Doctor Who: The Evangelion Error (Book Two)

Prequel to Episode 12

NERV Headquarters. Pilot Ready Room.
October 2015

Misato stood in the doorway, her arms crossed. "... you sure you're okay with this?"

"It's fine, Misato." Shinji finished folding the spare shirt he kept in his locker and pushed it into the duffle bag. "Really. I mean it."

"No one said you have to like this, you know. You're allowed to be angry."

"No, look, it's -- I get it, Misato. Really." He took the pair of khakis off of their hanger. Oh, great, he'd hung these up all wrong. He never could seem to find the right crease on the first try... Outside in the hallway, he heard one of the guards shift around. "I know I messed up. I'm okay with paying for it. You're just doing your job. It's that simple."

Misato looked away. Man, he thought. She's really having a hard time with this, isn't she? Weird. It's not like it wasn't her idea to start with...

"Besides, it's not that big a deal," he added. "It's just a few days of solitary confinement, right? That's probably all I would've done with the weekend anyway. Seriously, I have so much homework to catch up on right now. I'm not even kidding."

"Wait..." Misato narrowed her eyes. "Are you just doing this to avoid Asuka?"

"N-no!" He shifted his eyes. "That's... just a bonus."

"Uh-huh." Misato shook her head. For the first time since he'd left the hospital, Shinji could see the hint of a smile on her face. "Still... you're being really mature about this. I appreciate it."

She stepped forward and leaned in. For a second, Shinji thought she was going to give him a hug. Instead, she pulled out a book from beneath her uniform jacket and put it in his hands. "From a certain nutjob," she whispered. "He said it might help pass the time. Just tell them it's a reading assignment for school, okay? Then they won't take it away. Besides, it's not even a lie."

"Okay." Shinji grinned. He turned the book over --

-- and froze as he saw the front cover. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, the dust jacket read. A Story for Children, by C.S. Lewis.

"You ready?"

"Uh... yeah." He slipped the book into the bag and zipped it up. Then he walked outside into the corridor, his wrists held out for the waiting handcuffs.