Evangelion: Another Line — The Escape of Touji Suzuhara - The Side That Wasn't Chosen

The antiseptic smell filling the hospital room clung to the back of his nose. Suzuhara Touji sat in the hard folding chair, holding the small hand wrapped in white sheets. The fingertips were cold, but undeniably alive. That sensation alone was the only thing tethering him to this place. "...Keiko." He tried saying her name aloud. No response. Whether she was asleep, or awake but without the strength to answer—either was fine. As long as he could hold her hand like this, that was enough. Outside the window, the city was dyed in the colors of dusk. Tokyo-3. This fortress city, nestled among the mountains of Hakone, housed a population of roughly two million—built atop a massive underground cavity called the Geofront, a city that was essentially a lid. And deep beneath it lay the headquarters of NERV, the special agency tasked with fighting the Angels. (An Angel, huh.) Touji glared through the window at the NERV headquarters tower rising in the city's center. Silhouetted black against the setting sun, it was visible from anywhere in the city. As if it were watching over everything. A year ago, the Fourth Angel had attacked this city. Beams of light had rained down, buildings had crumbled, and many people had been hurt. Keiko was one of them. That day, Touji had been at school. The evacuation order had come, and everyone had fled to the shelters. Keiko had been somewhere else. He hadn't been able to protect her. "...Damn it." His clenched fist tightened. Nails dug into his palm, a dull ache spreading. Without that pain, he felt like he might lose track of what he was even thinking. The one who had defeated the Angel that day was Evangelion Unit-01. And its pilot was—Ikari Shinji. A timid kid from the same class. Always looking down, always apologizing the moment anything happened. That kid had boarded a giant machine and fought an Angel. (If only he'd beaten it sooner.) Somewhere in his head, a part of him thought that. He knew it was irrational. Shinji must have been fighting desperately too. Even so, the fact that his sister had been hurt didn't change. He wanted to aim his anger somewhere. Anywhere. But he couldn't. Touji touched the braided bracelet wrapped around his left wrist. Faded blue and white threads. Keiko had bought it for him back when she was still healthy, on the way home from a hospital visit. "Big bro, this is your charm. It'll protect you." Keiko's voice from that day echoed in the back of his ears. Touji closed his eyes and exhaled deeply. —That was when someone knocked on the hospital room door. "Suzuhara Touji-kun, I take it." The man who entered wore a black suit. Mid-thirties, maybe. Unshaven, shirt collar hanging open carelessly, and a glimpse of an old scar at his throat. "Who the hell are you?" "I'm with NERV. We need to talk." The man said this and casually unfolded a folding chair that had been leaning against the corner of the room, sitting down beside Touji. Too close. Touji furrowed his brow and edged away slightly. "I'll get straight to the point. You've been selected as the pilot of Evangelion Unit-03. I need you at NERV headquarters tomorrow." "...What?" For a moment, he couldn't process what he'd just heard. Evangelion. Pilot. Selected. "You don't have the right to refuse. This has already been decided." "W-Wait a second! Why me?! I've got nothing to do with this!" Touji shot to his feet and got in the man's face. Then he realized he'd let go of Keiko's hand and spun around in a panic. She was still sleeping quietly. "You do have something to do with it. Don't you want to protect your sister?" Touji froze. "If you pilot the Eva, you can fight the Angels. Which means you can protect your sister—and this city—with your own hands. Am I wrong?" "...That's..." "But don't get the wrong idea. You won't be a hero. Eva pilots are just tools—children forced into brutal combat. You'll be paid. More than the average adult annual income. But there's no guarantee you'll survive." The man spoke matter-of-factly, as if discussing the weather. Touji clenched his fists. (A tool, huh.) "Even so—if I pilot it, I can protect Keiko?" "Yes. As long as you fight, NERV will protect your family. I can promise you that." Touji looked out the window. The NERV tower was sinking into the twilight. "...Fine. I'll do it." "Good answer. Tomorrow, nine a.m. at NERV headquarters. Give your name at reception and they'll direct you." The man stood and headed for the door. Touji called out to his back. "Wait. What's your name?" "Kaji Ryouji. NERV's inspector. Nice to meet you, Suzuhara Touji-kun." Kaji turned, gave a casual wave of his hand, and left the room. Touji stared at the closed door for a while. "...What the hell was that." He muttered, then took Keiko's hand again. Her fingertips felt slightly warmer than before. The next day, Touji was at NERV headquarters. He rode the cargo lift from the surface down into the Geofront, about two hundred meters below. Countless lights embedded in the walls illuminated the cavern with artificial glow. (So this is NERV...) He was led to the Supreme Commander's office. Beyond a desk in the center of the large room, a man sat with his hands clasped. Gray-streaked hair, black sunglasses. A sculpted face that revealed nothing. "Suzuhara Touji-kun, is it." A low, heavy voice. Touji straightened his back. "You are hereby appointed pilot of Evangelion Unit-03. You have no objections." "...I don't have the right to refuse, right?" "Correct." Gendou didn't move a muscle. Something hot rose from the pit of Touji's stomach at that attitude. (This guy—what does he think people are?) "The details of your compensation will be explained later. Salary, housing, legal status. NERV will provide everything. There is only one thing you need to do. Board the Eva and annihilate the Angels. That is all." "...My sister. You'll protect my sister." "The families of pilots are protected by NERV. I give you my word." Touji tried to peer behind Gendou's sunglasses. But there was nothing there. Only his own reflection. "...Understood. I'll do it." "Good. Tomorrow, you'll meet Unit-03 in the hangar. That is all." The conversation ended there. Touji left the commander's office and walked down the long corridor. His footsteps echoed too loudly. His heart was pounding hard enough to be annoying. (An Eva pilot, huh.) It still didn't feel real. That he would board that giant machine. Fight the Angels. (If I can protect Keiko, that's enough.) He told himself that. There was no other reason for him to be here. "Yo, Suzuhara Touji-kun." A voice came suddenly from behind. He turned to find Kaji Ryouji leaning against the wall, a canned coffee in one hand. "So you're really going through with it. Piloting the Eva." "...You again." "A word of warning. Unit-03 has a certain mechanism installed. It's called the Dummy Plug System." "Dummy... Plug?" "A system for operating the unit without a pilot. But the reality is far uglier. It seals a soul inside the core. In other words, it turns a living human soul into a machine part." Touji's breath caught. Kaji's tone was as light as ever. But his eyes weren't smiling. "Once you board, you become one of the unchosen. Will you still do it?" "...What do you mean by that?" "You don't need to understand now. Just remember it. The Eva isn't a weapon for protecting people. It was built for something else entirely." Kaji clapped Touji lightly on the shoulder and disappeared down the corridor. Touji stood frozen in place for a while. (The unchosen, huh.) He didn't understand. But a small thorn had lodged itself in his chest—a lingering sense that something was wrong. When he left NERV headquarters, it was already evening. Touji walked through the shopping district, heading home. The streets of Tokyo-3 were somehow sterile, yet full of life—a strange city. Built in preparation for Angel attacks, the buildings were sturdy and the roads wide. But the daily lives of the people who lived there were perfectly ordinary. "...Huh." His feet stopped. A girl was walking toward him from the other end of the street. Pale skin, short-cropped light blue hair. Red eyes reflecting the sunset, burning like fire. (Ayanami... Rei...?) A classmate's name surfaced in his mind. But he'd never spoken to her. Always alone, sitting by the window—a strange one. Rei stopped in front of Touji. Expressionless, she looked up at him. Her gaze seemed appraising, yet somehow hollow. "You were chosen too, then." Her lips moved slightly. Her voice was thin enough to be carried away by the wind. "...What?" "Unit-03's pilot. That's you, isn't it." Something cold crawled down Touji's spine. How did she know? This had only just been decided. "Be careful. The Eva chooses people. And those it chooses lose something." With that, Rei walked past him. By the time he turned around, she had already melted into the twilight. "...What's with everyone today." Touji scratched at his head. His short-cropped black hair got messy. He had a problem with bedhead, but his mind was too restless to care. (Those it chooses lose something?) Kaji's words and Rei's words spun around and around in his head. "Like I care. I'm going to protect Keiko." He muttered to no one and started walking. The next morning, Touji barely made it to the gates of Tokyo-3 Municipal First Junior High before the bell. When he opened the door to Class 2-A, the girl standing at the podium spun around. "Suzuhara-kun! Late again! How many times have I told you to be here by eight-thirty?!" A petite girl with shoulder-length brown hair tied in two pigtails. Her round black eyes were narrowed in anger. Class representative Horaki Hikari stood with her arms crossed, glaring at Touji like a guardian statue. "Give me a break. I just overslept a little." "A little is not acceptable! Rules are rules! As class representative, I'm ordering you—after school, you're on cleaning duty! Decided!" Hikari thrust her index finger at him and made her declaration. Snickers leaked from around the classroom. Touji clicked his tongue and headed for his seat. (What a way to start the morning.) He sat down and slumped over his desk. His heart was still racing—and not just from running. Yesterday wouldn't leave his head. "...Suzuhara-kun, are you okay?" A voice came unexpectedly from the seat beside him. He looked up to find Hikari peering down at him with a worried expression. Completely different from her angry face a moment ago. "You've been going to the hospital every day lately, haven't you? Don't push yourself too hard." "...How do you know that?" "I-It's not like I was keeping track or anything. Look, I'm the class representative. It's my duty to keep tabs on my classmates." Hikari's cheeks flushed slightly and she looked away. Touji tilted his head at the gesture. (She's a weird one.) "So, how is your sister? Has she gotten any better?" "...She's hanging in there. Still hasn't woken up, though." "I see... But I'm sure she'll be fine. You visit her every day, after all. She definitely knows." Hikari's voice was incredibly soft. Touji felt like he was seeing this side of her for the first time. "...Thanks." The honest words slipped out before he could stop them. Hikari's eyes went wide, and then she smiled—a gentle, crescent-moon smile. Seeing that expression, something in Touji's chest tingled. (What is this?) Puzzled by the unfamiliar sensation, he slumped back over his desk. His heart felt just a little faster than before. After school, Touji finished his detention cleaning and headed for the rooftop. (Before I go visit Keiko, I wanted to get some air.) When he opened the rooftop door, someone was already there. A thin back, leaning against the fence, gazing blankly at the sky. Black unruly hair swaying in the wind. "...Ikari." "Suzuhara-kun." Shinji turned around. His large blue eyes wavered with anxiety. It wa

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Episode 1

Name: Evangelion: Another Line — The Escape of Touji Suzuhara
Author: Novelia

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