?" She flickered her eyelids, intentionally triggering her internal sound player for the "piku piku" effect.

"Voice actress problem, Lime." Eljay sighed. "You sound like his dead sister-aunt."
''We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat
them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.''

-- James Nicoll

[Dartz]

Fits in well before this, it does:

------

“This is a real spaceship?”

The note of disbelief in Shinji’s voice was hard to hide. It was a white snub-nosed bullet shaped vehicle about the size of a large delivery van, with a pair of stubby wings on each side. The name ‘Zuikaku’ was emblazoned on it in Hiragana.

“Uhm-hum” Kotono nodded. “And that,” she pointed upward.

Shinji nearly fell over looking up at it.

It was.... huge. A big, turquoise spear with three engines mounted in what was supposed to be cruciform pattern, with the mounting point for the fourth on top seemingly scorched and buckled, the nacelle that should’ve been there missing. Had it been blasted off?

He recognised the design immediately.

“Outlaw Star,” he gasped.

“Outlaw Class,” Kotono confirmed.

“How is that possible?”

Not in any sane universe. Maybe in this one but....

It was a spaceship. An animé spaceship. An Animé spaceship was suspended from a gantry crane tall enough to support an Evangelion, inside a chamber large enough to hold full-contact one-on-one Eva sparring matches.

“It’s a replica,” Kotono explained. “A lot of people up here like to build replicas of famous science fiction spacecraft and vehicles.”

Shinji stood for a long time, trying to read her expression. She was dead serious. He was standing in a landing bay that must’ve been more than a kilometre long, tall enough to hold one-on-one Evangelion battles with room to properly jump and just as wide.

It was a vast cavern, walls plated in white-painted steel dirtied in patched by dust and corrosion.

“Is this..... real?”

“It’s as real as I am.” she answered with an earnest smile.

Which sounded suspiciously like double-talk. The idea set root in the back of his mind, and began to spread. This is impossible. Just maybe...

There were three fighter-jet’s, three different models. One had been gutted.... another seemed to be missing parts and a third was polished to a bright silver sheen, dressed up in decals Shinji couldn’t recognise. It looked like a racer.

Another one. Also chromed. A little shorter, but broader across with enough of a cockpit for two people. Parked near that, was something from Star-Wars.... a little like a fighter with two tandem seats.

It was.... pink and grey.

There were attack helicopters. Enough for two squadrons. Six were an unusual two-rotor design, painted all in black, except for one with blue and white markings on it’s tail which seemed to older than it’s brand-new siblings. Five were a single rotor, twin-cockpit design with a turret on it’s chin, painted in vivid camo. Three of those were still in factory wrappings.

In back... another two.

“A Hind D. What’s a Russian gunship doing here?” Shinji said aloud.

Kotono just sighed...”Again.”

“Again?” Shinji gave her a puzzled look.

“Remember how I told you about handwavium and it’s quirks?”

He nodded. He remembered how ridiculous it sounded, until demonstrated.

“That’s one of them.” she said, deadpan. “Someone in a group will always say that, seeing them for the first time,”

That idea that’d set root in his mind, slowly began to sprout pushing forward into his conscious mind. Or trapped in another one of those.... hallucinations.

He took a look around and dismissed the idea. This was too real. This was the real world, he assured himself. He shuffled around, inspecting the Zuikaku expecting any moment to find some sort of proof that it was a prop... a fake made of wood. It seemed to be the real thing.

It was just dirty and scored enough to be real. Too clean and it would’ve been an obvious fake.

“C’mon Shinji,” Kotono beckoned with her hand. “Let’s head up to the old mayor’s house,”

------

And because I feel awkward letting story pieces go unanaswered. The others, Jet'll respond to after meeting Shinji..... I can use them interspersed between scene-breaks.

To: "A.C. Peters" (rock_doc@prometheusforge.fen)
From: 'Jet-Jaguar' jet@survival-shot.fen
Subject: Armoured boots.

Thanks for that. The first thing I thought of was Shinji Ikari nut-shotting Hideaki Anno, and now I’ve got that image stuck in my mind. I needed a laugh. I’ll make sure he sees it. The message that is.

Even if if Shinji's memories aren't real, the feelings behind them will be. Beyond the mental battle-scars, he’s going to be lonely. Messages like that’ll help. It’ll show he isn’t alone at least... and that more people than just us on Frigga wish him well. We’ve gotten more than a few.

He’s on his way up after Kotono finishes giving him the tour. We’re just doing one last scour of the place for anything with Gina, Rei or Jess in it.... or any Eva items. It isn’t time for that question yet.

I’ve added his technical details as an attachment, in case you’re curious... including the CAD files. He’s the same as Anika inside, with the same hardware glitches.

-Jet

________________________________
--m(^0^)m-- Wot, no sig?

[Black Aeronaut]

One nit... Outlaw-class is much bigger than a delivery van. In fact, I'd say they're bigger than an OV-200 series. Which is pretty big.
Oh, BTW? Where'd this one come from?  In know there's the Dragon Wagon... but this one?