Scenario No Yui by GuppyLips-LFKMUYTj

Scenario no Yui
By: GuppyLips
What if Gendo Ikari had went into Unit 01 instead of Yui? I've tried to do
justice to the possibility, which I hope after reading you'll find plausable, as
well as the ramifications such an action has for the Eva universe.
Status: ongoing
Published: 2005-01-04
Updated: 2007-12-31
Words: 117484
Chapters: 23
Rated: Fiction T - Language: English - Genre: Sci-Fi - Reviews: 154 - Favs:

179 - Follows: 149
Original source: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/2204726/1
Exported with the assistance of FicHub.net

Scenario no Yui
Introduction
Scenario no Yui Prelude
Scenario no Yui Chapter 1
Scenario no Yui Prelude
Author's Notes:
I plan on using Eva canon for the most part. However, there are and
always will be some key issues that never sat well with me regarding
the use of religious imagery. It bugs me that the creators took so
many cool religious elements and made them into a separate mythos
for the show. Perhaps I am showing a little bias because I am from a
Judeao-Christian background, but such things as making the Lancea
Longinus a weapon of massive scale without some back up story
really bugged me. I'll try to address some of that as I come to it. As
well as other questions, like how did they manage to get the berserk
Eva back into the cage after eating the Angel, when in the episode
before the Nerv staff was concerned because they could no longer
control said Eva. I always thought that was a poor transition and very
anticlimactic. I'll see if I can do anything satisfactory with such story
elements.
Some of the characters are going to be noticeably OOC. I feel when

you substitute such a key figure as Gendo Ikari and replace him with
Yui, the ripple is dramatic and noticeable. Some characters may be
present that weren't, and vice versa. Some characters may be
altered to the point that they are barely noticeable. I feel for this sort
of fic, this is called for. Still, it will probably leave your average purist
feeling ill. I ask that when weighing whether a character is suitable or
not, contemplate the context of the story. If I have still screwed up,
let me know.
Disclaimer - You people know I don't own evangelion or anything

else. I mean come on, who sues fanfic writers anyway.
Prelude
2004
Fuyutsuki turned the key on the apartment door. He was in the
middle of pushing the door open when he hesitated to cherish the
breeze that rolled across the porch. There were few things that could
offset a summer day like a cool breeze. Since Second Impact every
day was hot. It made the air flowing in front of his apartment golden.
Kozo smiled, and finished opening the door. He took his suitcase to
the table while pulling the collar of his shirt loose. He picked up the
remote for the television on his way back to the living room, and
turned on the news.
That was when Kozo caught a glimmer out of the side of his eye. He
turned to find Gendo Rokubungi (Gendo Ikari he amended in his
mind.) The man was pushing his glasses up on his face. He had
taken to wearing a new pair recently, and they were apparently
oversized. He was around a corner of the apartment away from the
entrance room, so Kozo had been blind to his presence until now.
Gendo had worked his way into Kozo's life and changed its direction
entirely. Kozo was still never sure if he was grateful or displeased
with that turn of events, though most of the time he leaned toward
the latter. Gendo had a face full of rough beard growth that Kozo still
felt needed perpetually slapped, even after he had come to
understand some of what the man was about. Of course, Kozo was
not so doddering that he couldn't recognize a bias on his own part.
He had to admit that Gendo held himself admirably in the murky
waters that were Seele's will. He was driven and cunning, and willing
to do what it would take to make the job happen.
This was why the gun that was trained on Kozo in Gendo's hand was
all the more menacing. Kozo stood frozen, unable to think of what to
do next.
"I suppose I should look into better security," Fuyutsuki finally blurted
out as nonchalantly as he could. Perhaps if he could pretend to be
calm, he could become so. As it was, his brain was locked with fear
and the desire to run. He barely kept himself under control.
Gendo smiled as he brought his hand back down from where it had
pushed up his glasses. He reached to the table, and pressed a
button on a hand-held player. Slowly Kozo heard a conversation that
consisted of his voice, Yui Ikari's, and her two-year-old son's
frequent laughter and childish interruptions. It played for a minute,
and Kozo's face went pale as he realized the particulars of the
dialogue. He started to speak, and Gendo merely pointed the gun
with a bit more determination at Kozo. So he waited for Gendo to
turn the machine off.
"Many men would already be angry with another who would

frequently go off with their wife unattended. Imagine how much more
that anger would be if he discovered that the two are plotting said
wife's death."
Kozo sighed, and turned to look at the wall. When given such a bold
statement, it was hard for him to meet Gendo's eyes. "Not death,
Ikari. It's a means of subverting Seele's plan to a desired outcome."
Kozo looked at the table where another device was sitting. It
resembled a trio of speakers, and a red light was flashing on top of it.
Gendo followed his gaze. "This is an anti-surveillance device. We

can speak freely here. I swept your apartment for bugs, as well as
yourself before I planted my own." There was a hint of a smile. "You
remember me dropping my pen yesterday?"
Kozo suddenly did, and remembered the way Gendo had picked it
up had seemed odd. Gendo went on, "This is all incidental. How is
trapping my wife within a golem going to subvert Seele's plans?"
Kozo did manage to meet the man's eyes briefly then, before finding
some other place for them to be. "She wants to do it… for Shinji.
According to the prophecies, only a woman's soul can fuse with Eva.
And according to the prophecies…"
"Ah yes, the Dead Sea Scrolls. Tell me Professor, after what you've
seen us do, after 'Antarctica', could you believe that a prophecy is
anything as limiting as a literal account of what can or cannot be?
There are passages that are open to interpretation, and those that
are closed to them. Our plans are merely as simple as extracting
various possibilities to a given metaphor in a scripture. And yet you
could not conceive of such a way of doing this that would not destroy
my wife."
Kozo's eyes flashed anger. "It's not as if you love her, Rokubungi! Yui
was just a way for you to worm into Gehirn and Seele! This
marriage, this family, this love you've inspired in her is just a farce for
your manipulative goals." Kozo realized he had said too much, and
the cold metal that he suddenly felt on his temple was a suitable
exclamation point to that notion. Gendo had moved fast.
Murderously fast.
Through gritted teeth Gendo addressed him, "Good, Professor. Let's

be frank. I tire of us walking on eggshells around one another. You've
always wanted my wife. She's sweet, she's brilliant, and she
respected and admired you. What's ten years age difference really?
So what if she was a student? You hate me because you are not me,
Professor Fuyutsuki."
"That's not…" Kozo started, before the gun being pushed between
his eyes interrupted him.
"If I can hear the truth, so can you, Professor."
There was a pregnant pause, but neither man seemed inclined to

say more. Gendo settled back into his chair in the corner. "You were
correct up to a point. I was using Yui. You see, I have never had to
adjust my actions to choose between my wife and my goals. This is
the dilemma Yui and yourself have brought me."
"So do you plan on stopping her?"
Gendo placed the gun on the table. "Indeed. I plan on replacing her."
Kozo's face turned to a dark. A suspicion immediately crossed his

mind. "Naoko?" It was impossible for anyone not to notice the regard
that the woman gave Gendo, and he did a good job of deflecting
obvious flirtations while not rejecting the woman. Yui had said when
she confronted Gendo about this, he had pointed out that the creator
and expert of the Magi system was not someone their team needed
as a woman scorned. It hadn't sat well with her, but like so many
things Gendo did, it was analytically sensible.
Gendo laughed. "Clarification is required. I plan on taking her place."
Kozo's thoughts raced. Was such a thing possible? "You can't. The
gender use in the scripture is very specific. And Yui would never
allow it."
Gendo pat the playback device at the table, which was in front of the
surveillance countermeasure device. "I have been creative with this
recording. I've dubbed the conversation so that it would call Yui's
sanity and self-preservation into question. Especially since she
makes so many remarks concerning Shinji coming closer to her
through her demise. Don't worry; I've edited out your inclusion in the
conversation, as well as anything that would send up red flags if this
were to fall under the committee's scrutiny."
"I could never have Yui committed Gendo…"
"After I have gone into the Prototype, you won't need to keep her in
an institute. A battery of tests will reveal my wife to be sane. In the
midst of a conspiracy to destroy mankind, she is still among the least
paranoid people I know." Gendo smiled. "I'll be effectively out of the
picture, and you will be the obvious source for consolation."
"You do not give me enough credit, Gendo. I would never…"
"Save it, Professor. You have done an admirable job of relegating

yourself to the position of a doting father figure. But there is nothing
as acute as a husband's jealous regard for detecting the longing
looks of other men for what he has."
Kozo tried a different tact. "There is a reason for Yui to be the one to
go into Eva. You are a conniver and manipulator, Gendo. Our
present conversation is testimony enough for that. If we are to create
our own scenario, we might only succeed under your guidance."
Gendo smiled. "Nonsense, Professor. Yui and yourself can learn how
to carry a poker face, and my wife is more than intelligent enough to
outwit the committee. I will leave you with one plan, and that is all I
can do. You have the prophecies to guide you. There will be no
problems that will prove insurmountable. If there is one thing that the
predictions dictate, it is that we will somehow defeat the Angels when
they come, save the final enemy. And that is merely dramatically
vague."
Kozo looked at Gendo hard for a moment. His eyes flickered to the
gun, and then back. "Why?" he finally managed.
Gendo pointed to the table. "I have listened to that recording many
times since yesterday. I have tried to imagine going on without Yui,
and cannot. She is the only person I've known who has truly known
me, and not been frightened away. I did not know how much that
meant to me until the possibility of living without it arose. As for Yui,
she loves me, but her love for Shinji is a mother's love that far
outweighs anything else. I think it may have been all she's ever
wanted. She'll go on in my absence if she still has Shinji. I'm not sure
I can say the same."
They were both silent for a while. Kozo was the first to speak back
up. "Contemplating this whole situation leaves me feeling dirty."
"Indeed. For me, leaving the South Pole to let half of humanity die
drove home the fact that life is full of moral quandaries."
Kozo nodded. "There's still the problem of gender. The text is pretty
specific."
"The actual word translates into mother or progenitor, professor. And

let's just say I have an ace up my sleeve for that problem. The golem
will recognize me as an appropriate soul."
Kozo contemplated this. "Castration?"
A slight smile spread across Gendo's face. "A solution both painful
and irrelevant. Besides, I have a sample from Lillith that should
prove less emasculating."
Kozo's eyes widened at that. Gendo really had gotten into the thick
of things. Could they afford to loose such shrewdness to the role of a
pilot enhancer that wouldn't even see use for another decade?
Fuyutsuki's thoughts drifted back to Yui. Though he tried to cover his

heart's desire with denials and noble intentions, the outcome of his
ponderings went a predictable course.
"What do I need to do?"
Gendo let his gun rest in his lap. "Stay out of the way, Professor. You
have the resources to stop any of this. Don't. When I have carried
out what I have planned, you may see to it that Yui is released. Tell
her what I did, and that I did it… for Shinji. He needs a mother to
care for him more than he needs her as a piloting aid."
Kozo was disgusted for a moment. It was a bold and shameless lie.
But it was hard to keep any righteous indignation for such a small
falsehood when he was betraying Yui's trust. He looked up as Gendo
laid a manila folder on the table. "Burn that when you are done."
Gendo packed his electronic equipment and handgun into a duffle
bag that had been under his seat, and made his way to the door. He
turned back to Fuyutsuki. "You are the kind of man I thought you
would be, Professor. Maintain such character in my absence."
And then he was gone.
Kozo walked over to the folder and opened it. The first words were
enough to catch his breath, and he read and reread the document
for most of the night. He could not sleep, and his mind drifted back
over the contingencies and dynamics of the ruthless proposal of
Gendo's 'Human Instrumentality Project.'
A week later
The clinical smell and white rooms were almost a thing of the past,
and Yui was anxious to be out of this place. It felt like a small eternity
since she had seen Shinji, and the worry was wearing on her. She
thought it would not have been much longer before the tests and
evaluations of her sanity might start coming up with results. Her
stomach fluttered, and her step was lighter. The idea of seeing her
son was enough to overshadow the trepidation she felt at confronting
Gendo.
Yui had been informed that it was Gendo that had her committed to a
psychiatric evaluation. He had provided some proof that called her
lucidity into question. She knew her husband well enough to know
what a small matter it would be for him to manufacture such
evidence. Still, this level of betrayal, towards her… and at this
juncture in their plans. There was something else to it. It would not
save Gendo from her wrath though. She had been given a lot of time
to ponder these last few days. If Gendo and her fell out, how would
that fare for all of mankind? Did she need to risk humanity because
she had an insane husband? Was this because he was trying to stop
the tests with Unit-01? Or was this a stunt for him to get closer to
Seele at her expense? Through her ponderings she had to hold to
one thing: she was sure her husband loved her. The only thing she
could do now was confront him with the situation.
Professor Fuyutsuki was the one who was waiting for her in the
lobby. When she went to speak, he shook his head, and turned to
get the door for her. Confused, and now scared, she went out of the
building, and walked with him to his car. Her fear mounted with every
step. Her attempts to talk were shushed again until they were safely
within the confines of the vehicle.
"I can't take this professor. What is going on? Where's Shinji?
Where's Gendo?"
"Shinji is safe. Gendo is… gone."
Yui looked ready to cry. "What?"
"Into Eva."
And then the tears flowed.

Disclaimer - Who owns Eva. Not me. This is just essentially fan-
based babbling on the subject. If gaining control of the Evangelion
market share was as easy as claiming ownership through a fanfic,
I'm sure someone with more savvy than I would have tried it by now.
It's almost been out for almost a decade now, just be glad someone
is still enthused about the work, and don't go harassing them, oh
powers that be.
Chapter 1
2015, Tokyo-3
A screeching of tires accompanied a blue Renault's slide as the car

skidded to a halt beside two teenagers. The passenger side door
flew open.
"Hurry you two. Get into the car." The purple-maned beauty from
within called urgently.
Shinji looked up surprised at Misato Katsuragi. His breath was

coming back slowly but surely. "What's going on?" He reached up
and wiped the perspiration from his brow.
"An angel."
Shinji's eyes widened. Rei was beside him, staring incredulously at

Misato. She was dirty and sweating as well. Her school uniform was
a mess, and mostly discarded. She was down to a shirt and skirt
now. The rest was somewhere on the path behind them. "Aunt Yui
says it's not due for another two weeks."
A loud explosion rumbled from the distance. Windows rattled in their

panes, and the wires of power cables and telephone lines shook.
One came loose, and struck the sidewalk about twenty meters from
where the trio was talking. If the streets had been as crowded as
they usually were it would have been a catastrophe.
"Nobody told the Angel that. Get in the car! Hurry!"
Rei jumped into the backseat quickly, and Shinji scurried into the
front. As soon as his foot had left the pavement, Misato started
driving.
"Hey!" Shinji shouted. He was thrown into the car by centripetal force
as Misato turned the car.
"You're late as it is. We have got to get you two to HQ now."
"Waiting three seconds isn't going to kill us, but you're driving might,"
Shinji snapped.
Misato gritted her teeth. She liked these kids, she really did. But
growing up with the Sub-commander of Nerv as their guardian had
made them something of brats. Especially Shinji, who was by all
accounts a mamma's boy.
"I don't need any distractions now, Shinji, so just let me drive in
peace," Misato said with forced calm.
Rei was staring out the back glass, seemingly oblivious of the
conversation from the front seat. 'Wow' was all Shinji heard her
mutter. He looked in the rearview mirror, and saw what had caught
her eye.
The Angel was making its way into view from the other side of a hill.
U.N. VTOLs were engaging it. A white face with a beak was encased
on top of a dark-green hulking frame. Grey trim ran all across its
body, and swirled around a circular red shape in the center of its
torso. The beast brought up a clawed hand and a shaft of energy
flew from its palm into an aircraft that had been firing missiles at it.
"That's where we were," Shinji whispered in awe. Rei had wanted to
visit a mall on the far side of the city, citing that it was fun because it
was 'off the compound.' The Section Two agents that were assigned
on their detail should have taken them to Nerv when the sirens
activated, but for some reason the security men hadn't been around.
With everything in the city down, Shinji and his cousin had taken off
running for the base. Misato had caught the two as they were
jogging after a mile sprint in the direction of Nerv.
The Angel destroyed two more aircraft in quick succession. Rei

sounded like she might cry as she turned back. "Why do they keep
sending the pilots in? Conventional weapons will have no effect; we
know that! It's killing them."
"Because the U.N. is stubborn and proud." Misato's voice was tinged
with antipathy as she made the proclamation.
"Looks like they're getting over that problem," Shinji said, still gazing
in the side mirror. He turned around for a better look. "All of the
aircraft just disengaged and flew off.
"What!" Misato looked to see that it was true. She stopped for a
moment, and heard a sound that made her blood run cold. 'A
bomber,' she thought, as she heard the sound of the jet engine over
her own vehicle's idling motor. She started searching the road
frantically, and saw a suitable brace point. They were lucky in that
they were near an overpass. She pulled the car off the road and as
close as she could to the side of the concrete support that merged
with the ground. It was angled, with a meter between the front corner
of her vehicle and the foundation for the overpass. She got out of the
car quickly.
Shinji rubbed his head where it had banged the ceiling when they
had pulled off, and looked back to his cousin. "Has she gone crazy?"
Shinji asked Rei. His answer was interrupted as Misato began
hauling his cousin out.
"Shinji, Rei, hurry," Misato beckoned anxiously. He scrambled
towards the driver side and out.
"What is this?" he asked, stifling anything more sarcastic due to the

seriousness of the situation. Katsuragi was actually scared.
"They're going to drop an N2 mine. Help me push the car."
The trio went to work rocking the Mustang until it had made it up on
its side. Misato urged the two children hurriedly to the space
between the car and the concrete. It was then that she heard the
explosion, and threw both to the ground, covering them with her own
body. There was a flash and roar, and the hot air that rushed over
them was almost suffocating. Rei started coughing quickly from the
cloud of dust that came with the warm breeze. She was the first to
walk out, shielding her eyes as she looked towards the Angel. Her
pale features became brighter as she stepped from the shadow of
the overpass.
"Rei no!" Misato sprinted to grab the girl. Rei didn't understand what
the big fuss was. Then everything went dark with an abrupt strike to
her forehead.
Shinji watched in horror as his cousin walked out from the confines
of the overpass, and was caught in a sudden rain of debris. A
signpost with a curved arrow managed to clip her head, and she
crumbled on the ground. Shinji screamed for Rei as the fragments
continued to rain down sporadically. Misato ran out and scooped up
Rei, and returned back to the vehicle.
"Is she alright? Oh Rei," Shinji said, cradling her neck.
Misato put her fingers to Rei's neck. She then grabbed Shinji's chin,
and turned it gently up to her. "She's bleeding, but still has a pulse,
and seems fine otherwise. Be careful with her Shinji; head trauma
can be serious. The best thing you can do is help me get this car
back over. We're only ten minutes from headquarters, and we can
get Rei medical attention there.
Shinji sniffled, but nodded with determination. 'He's a good kid,'
Misato thought. 'I just hope he's able to handle combat stress better
than what I'm seeing now.'
The car didn't rock because they were working without the help of
shocks this time, but by pushing higher on the frame the vehicle
gave way to their efforts. The car landed with a loud clang, and
Misato winced. Shaking off the trepidation of what damage her
vehicle had taken, she helped Rei into the backseat. Shinji cradled
her neck, and eased back into the car with her as Misato carried the
lower half of the body. He kept his position in the rear of the car,
gently stroking her hair and looking anxious.
Katsuragi checked the glove compartment and handed back some

napkins. "Hold these to the wound. Apply pressure and it should stop
the bleeding." Shinji nodded and took the napkins. Misato started
their journey again, going at a slightly less reckless pace for fear of
jarring her injured passenger. She dialed her phone when she found
a relatively straight stretch of road.
"Hey… Yeah, I got them. Have a medical team on standby, Rei's

been hurt… No, a concussion I think, she took a shot to the head…
Yeah, I know. It was caused by debris from the N2 explosion… The
next time the U.N. drops an N2 mine, they could give active
personnel in the field a warning… I understand. Just hope I don't
ever meet one. What's the status?… Good. We should begin
prepping Unit 01 for a sortie… Yeah, I'll bring Shinji there. How long
until the Angel is reactivated?… Oh well, it's something. What are its
operational parameters?… Okay. I'll be there shortly. Buh-bye."
Misato looked back at Shinji, who wore obvious concern on his face.
"She'll be fine. It's likely a concussion, and will probably keep her out
of combat…"
"She's unconscious. She better not be going into combat," Shinji

blurted.
Misato stopped the car and turned around, staring levelly at Shinji. "I
am your superior officer, First Children. I know you are under
pressure. But combat will be just as nerve-racking. I hope I don't
have to rely on this sort of attitude during the heat of battle. I want to
do the best I can. Trust me to do it, without giving me a smart mouth
and insubordination in return." Misato took a deep breath, and then
smiled. "Okay?"
Shinji was a bit stunned, but managed a nod. Misato turned back
and started the car towards headquarters. "This Angel has
demonstrated several means of attack thus far. A kinetic rod
propelled through its forearm causes serious impact damage, and
has range extensive beyond what would be expected by its casing. It
has also shown evidence of a sort of energy attack. A glowing in the
eyes will alert you of energy build up before this attack is launched,
but the warning time is just a fraction of a second. And don't forget
the likelihood of an A.T. Field. This is just what we know based on
encounters with the U.N.'s VTOLs. It may have other combat
capabilities that it has kept hidden from us."
The Renault pulled into a gray building, and eased into guide
clamps. She reached her arm out the driver's side window and typed
numbers into a keypad beside them. There was a sound of
machinery starting up, and the car started moving down the vehicle
escalator. "Are you getting this Shinji?"
The boy nodded quickly to her, and then turned his attention back to
the blue-haired girl in his lap.
'Why are you making me nag,' Misato thought tiredly in her mind.
"Repeat it to me, First Children."
"The Angel has a forearm spike, can shoot energy, and has an A.T.
Field."
"Good." The Geofront sublevel should have been almost accessible

by now. As if to her answer her thoughts, the escalator came to a
halt. "We're here."
As soon Misato was out of the driver's seat and had let the seat up
Shinji came rushing out. A medical team was nearby, and he carried
the girl over. He placed her on the waiting gurney, almost fighting the
medics who were trying to take her off of his hands. The EMTs finally
managed to elbow him out of the way, and moved the gurney with a
hurried pace. Misato knew the crew could have forced Shinji aside
easily, but most of the staff was familiar with the two pilots. They
seemed to understand, and were being much more gentle than they
could have been. Shinji acted as if he would follow the medical staff
to one of the emergency rooms, but felt a hand on his shoulder. He
turned to see Misato.
"No time, kiddo. If you don't hurry up and make it to your Eva, the
Angel will destroy us all. We've got to move."
Shinji watched the gurney going away, and then finally turned back
to Misato. "Let's go."
Misato had several occasions along the course of their journey to be

glad to have the boy with her. She would have been lost ten times
over, but Shinji seemed to know the place like the back of his hand.
He made it to the cage area quickly, and Misato felt confident
enough to leave him with Dr. Akagi while she went to take her place
on the bridge.
"Hello, Shinji," Dr. Akagi said, walking with him as he made his way
to the entry plug loading level.
"Hi, Naoko," Shinji replied quickly, sparing a brief and warm glance
to the older woman accompanying him.
"The Magi will be monitoring your vitals and synch ratio. I just
wanted you to know that everything will be fine. Just do like you did
during the simulations. You'll be able to beat this Angel if you can do
that."
Shinji smiled back up at Dr. Akagi. "Thanks. I'll do my best."

Naoko stopped suddenly. Shinji looked, and saw his mother waiting
for him at the platform. Naoko wished him good luck and left. Shinji
would be happier if the friction that existed between his mom and
Naoko wasn't there. He had never understood what it was about. He
saw the dour look that had briefly crossed his mother's face brighten
as he approached.
Yui embraced her son in a hug, and kissed him on the cheek. Shinji
looked around embarrassed by the attention that the techs were
giving him. "Mom," he protested in the whining manner of all teens
that feel they are being publicly humiliated by their parents.
She stood up, and smiled. "Be safe Shinji. Please." When she
released him from her embrace and looked at him there were tears
standing in her eyes. "This angel is dangerous. Fight smart."
Shinji nodded, and hugged Yui again. "I'll be okay mom. It's not like
Rei and I haven't been practicing for the last two months on the
simulations. I'll be fine."
"Don't be overconfident. We don't know what this Angel will do."
Shinji nodded. "I'm not; I'm just trying to calm you down."
Yui laughed, stepped back. "I need to let you go. I'm proud of you
Shinji, and your father would be proud of you too."
Shinji waved, the last bit almost enough to choke him up. Then he
turned, and made his way to the entry plug.
On the bridge, Misato was going through the pre-launch checks with
various technicians who were calling data out. Commander
Fuyutsuki watched with apparent disregard. He knew when he heard
the pressurized whiff of a door opening that Yui had returned. He
started updating her immediately.
"Rei is suffering a concussion. Naoko determined that it would affect

her synch ratio for the near future. I have advised that she be kept
under medical watch and close to the area of Unit-00 should an
emergency arise." Fuyutsuki turned to see Yui's face as she took the
news.
"We tried to prepare for the prophecy, and it still blew up in our face,
didn't it?" Yui sighed as she watched the command bridge. She had
an especially watchful eye for Misato. She knew on an analytical
level that Misato was competent, and had done all she could to keep
her children safe. Still, in her heart, she blamed Misato's negligence
for Rei's current state.
"One cannot circumvent the word of God; all we can do is creatively

interpret it." Kozo looked down onto the floor and saw the various
screens showing the pilot's bio-signs and one showing a live feed to
the cockpit. "Are you going to be able to handle this? Watching your
son go into battle must be hard for you."
"It's better than not watching. Besides, I've had over a decade to get
ready. I'm a bad mother for saying this, but it's a relief to finally be
done with the worrying. I've lived most of my life in fear of these
battles." Sub-commander Yui Ikari had walked over to Kozo's side,
and now stood rigidly with her hands clasped behind her back. He
wanted to grab her hand and squeeze it reassuringly, but knew such
would not do.
With a gray skirt and matching jacket, she cut a serious and
commanding figure. Her occasional smile and tendency to wear her
emotions on her sleeve undid any stern image she could have hoped
to achieve on normal occasions. Fuyutsuki was pleased to see the
professionalism Yui carried herself with now. He could do no less.
"He'll be fine Yui. Your boy is coming back to us."
"He is. But I don't know if he'll be the same. He's about to start a
journey through Hell."
Captain Katsuragi was shouting. "Final safety lock released.

Evangelion Unit 01 ready for launch."
"Proceed," Commander Fuyutsuki stated loudly, and the room filled
with an almost tangible excitement as the Eva went grinding along
the launch rail to the streets of Tokyo-3 above.
Disclaimer - Last time I checked, I still don't own Gainax or
Evangelion. Haven't even got stock in companies related to the two.
All I have is a few DVDs and fansubs. So do not sue me, because I
am poor. Suing poor people is useless, and in this case, just plain
mean.
Chapter 2
The bridge was a buzz of activity. Misato was shouting commands to

Makoto Hyuga. "Launch the Eva up tube 26-D. Expel it at the exit
near the 27th ammo dump." She turned to another tech. "What is the
status of the Angel?"
"It's still healing. We are T-minus fifteen minutes and twelve seconds
from estimated conclusion of regeneration cycle."
Maya Ibuki had her attention shifting between giving reports to

Misato and Naoko. Naoko put a hand on her shoulder. Maya smiled,
but did not take her eyes of the data screen.
"Are there any problems with the synch ratio or pilot's biosigns?"
"The synch ratio is holding at a steady 48 percent. All signals from

Unit 01 and the First Children are within expected operational
parameters and show no sign of deviation." Maya was beaming at
the screen as she added. "It's running well, Sempaii."
"We'll know for sure when we encounter the Angel." She turned to
look up and see Yui standing prissy and stuck-up beside Fuyutsuki.
He was seated, and his watchful eye seemed to take in everything
and nothing in particular at the same time. He exuded an aura of
calm and command that did much to keep the bridge working
efficiently. She nodded to him, and then turned back to the data
screens.
"Eva has reached the surface."
Misato pressed a button in front of her the actived an

audio/holographic link to the pilot. "Shinji, grab a gun from the
building to your left."
Above, and on the street to Shinji's left, a building's face began

folding and a weapons stockpile was revealed. "Sniping Rifle or
Automatic?" Shinji queried the face of Misato that had appeared in
the upper right of the plug wall.
"Automatic. The firepower is comparable, and if you don't manage to

get the jump on this Angel you'll need the extra ammo filling the air."
Shinji grabbed the gun and began moving towards the target. "Will
this be strong enough to penetrate an A.T. Field?"
"We're hoping to catch a break and attack the target before it has
readied itself. If that happens, it won't unfold its A.T. Field before you
gun it down. Be ready to withdraw the progressive knife for combat
though. There is an umbilical station up ahead of your current
position."
Shinji moved his Eva nimbly through the city streets, weaving
between buildings at a deft pace.
"Stop at the next building. It is reinforced, and will make suitable

cover for you to shoot the Angel from. Attach umbilical cable there."
Shinji obeyed, bringing the Eva to a halt and squatting down. He

grabbed the extension beside him, and attached it to his back. The
numbers beside him in the plug chamber that indicated battery
reserves, which had counted down to 03:41:03, immediately reset
themselves to 88:88:88. He looked behind him, and saw that he had
lucked out, as the building at the back of his position had many
windows. In the red light of the evening it was highly reflective, and
he could make out the Angel on the other side of his position. He
magnified the image, and was surprised to see the damage the N2
mine had caused. A new head was growing beside the ruins of a
face. It was the same spherical beak construction as the previous
head, and somehow made the being look menacing instead of
wounded. There were some sort of gills that were opening and
closing, showing pink tissue under the green hide. His presence had
not seemed to cause the being to stir.
On the command deck, Misato looked to Naoko and Maya. "Any

change?"
"The wave pattern from the Angel is still orange. It is inactive to the
point of not producing a wave pattern blue. The Magi predict a 68
percent probability that most functions are being diverted to repairing
damaged tissue. There is an 82 percent chance that it is engaged in
passive surveillance of the area. Given the lack of change when the
Eva approached, the chance of active surveillance is calculated at
23 percent. " Dr. Akagi turned back to the screens to monitor further
data.
Misato hit her communication button again. "We think the Angel is
still a sitting duck, Shinji. Unload a full barrage of gunfire when ready.
Be prepared for retaliatory attacks."
Shinji studied the view in the reflections of the building, working out
the position of the Angel, and allowing his brain to resolve the
reverse mirrored image with what would actually be around the
corner of the cover structure. He tensed, and there was a visible shift
from Unit-01 as it prepared to spring into action.
On the bridge, an audible and steady tone sounded from Maya

Ibuki's computer, and the color before her changed. "Wave Pattern
Blue! Angel detected!"
Misato spoke to Shinji in alarm. "Abort Shinji. Get back to cover."
Shinji was already in the middle of spinning when Misato's frantic

voice came over his comm. He tried to stop, but he was already
committed to the maneuver. The best he could do was continuing the
spin to a neighboring building. He pressed the trigger on the gun for
good measure at the point where he would be facing the Angel. He
saw its eyes glow white as it briefly made its way into his field of
vision. The bullets flew towards the Angel, and then it was gone from
his sight as he continued the spin to make it back behind a nearby
building. He had almost made it when all he could see disappeared
in a blinding white light. He felt the sympathetic feed that let him
know that his Eva had taken a direct hit of some sort, and that he
was flying through the air. The pain hit him as he felt himself
suddenly stopped by his (Eva's) head crashing into a building.
In the control room, Shinji's scream flooded the audio feedback.

Beside him, Kozo could see Yui tense. Her lip trembled. She looked
to him, and the fear and horror on her face broke his heart.
"Send in Rei," she whimpered quietly.
Kozo wanted to hold and reassure her, but such was entirely
inappropriate for the command staff of the bridge. "You know the
writings, Yui. Give Gendo a chance. Sending Rei out might kill her."
Yui snapped her head back to the forefront quickly, and he could see
the visible effort she made to turn her face back into an emotionless
mask.
Below, Misato was demanding status updates. "Damage report?"
"Trauma to the head and upper right side of the body. Antennae
array has been broken. The Angel scored a direct hit, and building
283-BA caused noticeable impact damage when the Eva crashed
into it."
"Target is advancing on Unit-01 at high speed."
Misato turned back. "Shinji, get up. It's coming for you. Shinji!"
Shinji struggled in the cockpit, fighting through the pain to try and
take action. He felt a sudden weight on his back from the
sympathetic nerve feed as his Eva was slammed back into the
ground.
The view on the monitors on the bridge was grim. The Eva had been
struggling to find its feet. The Angel had leaped and landed on the
back of Unit-01, which was immediately thrown back to the ground.
The Angel secured Unit-01 by placing its weight on the Eva's back,
and then put a hand to the back of its opponent's head. A glow lit the
red twilight as a luminescent rod slid up from the Angel's elbow, and
came crashing back down with force into the back of the Eva's head.
The process repeated itself with mechanical efficiency.
"Damage sustained to the cranial casing. The casing has cracked!"
"Shinji! Get out of there! Deploy your A.T. Field." Misato shouted. Her
only response was his screams. She turned to a nearby tech.
"What's Rei's status?"
"Still unconscious. Should we induce a forced resuscitation?"
Misato was about to say yes, when the activities one the main
screen distracted her. The Angel's attack had succeeded in piercing
its way through the entire head of Unit-01. The glowing rod had gone
into the back of Eva's head and came out through the left eye
socket, and into the ground below. The skull had been skewered.
Shinji's scream rose in volume, and filled the bridge briefly, until
someone had the good sense to reduce the audio. The rod retracted.
The Eva's head slipped off and landed forcefully on the ground.
Shinji's anguished cries gave way immediately to silence.
"Eject the entry plug," Misato barked out.
"The Eva is refusing the command."
"What?"
"Major?" The tech she had been speaking with about Rei looked
expectantly.
Misato turned back. "Yes, revive Rei."
"Belay the order," Fuyutsuki called down firmly. Misato turned back
to look at the Commander in shock.
"Sir?" Misato spared a look at Sub-commander Ikari. The woman

looked like she was going to break down right there.
Maya spoke up. "This can't be! The Eva has reactivated."
Naoko looked to the screen. "Pilot?"
"Unknown. We are not getting any signals from the plug suit or entry
plug."
On the monitors, the purple Android was rising up on all fours. Wires
trailed down from its broken horn, and something gelatinous had
seeped from its damaged eye socket onto its cheek. Unit-01 bucked
and threw the Angel off of its back and away. The Angel landed, and
turned to the Eva with glowing eyes. The discharge of a beam
weapon followed. The space in between the Eva and the Angel was
immediately filled with concentric orange lines, and the beam's
passage was stymied and dissipated to either side along the flat
plane the lines created. There was a sudden snap as a cable flew
into the air.
"A.T. Field deployed."
"A.T. Field has severed the Umbilical Line. Three minutes and thirty-
eight seconds of reserve power remaining."
"An A.T. Field," Naoko muttered astonished. "You did it Shinji. We will
win."
Unit-01 came running at the Angel quickly, and bounced off another
field of concentric lines. There was a roar from the Eva, and its
fingers began digging into the center point of the lines.
"It's visualizing the phase space."

"No, it's breaking through it!"
The lines dissipated with a roar from Unit-01 that accompanied a

forced shredding of the barrier with its hands. The Eva was
immediately on the Angel. The Angel's eyes glowed but were
stopped by an immediate rip from the Eva's fingers, gouging and
tearing as effectively as claws. The Eva squatted over its foe, and
grabbed both arms in each one of its hands. It started pulling on
them like they were parts of a wishbone, and the arms came out of
socket almost simultaneously. The shoulders erupted with bluish-
purple blood where the limbs had previously joined the rest of the
body.
The Eva looked down in a growl, and its finger's gripped the red
jewel-like object on the middle of the Angel's torso. The Angel's
beady eyes turned in what might have been alarm towards the Eva.
Its form became mercurial, and flowed around the Eva, working its
way up to the head of Unit-01. An audible tearing of tissue filled the
streets, and a round crimson item was tossed aside. The mercurial
form of the Angel slid off the Eva, and Unit-01 lifted its head and
howled in triumph. This continued for a short while, and then it
stopped as it looked to a building. The side was nothing but
windows. In the dusk the Eva seemed to contemplate its own image.
Below Fuyutsuki suddenly became nervous. Not turning to see Yui,

he whispered to her. "Is he aware?"
Yui, who had thought the emotional roller coaster she had been on
this day was almost over, put her hand up to her mouth in horror.
"Oh Gendo."
The glass of the building shattered under a forceful punch. The Eva
growled, and then started flailing its hands to the back of its lower
neck.
"Oh God," Misato whispered. "Is Unit-01 attacking the entry plug?"
More loudly she called, "Status of ejection attempt."
"Signal is continuing to be refused."
"Is Shinji… suicidal?" she wondered.
The Eva continued to claw at its own neck, and one hand ripped a
piece of armor and threw it aside.
"Ejection signals?"
"Refused."
"Shutdown commands?"
"Refused."
"Battery reserves?"
"Seventeen seconds at full operational power."
Something else went flying from the back of Unit-01's neck, as it

continued its course of self-mutilation. "Ulterior plug armor has been
removed. The Entry Plug is exposed."
Unit-01 suddenly stopped, and studied its surroundings. Its eyes

narrowed as it spied the red object it had ripped from the Angel. The
item was lying in a city street some distance away. It immediately
began to sprint for the article.
The thunderous run came to a halt just before Unit-01 had reached
its objective, and the Eva came tumbling to the ground. It skidded
past its target, and tore up asphalt as the collision with the ground
slowed the slide. The Eva only stopped completely when it had
crashed into a building. Unit-01 crumbled against the impediment
like a rag doll, and lay as still as the dead.
On the bridge, things were returning to normal.
"Communication with entry plug restored."

"Ejection signal accepted. Plug safely ejected."
"Pilot's bio-signs confirmed."
"Eva Unit-01 has depleted its power. Life support and emergency
plug loading systems are the only sources of inert electrical energy."
"Recovery crews have scrambled to plug landing site. Medical staff

and Neurologist requested for possible complications with First
Children."
"Request approved."
"Staff will be on site in one minute."
Kozo looked to Yui. "Go to your son. The situation has been
resolved."
Yui spared him a worried smile, and made a hasty exit for the door. A
pair of Section Two agents fell into step with her, one on each side.
Kozo looked back to the screen at the fallen Eva, and then again at
the foci it had made its last sprint for. 'Gendo, you were always the
ambitious one,' he thought.
Misato took a break from surveying the bridge to look up at the

command staff. Yui was making her way off the command deck, and
Kozo seemed almost… smug. She looked over to Dr. Naoko Akagi,
who was busily going over some data with Ibuki on a monitor. She
made her way over to the older woman.
"Doctor, I need a word."
Akagi looked up. "Now is not the best time, Captain."
"Now is a very good time, Doctor."
Naoko muttered something to Maya, and walked to the side with

Misato. "What is it?"
"What just happened?"
Naoko sighed. "Something unexpected: I don't know yet. Just do

your job for now, Captain, and we'll have the Magi sort this out. The
important thing is we won. You struck a blow for your father today."
This seemed to sober Misato, who went to her station. She let her
hand briefly clutch the white cross round her neck. She then returned
to the business of post-operation cleanup.
Author's notes : A lot of people have asked about Ritsuko. I
touched lightly on it here, but unfortunately I won't go into a lot of
depth until later in the story. Suffice it to say she'll turn up
somewhere you won't usually find her.
I do have a reason why Unit-01 acted the way it did. I'll probably go
into that another time as well. I feel a progressive but slow revelation
of information is in keeping with the original feel of the story, and
want to try to maintain that as much as possible.
Fair warning: No big explosions in this chapter. It's more slice of life.
Disclaimer : I don't own Gainax or Evangelion. I'm not even trying to

pretend I do. I'm just writing for the fun of it.
Chapter 3
The feeling of weightlessness was soothing and familiar. The warm

liquid enveloped her being, and no muscle existed in her body that
still held tension. She opened her eyes slowly, seeing through slits
that she was in an amber fluid. A white form was in front of her, and
this caused her to take further notice. She saw the being floating
before her, a thing of azure hair and creamy skin. It was a small
child, and it grinned at her. The smile was vacant and mindless.
Even in the temperate fluid she felt a shiver.
Other faces appeared now. All were the same face, though they
showed various stages of maturation. She looked into the face of the
oldest, a teenage girl. Laughter filled the container. She wanted to
scream.
She began to awaken, and she felt fear for a moment. But all that
filled her vision now was white ceiling tiles. She attempted to raise
her head, and was rewarded with a headache that made her moan
aloud. Her eyes squinted shut. When they reopened, Shinji's face
was in front of her.
"Rei… Are you okay?"
"Shinji," she muttered, and draped her arms weakly around his
shoulders in a feeble embrace. He returned the hug with more force.
"I need to get a doctor." Shinji turned to leave and felt her light and
cold fingers clutching his palm. He turned back to see Rei's imploring
gaze.
"Did we win?" He began to answer when she smiled. "Of course we

did." She closed her eyes again, and faded back to slumber.
Kozo and Yui were the focus of attention in a darkened room. She
was standing, and he was sitting behind his desk. All around them
were men in various shades of light. The men were only there as
holographic images. The facsimiles were still enough to transfer their
collective anger from various parts of the globe and into this room.
"The pilot's behavior at the conclusion of the battle was

unacceptable."
"The Marduk Institute had better find a new candidate soon, because
this First Children is a risk to our plans."
"He should be removed from active roster!"
Kozo held up a placating hand, "The First Children will be

undergoing psychological evaluation as well as full session with a
third party professional, per the Committee's requests. If he is found
unfit to pilot, he will be used only contingent to a dire emergency."
"You dare propose he is fit for battle after the video footage we
witnessed."
"Indeed," Fuyutsuki replied calmly.
"Absurd. He was engaged in suicidal actions. Not only would a

successful attempt prove costly in the form of loosing a pilot, but the
resources that are being funneled to Project E must be wasted on
unnecessary repairs."
"If he is a hazard as a pilot, he will not be allowed to man the Eva.

You have not only my word, but also my sense of self-preservation
as an assurance to that. I have no interest in perishing in an Angel
attack should it reach its goal."
"Get this under control, Commander." The person who spoke was a
man illuminated by blue light. The five men disappeared.
A black rectangle reappeared in their place. The illuminated text on

the slab proclaimed the object Seele-01.
"The Test Type was advancing on the S2 Organ. Should it have

gotten it, the results would have been disastrous. If you do not
maintain a firm grip on this situation, I will find someone who will."
Then the monolith was gone. The lights of the darkened room flicked
on.
Kozo grinned crookedly at Yui. "Keel is making personal threats now.

He must be very agitated."
"They're bastards," Yui whispered. "I can't believe I let those scared
old men ever woo me into the program."
Kozo got up. "It was a forgivable error. It set us on the road to
making things right. Let's leave. We have plenty to do yet with Post-
op, and you have a family to attend to."
Naoko was busily typing away in her office when Misato put her
head in through the door.
"Am I interrupting?"
"So long as my workflow continues, I can't see as we can label this a

disruption. What's on your mind, Captain?"
"I heard that Rei was awake."
Dr. Akagi's typing continued at a furious pace. She did it almost

absently as she answered Misato. "Yes. Shinji called the medical
staff to alert them almost half an hour ago. She went to sleep again
briefly, but is awake now."
Misato walked in, closing the door behind her, and sat comfortably at
a chair on the other side of Dr. Akagi's desk. "I'm glad to hear it.
Hopefully things will go smoother next time with two operational
Evas."
"I'm not sure that we have achieved that luxury, Captain Katsuragi."
Misato rolled the chair back to the coffee machine, and poured
herself a glass. Her attention fixed on Dr. Akagi, not sure if maybe
the constant clatter of the keyboard had caused her to hear the last
part wrong. "What does that mean?"
"Due to actions during battle with the Third Angel, it is unknown

whether Unit-01 is stable enough to use during sortie, except as a
last resort. We are still trying to determine whether the fault lies with
the pilot or the Android."
"Are you saying that Shinji is being taken off the roster?"
"Perhaps. It is proposed that the First Children may have untapped

psychological issues that have for some reason gone unnoticed until
now. Or perhaps the shock of battle caused his unorthodox actions.
We do not fully comprehend the nature of psychosomatic head
trauma, and his brain could have tricked itself into deviant behavior.
This case is unique, to say the least."
"Tell me that Rei's still good to pilot?"
"We are going to run a sync ratio test with Rei and Unit-00 to be sure
her cranial injury caused no lasting effects, but there's no reason to
think she won't be combat ready." Naoko moved her right hand to a
mouse and clicked an icon twice on the screen. The screen showed
loading bars, and then changed to a default desktop image. She hit
several keys and the image shifted to a new graphic proclaiming the
computer to be in 'Lockdown Mode.' She looked wearily to Misato.
"Only twelve more reports to go, and then I can do the real work. I
can't wait to see what spectral analysis turns up on the Angel's
remains. I just hate that the fatigue is cutting into the excitement."
"I know. You think we'd get more staff to delegate this junk off on. I'm
getting tired of the paper work."
"There are some things… that others can't be trusted to do for you."
Misato grimaced. She had stepped into a dark place without

meaning to. To emphasize the point, Naoko asked, "How's Ritsuko,
Misato?"
"She's well. She seems to be happy. One of her cats just had a
litter." Misato stepped carefully through what she knew to be a
minefield. She was still in contact with her old college friend, but
everything was a little strained since she had quit Nerv. Misato had
been placed under strict and plainly stated orders that she was not to
divulge any information to non-employee personnel after Ritsuko had
left, and she never had any doubt as to who the orders were
referencing specifically. Apparently Naoko and Ritsuko hadn't spoken
since Ritsu had resigned. Misato found herself occasionally being
recruited as a go-between for the two women.
Misato took a sip of the coffee, and wanted to spit. What was this
weak garbage? She placed the cup aside, and turned back to
Naoko. Why not cut to the chase this time? "Dr. Akagi… it's not my
business, but why don't you just call her?"
Naoko looked to the window, and Misato knew in her mind she was
revisiting some dark memory concerning the two. "Because there
are some things that cannot be taken back, Misato."
There was a knock on the door. "Come in," Naoko called out. The
door opened, and Maya Ibuki was there. She was about to come in
when she spied Misato and hesitated.
"It's fine. What do you have for me, Maya?"
"Actually, I was about to get lunch. I was going to see what your
plans were, Sempaii."
"Oh, that reminds me," Misato got up quickly. She tossed the almost
full cup into a trash receptacle. "I've got a meeting."
"Date?" Naoko asked, her eyes sparkling a little as she asked. She
was getting up herself. She smoothed her red shirt and black skirt,
and took her lab coat off the back of the chair to put it on.
"I wish. I'm just trying to cut through some bureaucratic red tape. No
one wants us fighting with Eva in their neighborhood, even though
this was one of the primary considerations that went into building this
city. And don't get me started on reparations requests. I'm hoping we
can get the city council to take some of the pressure off. "
"I hope so as well. Good luck Captain," Naoko called to the now
rushing Misato. She turned back to Maya. "Are we doing the
cafeteria? I'm not sure I can get off base with the workload we've
got."
Days later
Shinji entered through the door, his nose reveling to the bliss of
odors wafting in from the kitchen. "Mom?"
Alabaster features crowned with blue hair appeared at a tilt from the
kitchen door. "I'm never your first guess, am I?"
Shinji nodded. "I always know it's you. I just like pissing you off."
Rei stuck out her tongue, and disappeared back into the kitchen.
Shinji took off his shoes, and went to the bathroom to wash up.
When he had returned to the kitchen, he found the table set, and the
food was being brought over. "Nice." He looked again at the serving
bowl. "Chicken?"
Rei smiled. "Our check, such as Aunt Yui allows us, came in. I could
splurge. I figured you could use something with the creepy stuff
you're going through."
Shinji nodded as he poured them both a glass of tea. "I swear if I

have to answer another hypothetical question, or talk to some shrink
who keeps asking questions and trying to make me babble, I really
will go nuts. I should have never told them that one ink blot looked a
little bit like a severed head."
"You what?"
"It was flash card number one hundred. I had to do something

special."
"Shinji, that was stupid."
"You're telling me. I almost didn't convince the guy it was a joke.
Thank goodness tomorrow is the last day."
Rei was silent for a moment as the two began eating, with the only
source of conversation being Shinji's compliments concerning her
cooking. Aunt Yui was a master cook, back when she had bothered
to do such things, and it couldn't help but rub off. Her cousin's
praises left her feeling happy, and she was unenthusiastic about
breaking up such atmosphere.
Of course, the two had been together too long for him to not pick up
on her reluctance to speak. Still, he had the decency to finish supper
and help her clear the table before broaching the subject. As he
turned around from the drainer, he regarded her. "So, what's on your
mind?"
Rei looked to her feet nervously, and then sat back down. "The
reactivation test for Unit-01 is in ten days."
Shinji nodded, and his whole disposition altered. "I know."
"I'm supposed to pilot Unit-00 in case… in case something goes

wrong."
Shinji was silent. He knew what was going through her mind. It was
the same as his own. They had both seen footage of the Angel
attack, and Unit-01's subsequent actions.
"It'll go fine," Shinji finally spoke back up.
Rei looked to his face, wanting to believe him. And as anyone who
has wanted to have faith in something bad enough can attest to, it is
easy to accept assurances that one wishes to believe are true as
being true. "Yeah. Yeah it will."
"Come on. We've got studies to catch up on. I start school again the
day after tomorrow, and mom has been on you to bring up your
history grade."
Rei was on her way to her room, and took the lead in as an
opportunity to indulge herself in a well-visited rant. "I hate History. It's
not like it's right. It wouldn't be so bad if the teacher didn't go on and
on about the Second Impact. I almost put the fact that an Angel
caused it as a quiz answer accidentally before I caught myself. I'd
love to just to shake up the teacher's boring little lectures with the
truth just once."
"If you do that, Section Two will pull you out of school for sure."
Rei made a noise that sounded like "Hmmm." She turned to her
cousin and smiled.
"No Rei. No no no. It won't end as well as you think."
Rei ducked into her room, getting her textbooks. "Killjoy," she called
back.
Shinji was coming out of his room with a massive stack of material.
"Ever wonder if the class rep is just a little too thorough. We have to
find her something to do."
Kozo stroked the naked shoulder in front of him, and kissed it. He
savored the smell of fruit shampoo and expensive perfume.
"Beautiful," he whispered.
Yui giggled, and turned back around. She kissed his lips, letting the
press of their flesh linger. "I thought people slowed down when the
aged, Professor." She gave him a last kiss, and then pulled away.
"No more. I have children waiting for me."
Kozo sighed. "No more. But there is something else."
"Always mixing business and pleasure." She picked up her

undergarments from the pile on the floor and slipped them on. She
then worked her way over to the chair where her clothing was laid
neatly out. "What is it?"
"The Lance. My contact has found it."
Yui looked up. "Kaji?"
"Yes. Unfortunately, he cannot make his current delivery and secure

the spear as well."
"So you're going?" Yui questioned him.
"Actually, I thought perhaps you should go."
Yui's face darkened. "Is this why you waited till now to say
something?" She began buttoning her blouse now with angry, jerky
movements.
Kozo started getting up himself, searching the remains of the pile

and finding his clothing. "You're mad at Misato. Don't bother denying
it, I know you too well."
"It never occurred to me to deny it."
"If I were to fetch the lance and leave the Captain and yourself to
handle the next battle, do you think the command structure would be
intact when I come back."
"It had better be. She's not irreplaceable Kozo."
"It's not just her. That is your son fighting out there, and Rei is every
bit your flesh and blood as well. Could you sit idly by as she
commanded them? As she ordered them to take actions you felt
were unnecessarily dangerous?"
Yui was about to start arguing, but paused for a moment. Kozo loved
her not for just her physical beauty, but for her pure heart and the
keen intellect that swam underneath it all. She was able to put aside
her emotions long enough to consider the situation. "I'm a liability."
"No. You are the one who keeps this all together. You are the hero
and savior of mankind. You just happen to be a mother of children
being placed in danger. To react in your heart other than how you do
would make you less a person." He walked over to her and kissed
her forehead. "We could both go."
"And leave Katsuragi in charge!" Yui said indignantly. "No thanks. I'll
do it. Just keep watch over the children. If anything happens to them,
I will blame you forever, Professor." She stared levelly at him to
make sure the threat sunk in. When he finally gave way to a little
squirming, she continued. "How secure is the Spear of Destiny? Can
it wait until Shinji has had his reactivation test?"
Kozo shrugged. "I'm not sure."

Yui nodded. "It shouldn't wait then. I'll leave tomorrow night. Tonight,
I'll make preparations. Now, I've got to go home."
Misato tossed the empty cup of curry noodles in the general vicinity
of the garbage can, and walked to the refrigerator. She pulled out
another can of beer and opened it. She gulped it down, and let out a
hoot.
It was enough to make the apartment less lonely. For a moment.
She grumbled. She was a good-looking and successful woman. And

here she was, drinking alone. Despite the solace she could take from
her job, possible the most important duty any human on this planet
was performing, thank you very much, she was drinking alone.
She looked to a drinking bowl on the ground. With mischievous glee,

she cracked another beer and poured it into the dish.
"Oh Pen Pen," Misato called out in a singsong voice.

Disclaimer - I don't own Gainax or Eva.
Chapter 4
Shinji rolled his eyes. It was time for the Second Impact lesson
again.
He let his mind drift back to the teary farewells with his mom. He and
Rei were going to stay at the house by themselves for a while.
Commander Fuyutsuki would drop by or send personnel to make
sure the two were doing well while she was gone on company
business.
The Angel attacks had barely begun, and he was already yearning
for them to be over. The way his life had drifted away from normal
lately was a major nuisance.
He was brought out of his thoughts by a blinking on the screen.
'Are you the pilot of the giant robot?'
The words flashed on the screen of Shinji's notebook computer. He

looked around, but the students were showing various stages of
coma and boredom. No one looked suspicious.
Why not? This class was boring.
'Yes'
"What." "He's the pilot." "It is him." The voices jumbled together, and
a crowd formed around Shinji's desk. He was being drilled by twenty
different voices. The class rep looked on disapprovingly. The teacher
plodded forward with the lesson, writing with his back turned, and
amazingly not catching the commotion around Shinji's desk.
He felt a hand grab him by the shirt collar. "You. Outside." Shinji's
legs pumped quickly to keep him from being drug as someone
forcefully pulled him out the door and tossed him on the ground.
Shinji looked up to see a boy in a black jumpsuit in front of him. Touji

Suzahara his brain supplied helpfully. Shinji only knew the boy
peripherally. He was something of a jock.
"Are you really the pilot of that robot?"
"What's it to you?" Shinji got up, brushing himself off. His left foot
slipped back perpendicular and slightly behind the right. He allowed
an arm to drift up so that he could easily shift into a fighting stance.
"Because I'm going to rearrange your face." Touji's swing was full of
power, but he broadcast the move and gave Shinji plenty of time to
step aside. The punch wasn't even close.
"I hope you have help."
Touji's already angry face contorted in pure rage. "My sister is in the
hospital, because the idiot pilot of that robot hurt her. Not the Angel,
the pilot. She's been hurt bad. The doctors don't know if she'll wake
up. What sort of moron tries to kill the people he's protecting?"
Shinji paused a moment. He had heard that there were casualties

from the combat action, but those were just numbers. He hadn't
thought about them. He hadn't wanted to. It was hard enough just
knowing it happened. But here was a living flesh and blood
representative for the people that had been injured. Even better, it
was because of actions directly related to him.
He let his hands slip down. The next punch caught him directly in the
sternum, and he clutched his chest in pain. His vision was filled with
stars as another punch caught him between the eyes.
Shinji closed his eyes, waiting for the barrage of strikes that never
came. There was a loud 'omph' sound ahead of him. He looked, and
saw Touji lying with his stomach to the ground. Rei was over him, a
knee planted firmly in his back and twisting the boy's right arm up
almost to his head.
"Stupid tomboy, get off of me," Touji said angrily, wriggling under
Rei's hold.
"Shinji has military training in hand to hand combat. If you are

beating him in a fight, then it is either because you also have
training, or he is letting you. I would say from what I'm seeing now he
was letting you. I'm not letting Shinji take a whipping because you
guilt-tripped him into it."
"Let him up Rei," Shinji called out.
Rei brought her knee up from where it was digging into Touji's back.
She released the boy and stepped away. Touji turned around, his
black jumpsuit dirty. He stared evilly at Shinji. "Letting a girl fight for
you."
"Seemed to work," Shinji quipped quickly. Touji fumed, and started

stomping away.
"Touji Suzahara. Rei and Shinji Ikari. Come here right now." The old
teacher was standing in the doorway Touji used to exit with Shinji.
"Yes, sir," they replied in unison.
And that was how the trio found themselves standing out in the hall,
holding pails of water.
"Why would you tell Kensuke you were a pilot?" Rei was whispering
at Shinji.
"I didn't know who it was," he replied in a low voice.
Rei stared at him for several moments, her steady gaze only
interrupted by a blink.
"I was bored."
"You knew Shinji was a pilot," Touji interjected the question at Rei,
also being careful to keep his voice down. "Of course you did. You
guys are like brother and sister."
"Cousins," Shinji amended helpfully.
Rei looked to Touji with disdain. "We weren't talking to you." She
turned back to Shinji. "So you told someone you didn't know you
were a pilot because you were… bored."
"It doesn't sound very smart when you say it that way."
"Wait a minute. Is Rei a pilot?" Touji interjected. He was met with

another look from Rei that let him know what she thought of him.
She looked back to Shinji as well to stop him from saying anything.
And then the sirens sounded.
Shinji and Rei looked back into the room. "Teacher?"
"Yes, you may go. Touji come back in. Now everyone follow Miss
Horoki, and hold hands. You all know the way to the shelter.
Misato came running into the bridge. "Status report?"
"A wave pattern blue was detected at 13:36. It came in from

Southerly coastal waters."
"This Angel has demonstrated capacity to fly. Arms are projecting an

unknown energy pattern. It may be similar to weaponry sported by
the Third Angel."
"What's the status of Unit-00?"
"The Second Children has just arrived, and the Eva is being prepped
for launch."
"Did the reactivation test show any evidence of unusual synch ratio?"
Misato looked over to Ibuki's station.
"Second Children only showed a 0.83 percent decrease in synch

ratio. This is well within the protocol for normal deviance."
"What is the status of Unit-01?"
"Pilot will be in plug but not injected, except as a last resort. These
are the Commander's direct orders."
Kozo looked down, and everyone found something to busy

themselves with, hoping activity would take his gaze off of them.
"Unit-00 is ready for launch."
Misato established the link with the cockpit. "This angel is using
some sort of energy whips in place of its arms. Thus far this is its
only known means of attack, though we cannot take that for granted.
Given our limited data, I'm going to suggest trying to soften the
target from a distance."
"Understood," Rei replied.
"Launch Eva."
Rei braced as she went rocketing up the launch rail. Before she
reached the surface, she had one last flash of the video footage of
Unit-01 digging through its own armor and attacking the entry plug.
Then it was all gone as the light blue giant slammed up into the
cityscape above. Rei wasted no time in attaching an Umbilical Cable.
"It started moving for you while you were being launched. It's close
to your position. Grab the Automatic," Misato ordered. Just ahead of
her a building unfolded to reveal a weapons array. Rei reached for
the gun and withdrew it. She jumped back as she saw a blur of pink
energy. The building she had just been retrieving weapons from was
slashed into five separate pieces. One of the glowing whips must
have caught ordinance, because there was an explosion. Unit-00
jumped back, and brought the gun to bear. As smoke cleared she
could see the angel before her now. It had a long crimson body, and
a head that was almost squid-like. It was bending at what seemed
like the neck. Beneath the overhang of the head she could see an
S2 organ. On either side of the burgundy frame were two glowing
pink tentacles. The tentacles seemed to be able to slice through
buildings like wet paper.
Leveling her gun at the S2 organ, Rei unloaded gunfire. The Angel
inclined its head slightly to catch the brunt of the spray of bullets. It
whipped out the glowing limbs again, and Unit-00 took another leap
back. Rei repeated the attack again with little effect.
On the command deck, Kozo looked on in wonder. This time two of

the bullets scored glancing blows off of the S2 organ. The Angel
could have deployed an AT Field and stopped even that minimal
damage. Were the Angels being sporting?
Rei prepared to jump back again. She looked and noticed that if she
took another leap backwards she would overextend the length of her
current umbilical line. In her hesitation, the Angel solved the dilemma
for her. A pink lash wrapped around her leg, and severed the
umbilical line in one smooth motion. With a quick flick it threw Unit-
00 to a nearby hill, well away from any power outlets. Rei lost control
of the gun somewhere in the course of the flight.
Unit-00 crashed into the ground. Earth churned up around it as it

made a slight slide. Rei was beginning to get up again when she
noticed something off the corner of her view screen. She zoomed in
her view screen to find that two boys from class, Touji Suzahara and
Kensuke Aida, were between Unit-00's legs. They looked ashen-
faced from fear.
"Misato!" Rei called.
"Who the Hell are they?" Misato asked Naoko.

"Magi have made facial recognition matches with two of the
Children's classmates."
The Angel had floated over, and now whipped out its tentacles again.
Rei brought an arm over the two boys below to shield them, and with
the other attempted to deflect the worst of the assault.
The Eva's armor was stripped off in pieces. A whimper came over
the intercom as Rei felt the pain feedback from the attacks. When
the Angel attacked again Unit-00 lashed out and grabbed both of the
stinging tentacles. Even in her cockpit Rei could smell the odor of
roasting flesh. Her hands were aflame with the sensation.
"Eject the entry plug to three-quarters insertion level," Misato called

out.
Out on the field, the plug ejected, and Misato's voice rang out on an
outside speaker. "You two, get in."
Touji looked at Kensuke, who looked to be in the midst of rapturous

joy. The Angel jerked against the Eva's grip, and that made his mind
up. He climbed up the armor and towards the entry plug.
Naoko was about to stop Katsuragi. The Captain didn't know that all
of the potential pilots were in that class. There was no telling what
having two more prospective candidates in a cockpit together with
Rei might do, but she couldn't imagine it was anything good. Naoko
spared a glance at the command deck. Kozo was looking at her, and
shook his head. Frowning, she turned back around to her display.
Inside the plug, the identity of the pilot surprised the one of the two
boys. Kensuke muttered unbelievingly, "Rei?"
"Told ya," Touji chimed in.
She grunted in pain. With teeth clenched, she tilted to the side in her
seat. The eva spun and threw the Angel away.
"Synch ratio has dropped from 28 percent to 15 percent. The Eva is
barely accepting the pilot."
"There's too much interference. Rei, return to base. We need to

regroup."
Rei looked down at the angel. She could rush it. She still had over a
minute of power left.
That was cutting it too close. The Captain was right; she needed to
head back.
Rei scurried to the closest launch bay in the city. She reattached her
Eva to the launch clamps and allowed Unit-00 to go into freefall. As
she approached the Geofront level the clamps locked against the
rails. Metal screeched as the Eva came to a steady stop.
"Eject the entry plug," Misato called out. "Send security to retrieve
the two noncoms."
Rei was looking at her hands and flexing them. They still burned.
They felt as if they were being held against an oven eye. Except that
if she thought about it hard enough, the ache wasn't really there.
Those blessed moments of revelation were too short and few.
Touji put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright?"
Rei looked back at him. Pain and anger laced her words. "Get out!"
The door opened overhead, and the two scrambled out of the plug. It
was quickly reinserted.
"Synch ratio back up to 28 percent," a tech on the bridge called out.
"Rei, the angel is about to breach a surface building. You would likely
bypass it if you were launched to the surface. Wait to intercept here."
"Understood."
"There is another Umbilical Cable West-Northwest of your position at
approximately 200 meters. Be careful. Umbilical stations are scarce
down here."
Misato turned to Naoko. "We need a way to neutralize the Angel's

energy limbs. It has to be something that immobilizes them, and lets
Unit-00 close in for hand-to-hand maneuvers."
Naoko racked her brain for a moment. "Bakelite."
"You have some outside of the testing area?"
"There are auxiliary tanks in Sector G-15. There's enough to fill half
the building."
"What would… never mind. Rei, do you read me?"
"Yes Captain."
"Bring the Angel to the Southwest corner of the command building.

We have Bakelite there, and I want to try something."
"Understood."
Overhead, the pink extremities of the Angel sliced through the

foundation of a building. Amid a rain of rubble, the Angel floated
down into the Geofront. It came straight for the Eva. Luring it into the
desired position was easy.
"Place yourself close to the tanks. Make sure you are between the
Angel and the containers. When it attacks, take evasive action. Be
sure to get some distance."
No sooner had Rei gotten Misato's orders than the tentacles came
slashing in again. They formed a crisscross pattern to intercept Unit-
00. Rei jumped at the last second, barely dodging the tentacles to
the right. She hit the ground and leaped back again. This time when
she landed, she turned back to examine the Angel.
So far the plan had worked. The Bakelite was being kept under
pressure and was spraying out of the tanks where the energy arms
of the Angel had cut them. The squirting liquid was erupting on
anything close to the tanks. Some had splashed on various parts of
the Angel, but by and far the majority of it spewed onto the arms.
The appendages were now turning a glowing orange from the
coverage of Bakelite over the luminescent energy. The ends of the
whip-arms were slowly coming out of the tanks, but not with enough
force or speed to free them from the metal canisters.
"Allow fifteen seconds for the chemical to harden. Then close and try
to pierce the S2 organ with the prog knife."
Rei winced from sympathetic tenderness as she closed the Eva's

hands on the progressive knife that ejected from her shoulder
holster. Still, adrenaline was flooding her system as she prepared to
reenter the battle, and this made the throbbing easier to push aside.
The Angel jerked back and seemed caught on something. It heaved

again. The sound of metal tearing loose from supports could be
heard like fingernails running down a chalkboard. The Angel's efforts
finally resulted in its freedom. One arm came back with a tank full of
Bakelite on the end of it.
Rei looked to her clock, and saw the time was up. She could see the
once flexible arms freezing into shapes all along their lengthy outline.
She rushed forwards, and stopped in a spread-legged stance before
the suddenly exposed opponent. She braced her feet in the ground
below the Angel, and drove up the prog knife with all the strength
she could muster.
The knife almost slipped off of stray Bakelite that had formed a light
crust over the S2 organ. With a grunt of exertion she pushed her Eva
for more strength, and the knife pierced through. Rei started pulling
down on the knife, and sparks flew from the gouge in the Angel's
core.
One of the Angel's arms whipped back and then forth again. It was
the appendage with the Bakelite tank, and it knocked the Eva away
from it. Unit-00 managed to keep a grip of the prog knife, but was
unable to respond quickly enough as the arm came down and split
the tank on the Eva. Orange fluid seeped onto the front of the Eva's
head and upper body.
"Unit-00 has been coated in Bakelite."
"Unit-00 will become unresponsive along the upper torso in less than
twenty seconds."
Misato looked over to another monitor. "Prepare Unit-01. We may

have to sortie Shinji." She turned her attention back to Rei.
"Rei, you need to pull out."
Outside, Unit-00 reached up a blackened hand and wiped the

orange substance from its single eye. "I can do this."
Misato was about to order her back. She looked to a tech. "Can the
plug be ejected?"
"Ulterior plug casing does not seem to have been exposed to

Bakelite spray. Ejection is possible."
"Okay Rei. Do it."
Unit-00 stood, and stared at the Angel. The arm of the Angel was
more rigid now, and it rose into the air stiffly. The length of the arm
guaranteed that when the end of it hit, the damage would be
substantial. Rei reversed the grip of the knife in her hand. Unit-00's
hand came flying out. The knife blade went spinning through the air.
It buried into the S2 organ up to the handle. There was a crack, and
the Angel remained frozen in place. One rigid arm was going back to
the tanks, and another was stretching to the ceiling with the Bakelite
reservoir hanging off the end of it like a club.
Unit-00 stood across from the Angel, with arm extended and an
orange waxy substance seeming to drip off of it. The Bakelite casing
had frozen its upper torso, and Rei kept the Eva in place, reluctant to
move.
"Target has gone completely silent."
Misato looked around the bridge and smiled. She activated the plug
feed. "That was a Hell of a shot, Rei. Good work. Eject your entry
plug, and report to debriefing."
I extend a special thank you to Cyber Undead, who did a

phenomenal job of proofreading. The story is better for your efforts. I
extend my heartfelt appreciation.
Chapter 5
Kozo was seated behind his desk in his office. The ceiling still
sported the Sephirothic System that Gendo had added to the décor
ten years ago. Kozo had always admired the man's sense of style,
and hadn't seen the need to change it. He looked to his office door.
There had been a knock, and, in Kozo's experience, this was never
the prelude to a happy event. He visually checked himself one last
time to be sure he was presenting a stern image.
"Enter."
Naoko came in, stomping at an angry pace. She still had the
presence of mind to close the door, which was something given how
she looked. As soon as she had secured their privacy, she turned to
Kozo. "Commander, what the Hell was that about this afternoon?"
"You'll have to be more specific, Dr. Akagi."
Naoko crossed her arms. There was still an undercurrent of anger

tingeing her words, but she was decidedly more careful with her
language now. "Our Director of Operations, who is third in line in the
command hierarchy for this organization, is being denied key
information that is instrumental in making sound decisions during a
battle. What possible benefit is there to keeping Misato in the dark?"
Kozo opened a drawer on his desk, and pulled a folder out. He

handed the file to Naoko. "Review this for a moment, Dr. Akagi."
Naoko frowned, but opened the folder and started thumbing through
pages. She looked back to Kozo in alarm. "I assume you know what
this is."
Kozo nodded. "The Magi system is based upon a very particular

genetic strain fabricated within laboratory conditions. This is so that
there will not be contamination from a genetic donor. It is dependent
on 9 base pairs of chromosomes since the only biological function
required is the creation of neural cells and any directly supportive
systems, which are still minimal and augmented by human add-ons."
Naoko was still working through the report. "I made a proposal for a
system based on 10 chromosomal pairs. Caspar has had two
separate incidents of cancer colonies since its creation. I also asked
for additional materials in the hopes curing further errors in any
cellular regenerative process."
"Someone took you seriously."
Naoko closed the file and laid it back on the desk. "There is an
astronomical amount of biological components requested according
to that sheet. It would be enough to make seven different Magi
Systems. And they would have the benefit of using all of the latest
research, whereas our present system has only received OS and
software enhancements since it came online a decade ago."
"I don't have to tell you what the cost of such a thing would be."
"It's higher than the yearly earnings of your average country. The
committee sanctioned this?" Naoko frowned. "They are looking for
alternative sources from which to fight the war with the Angels."
Kozo nodded. "If we do not proceed carefully, we will find ourselves

as reserves in the war. This cannot be allowed to happen. In the
future, the Magi and Evas will be tools, by which emerging
superpower-nations can build empires. The only way we can keep
the Valentine's Day Treaty intact is to be sure we are ahead of the
curve."
"Captain Katsuragi would understand this, Commander."
"Captain Katsuragi has an old flame; Kaji Ryoji. She is about to

come back into contact with him. Unfortunately, he reports directly to
the committee. She could reveal sensitive information, unaware that
she is doing so. It is imperative that her exposure to such data is
minimal. Our control of the Marduk Institute can easily become a
leak for them to grasp."
Naoko tapped a finger to her mouth, considering things. "By keeping

the Marduk Institute under our control, we keep the viable pilots
limited, so we are still in the driver's seat. We control the influx of all
pilots, save for the dummy plug components."
Kozo nodded. "So you see why I requested an alteration in the

research of the Dummy Plug cores."
Naoko nodded. "I thought that when you asked for the components
to be shifted from receiving raw pilot data to full psychological
profiles, it was because you were attempting to enhance their
piloting abilities. But if they are all perfect copies of Rei…"
"Then they may be subservient to us. At the very least, it means

anyone wishing to utilize the Dummy Plugs will have to expend a
noticeable amount of time with brainwashing and psychological
reprogramming."
Naoko looked around a little worried. "Have there been any requests
for Dummy Plugs yet?"
"No. Unit-00's piloting-core intel has been sufficient for any needs
thus far. But it's not long in coming."
"I should destroy them," Naoko said matter-of-factly. Her voice held
no vehemence as she made the proclamation. "They're too
dangerous. I do not want to fight the war with the Angels, just to have
some egghead in a foreign nation trigger Third Impact."
This had long been a fear held by Kozo and Yui as well. With Rei
being a derivative in large part of Lillith, it was feared that a synch
ratio approaching 100 percent with an Evangelion might result in
individual breakdown, and they weren't sure if it would be limited to
Rei if it did occur. As it was now, she was safe for piloting Unit-00,
but the core was constantly monitored. If Rei's synch-ratio increased
beyond acceptable levels, the core would be modified so that Rei
became less compatible with the Eva.
They could not scuttle the Dummy Plug program without receiving
intervention from what Naoko only knew of as the committee, and
what Kozo knew was Seele. Control was their only weapon as the
prophecies unfolded. Without the ability of Yui and him to intercede,
mankind was doomed to extinction. Naoko thought that mankind
would fall into an Evangelical arm's race. He knew there was no
luxury of time for humanity to make that error.
Kozo rubbed his hand against his temples before letting it back
down. The headaches were about to start again soon. "How is the
Dummy Plug program advancing?"
"As you know, I have used caution in keeping Rei from knowing what
the persona downloads are really about. She is informed that the
sessions are to enhance her synch ratio, so that she can catch up
with Shinji. And I think that, on a conscious level, she believes this.
But she knows something else is going on. I believe she is able to
sense the dummy plug components. Our understanding of her
Angelic heritage is limited, and she may be making contact in a way
we cannot monitor."
"And attempts to copy her personae?"
Naoko sighed. "Those have been frustrating. We tried it with a clone

two days ago. As you know, it became suicidal. It beat its head into
the glass until it induced cranial trauma. The dosage of chemicals
required to sedate it was in excess of four times what it should have
been."
Kozo sighed. "Keep it up. I believe we lessen the chances for
accidents of an Angelic nature concerning Rei or her 'sisters' by
cultivating her humanistic aspects. Only a direct personality
overwrite can ensure this happens in the short term."
"And we go on keeping Captain Katsuragi in the dark?"
"It doesn't make me happy, but we must. Humanity's fate may rest
on Misato Katsuragi's ignorance."
On a road leading to her apartment, Misato pulled her Renault over

as she was seized by an attack of sneezing.
The control room in the test area was bustling with activity. On the
other side of the room's observation window was the looming purple
giant, which was the focus of the test. Unit-01 was hunched over,
docile in appearance, but menacing nonetheless. Cables ran from
various parts of the Eva's body in an attempt to ensure that the
sensor blackout that had occurred in the previous battle would not be
repeated here.
The elephant in the room, which everyone was refusing to

acknowledge, stood beside Fuyutsuki. All the bridge staff knew of
this man was that he had been given incredible access to Nerv
operations. A few techs had speculated that the man was a U.N.
inspector on sight to oversee the test. The guess was not far off the
mark. They could not know that this middle-aged man in a
professional cut black suit would be reporting the results of this test
to the man who hoped to shape the human race into a new being of
his own design. Keel Lorenz would soon know the truth of Unit-01's
berserk actions.
Shinji sat nervous in the LCL, waiting for the test to start. Naoko's
image flashed on a holo-screen and appeared to his upper left. "I
know you're anxious Shinji. I won't lie to you. We all are. But this is a
test we've run almost ten times before the Angels came along.
Everything is going to be fine."
"Unit-01 didn't try to manually rip out the entry plug in the last few
tests."
"You suffered some bad sympathetic pain during that battle, and it
affected your actions. That's all Shinji. You're going to be all right.
You've just got the jitters, and I don't think anyone could blame you
for that."
Shinji nodded. "Consider me soothed doctor. I'm not, but I feel a little
better."
Naoko smiled. "That's something. I've got to see to something here,

but don't hesitate to use the link if you need me."
The holo-image disappeared, and was replaced immediately by a

link to Rei. Her short hair floated unnaturally in the air, and with the
white head clips, it was obvious she was inside her plug.
"Nervous?"
"You had to ask?" Shinji retorted.
"Anything I can do to help?"
"How about seeing if they'll put some big catcher's mitts on this
thing's hands? It won't go clawing and destroying itself with those."
"In this age of super science, the technology driving the mystery that
is the big catcher's glove continues to elude Nerv. Plus, it's kind of a
lame idea. I've got first hand experience with the Bakelite they've got
ready to soak your Eva with if it starts behaving badly. It's great stuff:
goes from taffy to concrete in less than half a minute."
"I can still see traces of that stuff on Unit-00."

"I know. It feels weird, especially in the joints. It's like having sand in
your bathing suit after you go to the beach.
On the bridge, Naoko was looking from monitor to monitor. "She's

doing a good job of calming him."
Two video feeds showed Unit-01 in Test Area 2 and Unit-00, which
was in an adjacent Test Area 3. If, for some reason, Unit 01 went
rogue, and the Bakelite proved insufficient to contain it, Rei would try
to subdue the android with Unit-00. She was already in her Eva, and
her synch ratio was a steady 29 percent.
"Shinji, prepare for insertion."
"Yes, Doctor," he called out.
In Test Area 2, the white cylinder of the plug made a clockwise

turning motion as it disappeared in the Eva's back.
"Synch Ratio is holding at 34 percent. This is a significant reduction

to previous tests."
"Magi estimate with a 73 percent probability that the pilot is

withholding full synch attempt through conscious and/or
subconscious methods."
"That's fine," Dr. Akagi stated. "We'll work on getting the synch ratio
back up after this test."
Data continued to come in from the Eva, but the atmosphere

became slightly more relaxed after a few minutes, when nothing
ominous had happened.
Dr. Akagi had just about gotten all the information she needed when
she noticed Commander Fuyutsuki. The man in the black suit leaned
in and whispered something. Kozo whispered back, and the two
talked quietly for a moment. Then Kozo spoke up.
"Are you ready to conclude the test doctor? Specifically, do you have
all the input you require from Unit-01?"
"Yes, I believe so."
"Very well. Increase the LCL pressure to induce unconsciousness in

the pilot."
"Commander, did I hear you correctly?"
Kozo spared a quick glance at the man in the black suit beside him
and turned back to her. "Do it, Doctor."
Naoko turned to Maya. "Increase LCL pressure by 200 percent."
"Yes, Sempaii," Maya said, and tapped a few keys.
Shinji slumped over in his plug as air came rushing out of his mouth
and into the LCL in the form of large bubbles. The tension that had
been easing on the bridge was back. The moment stretched, with no
activity.
Then, a buzzer rang out. All heads shifted to Aoba Shigeru, whose
station was emitting the noise. He turned around, slightly
embarrassed by the panicked expressions turned his way. He turned
off the alarm and called out, "The pilot has lost synch ratio."
Outside of this incident, events progressed with little interruption.

Unit-01 did nothing, just as one would expect.
Another minute passed, and Kozo finally spoke. "This concludes the
test."
A few days later found Kozo in Terminal Dogma with Yui and Naoko.
The two women were decidedly ill at ease around each other. They
stood on a platform overlooking a floor covered with LCL. Across the
room, a white giant was nailed to a colossal red cross. A mask with
seven eyes covered its face.
"I didn't think he was ever going to leave," Kozo was saying. "Keel is
a clever one. I thought everything was over when he suggested
knocking out Shinji."
"How is he?" Naoko asked Yui.
"Shinji is fine. He was glad to miss school. He might start requesting

you knock him out every time he goes into the plug, just for that
purpose. Don't humor him of course."
"I wouldn't think of it," Naoko said. She turned to look down into the
pool of LCL. "Is that going to be enough?"
"Yes, it should do," Kozo said. They were all looking to the dark
greenish-gray sludge floating in a collected lump in the sea of amber
fluid. The substance represented over half of the salvaged remains
of the Third Angel.
Yui nodded. "So, the moment of truth." Naoko leaned in to get a

better glimpse.
Yui held up a covered object. The cloth was slowly unwrapped from
a stick-like item. Revealed, as the fabric came off, was a shaft with
an intricate spearhead attached to the end. It was a study in
complexity, as the head actually appeared to be composed of five
separate sections. Most of the sections were merely elaborations
added to the central piece. Kozo took the spear from Yui and held it
up in the light.
"The Lancea Longinus. Said to have brought water and blood from
the body of God's son. It is the only earthly object of antiquity that we
know of that may have caused injury to the divine. It is said that the
person who holds this," Fuyutsuki lifted the spear in one hand for
emphasis, "has the power to conquer the entire world, though the
Spear of Destiny has a tendency to escape the grasp of any who
would wield it."
"It's… breathtaking," Naoko said in awe.
"Will this work?" Yui asked, indicating the Angel's remains below.
"A relic is a holy object. It is infused with the power of the Almighty.
Since the Angel's remains are formless and without conscious
direction, we can use this to suggest a new shape to the material of
the heavenly messenger."
Kozo held forth a hand, letting the spear maintain its position before
the trio for just an instance. Then, he released it.
The lance went falling in a lazy manner, the shaft staying parallel to
the lake of LCL below it. It hit the ruins of what had once been a
being in God's presence, formed from the void as His envoy to
mankind. The spear rested in the surface of the gray-green material,
and then slowly sunk into the mercurial remains.
The partial corpse of Sachiel, the Third Angel, went through a

metamorphosis. The matter became fluid, and flowed into a long
cylinder. A relic that had only existed on the scale of a man became
transposed to the realm of giants. The new shaft was well over a
hundred meters in size, and maintained the same color as the Angel
it had come from. The head of the sphere was relatively larger, even
given the proportion of scale.
The white giant turned its head, from where it had been hanging
docilely, towards the new object. Even as it regarded the enhanced
relic, the white giant's legs began to droop and flow off. The first one
separated slowly, dropping with long, stringy strands that fought to
keep the limb connected to the body to no avail. The next leg was
quick behind it.
In the amber fluid, the spearhead at the end of the shaft unformed. It
seemed to unwind, and separate forks took shape parallel to each
other. The Lance, under its own volition, went flying out of the
orange-tinged lake and into the heart of the white giant. The masked
face rolled back to the side again in an apparent loss of muscular
rigidity. The deterioration of the giant's body stopped.
Kozo smiled, and looked over to Yui. "Success."

Thanks to Cyber Undead for proofreading. I can't emphasize enough

how much better the story I tell is because of his hard work. My
gratitude is extended for his efforts on this story.
Chapter 6
Makoto Hyuga and Aoba Shigeru were in the bathroom, washing

their hands.
"I'm just saying, she's cute," Makoto was stating what he felt was
obvious.
"Forget it; she's your commanding officer."
"I'm not saying 'that.' I'm just saying she's cu…"
"They're all cute," Aoba interjected. "Misato, Miya, Yui, and even
Naoko… you know, for an older woman."
"Yui's an older woman."
"Yeah, but she carries it better. She doesn't need a disclaimer."
Makoto shifted his eyes to the left and right, as if someone else
could be in the bathroom and the two be unaware of it. It was a
classic conspiratorial opening. "Did you hear about Naoko and the
tech from the Eva cage?"
"What? No, I guess not."
Makoto lowered his voice. "Rumor has it she was going out with him,
and he dumped her. Well, you know how the Magi monitor and
relegate almost all the automated functions of Tokyo-3."
Aoba nodded, but didn't speak, preferring instead to let Makoto
continue. "All of the sudden, this guy's life turned into a mess. Some
of the stuff that happened to him was along the lines of childish
pranks. Things like the shower water going from freezing to scalding
all the time. Utility companies constantly canceling his services. It
kept getting a little more severe though. One time, when he tried to
swipe his pass to come into Nerv, his I.D. and retinal patterns turned
up results for a wanted criminal. When Section Two investigated,
there were no signs of the man's original identity in the system. It
took them a week to sort out the mess. And then, one day, the guy
was just gone. Poof. A few of his friends thought he ran. But no one's
seen him since or heard from him."
"She didn't… kill him?"
Makoto shrug. "No one knows. Guy just dropped off the face of the
Earth."
Aoba grabbed a handful of paper towels and dried his hands. "I feel
like we should be roasting marshmallows over a campfire while you
tell that. Still, you have to admit, all the women on the bridge look
nice."
Makoto smiled. "Some more than others, but yeah. Makes you
wonder if Commander Fuyutsuki staffed this place with some idea of
making a personal harem."
Just then, the sound of a toilet flushing came from the end of the
room. The sides and doors of the stalls came down almost to the
floor, so the two had had no idea of the fact that anyone was in here.
Behind Shigeru, the sound of a door creaking open was easily
heard, and Makoto visibly paled. His fellow tech looked like a
woodland creature staring into a vehicle's headlamps.
Fuyutsuki did not regard the men as he walked to the sink and
washed his hands. The two stood frozen, not sure of what to do.
Deciding that fleeing was the best means of avoiding an awkward
situation, Aoba made for the door. Makoto was with him.
"Gentlemen," the voice called from the sink. The duo froze, and
turned in dread.
Fuyutsuki looked at the two severely. "I've always found that

gossiping is nonconductive to a sense of team work. Do you think
this is accurate?"
"Yes, sir," they both said, almost in unison, and with more than a little
enthusiasm.
"Good. I like for my bridge to be filled with team-oriented people."
Makoto gulped. "Us too, sir."
Kozo smiled. "Excellent. I'll see you men on the bridge."
"Yes, sir," Makoto said, with Aoba quickly chorusing the same.
The two left in a rush. After the door had closed, Kozo chuckled
lightly to himself as he threw away his paper towels.
"So, how do you like the dress?" Shinji was asking his cousin. They
ambled along at a lazy pace. The morning air felt good. Both were in
their school uniforms.
"I love it! I just don't know what I can wear it to. The stupid
synchronization tests are burning up my free time. You think they
would give us some leave from school since we are piloting giant
robots against monsters attacking the human race." This was a
complaint Rei had visited often lately. Knowing she ran the danger of
becoming a grump, she avoided the line of conversation altogether.
"So, how about you? Aunt Yui got you that new SDAT."
Shinji patted his pocket. "It's awesome. Mom has a good eye for
cutting edge technology. The Europeans aren't ahead of us on
developing miniature playback devices, but they have an excellent
ear for music. I'm just glad she's back from her business trip." Shinji
had a thoughtful pause before he went on. "You know she buys us
this expensive stuff because she feels guilty about leaving us."
Rei nodded in response. "So does it ever make you feel bad to take
this stuff?"
"Not in the slightest. She's the head of a super rich organization. She
probably writes off everything as traveling expenses. Besides, mom
is probably loaded. I imagine we live well below our means."
"What's that?" Rei interrupted, pointing ahead of them.
Shinji looked to where his sister was indicating. A figure was

standing in the path they were taking to school, with another off to
the side. He squinted his eyes and could make out a black jump suit.
"Oh brother."
"Suzahara," Rei said disgustedly. She gazed at Shinji. Touji's sob

story about his sister being injured had really gotten to him last time.
He was such a softy. Well, if it were up to her to keep her cousin
from being picked on, she would protect him. The two walked in
silence until they reached the duo.
"I gotta settle things between us, Ikari," Touji said when they came
close. He stared straight ahead, not looking at either of the
newcomers. "I want you to hit me. Hard."
"Okay." Rei followed the affirmation by stepping up with fist drew

back.
Touji's stoic demeanor gave way to a flinch. He drew back from Rei's
approach. "Not you, the other Ikari."
Rei smiled meanly as she stopped her advance. Shinji looked over
at Kensuke, who was standing off to the side. "Is he serious?"
Aida nodded. "He's really stubborn when he's like this. It's kind of
embarrassing. Just do what he asks."
Shinji smiled and walked past. "Nah, I like having him in my debt.
Besides, this is all stupid. If he wants to get hit, I'll let Rei do it." Touji
had been about to protest, but quickly shut his mouth upon hearing
Shinji's last words.
Rei followed behind her cousin. She turned to see the two boys
staring after them. She waved to them sweetly, and went back to
talking to Shinji.
Misato kicked back on the couch and smiled. She looked over to the
blonde who was sitting in the chair across from her. Ritsuko looked
hesitant about something, and was still holding her plate stiffly in her
hands. A quick glance to the table revealed the source of her friend's
hesitancy.
"Let me get that," Misato piped up. She took her hand and pushed
against the stack of papers and the stray beer cans until a suitable
space was cleared on the table. Amazingly, the other trash on the
table seemed to shift and accommodate the new configuration of the
pile. Nothing fell off the other side. Ritsuko placed the plate of
takeout food that Misato had gotten for them on the empty surface.
She took a sip of her tea, and looked at the apartment again.
"Honestly, Misato."
"Don't start in on me, Ritsu. You know your house smells like cat
pee, so allow me my vices. Speaking of which…" Misato finished the
statement by cracking open a beer can, and taking a swig.
"AAAAHH. That hits the spot."
"So, are you going to Megumi's wedding?"
Misato sighed in a long-suffering manner. Megumi was a common

friend of theirs from the university, and she was getting married in
less than two months. To stall, Misato drank deeply from the canned
beverage. "I don't know. I guess. I'll have to get a new dress. My best
one was damaged in the… at work."
Ritsuko frowned. "Surely you're allowed to talk about the fact that
there was an Angel attack. It's on all the news stations."
Misato shook her head. "Best not to test any gray areas, Ritsu. So,
do you have anyone you plan on taking with you to the wedding?"
Misato took another sip of beer.
"I don't know, I was thinking about Kaji maybe." Ritsuko smiled as
Misato began to cough. It was too easy to pick on her, but
sometimes it just had to be done.
"What did you say?"
"Kaji. Ryoji Kaji. He should be in by that time."
"What! Are you sure? How could you know something like that?"
Misato's eyes narrowed. "Have you two been talking?" Misato
composed herself, and finished of her beer. "Not that it matters." She
spoke the last as she walked to the refrigerator and returned with a
fresh can.
"Actually, I have a backdoor set up on Caspar that I can hack into

from time to time."
Misato cut her eyes to the window. She didn't think there were
listening devices in her apartment, as it would be easy enough for
her and Ritsuko to just go for a walk to get away from them. Since
her meetings with Ritsuko were almost always monitored, she had to
assume they were using some mobile surveillance. Thus, she
always thought of Section 2 being outside her window peering in at
her. "You shouldn't have said that, Ritsuko."
Ritsuko waved a dismissive hand. "It's not true. He sent a letter

saying he was coming in. I just said the other to drive mom nuts.
When the snoops report our conversation, she'll be notified of a
potential security leek within the Magi System. She'll have to
investigate, and the fact that I confessed so readily to this will gnaw
at her paranoia and make her search twice as hard for nothing."
"That's just evil, Ritsu." Misato didn't bother adding how much it
pissed her off that Ritsuko would risk their friendship for a cheap
shot at her mom. Misato could very well be ordered to cut off all
contact with Ritsuko, or she could be hauled off as a potential
security or, God forbid, terrorist risk. "And stupid." Misato added to
the statement.
"Kaji asked about you."
"I don't care." Another sip of beer interrupted the comment. "So, what
did you tell him?"
"That you are an attractive, successful woman of integrity who still

knows how to let her hair down." Misato beamed. "That can't keep a
clean house."
"I'm very busy." Misato said defensively now.
Ritsuko smirked. "Like we never shared a dorm room."
"So, did you really want him to take you to the wedding?"
"No, it's just so much fun messing with you. I'm not dating anyone."
Ritsuko sighed. "It is sort of depressing that things are like this."
Misato sighed. "I know. Here we are, two lovely women of

intelligence and means, without dates to speak of."
Ritsuko waved Misato off dismissively. "I'm sure your subordinates

lust for you, Captain."
"I doubt it." Misato got up and walked around the room. She gave
Ritsuko a wink, who nodded. "Our positions of authority make us too
intimidating for men to find us approachable, Doctor."
"I know what you mean. Maybe… well, I think you're attractive
Misato. And we're both drunk. There's plenty of deniability…"
"Oh Ritsuko, I don't… this is so sudden." Misato suppressed a giggle
as she let out a good facsimile of a pleasure-filled moan. "Ritsu,
we're not alone."
Ritsuko sounded as if she had just remembered something. "That's

right. As I recall, you had to be very physically fit to be in Section
Two. I'm sure we have some nice specimens nearby."
Misato sounded relieved. "Oh good. I'm so hot right now, and I really
didn't want to experiment with an alternative lifestyle."
"So, should we invite them in?"
The hallway outside of Misato's apartment was suddenly flooded

with lights from the Captain's apartment. Misato appeared in the
doorway with her finger pointing. She was not disappointed to see a
man in a black suit peeking around the corner. A rubber coil
extended down from his ear from some audio device.
"AH HAH," Misato shouted. "Nasty perverted lechers." The man

quickly ducked out of sight.
Misato closed the door, and her and Ritsuko started laughing. "Like I
would ever do one of those snooping busybodies."
"Government spies are just above germs on the evolutionary

hierarchy. To think I would even consider that," Ritsuko said.
"I know. Not in a million years," Misato added. The two women
enjoyed the fall out, taking malicious glee at deriding the team who
had them under surveillance.
The café was a bustle of activity. Such was to be expected during

the lunch hour at a thriving port city. Ryoji Kaji ran a hand over his
unshaven face, and smiled at the pretty waitress that had brought
him his beverage.
"Your coffee, sir," she said in French. Kaji only knew bits and pieces
of the language, but it sounded like sweet and erotic music from the
girl's mouth.
"Thank you," he replied in the same language. He switched over to

German. "Can you speak this language? My French isn't good."
The waitress shook her head. "I only know small," she replied in
German.
Kaji sighed, and took her hand. He kissed the back of it lightly, and
looked back up at the woman with a rakish smile. She withdrew her
hand, and said something in French. He thought he made out
something about her job. She finished her dialogue with words that
he thought were meant to be insulting. However, her hidden smile let
him know that she was experiencing more than indignation. He
watched her leave with studious interest.
A man sat down across from Kaji. His attention turned to the
newcomer immediately. This was a moment he had been working
toward for some time. It had taken more than a little doing for him to
find a time and location that were inconvenient to Keel Lorenz. He
had a very small window of opportunity due to the fact that he had to
make this meeting happen before he met up with the Pacific Fleet
and Asuka. She was a girl infatuated with him, and prone to
disrupting his need for discretion. Since Keel could not make this
meeting, he had instead sent a trusted confidante: a member of
Seele.
Kaji had to work to suppress his smile. He had just visually

confirmed another member of the most powerful cult humanity had
ever known.
"You do not keep a very low profile," the man said in German, with
obvious disapproval.
"Sometimes, it is necessary to draw some attention in order to be

inconspicuous. Besides, did you see her? If there is a God, He was
in a fine mood the day He shaped that form. Why, it would be
sacrilege not to appreciate it."
The man narrowed his eyes. He had blonde hair and a hawk-like
nose. Kaji knew he was supposed to be intimidated, but the whole
arrangement was more laughable than anything. He showed
restraint, and managed to look concerned as the man spoke. "Stop
playing the fool, Mr. Ryoji."
"Very well. I assume our mutual friend asked you to come with a
package for me."
The man slid a key across the table. "It will open a deposit box. In it,
there will be a metal case. Our 'friend' will contact you with the
specifics. Now that this business is done, I will be taking my leave."
The man slid his chair back and got up. He did not spare a
backwards glance as he left.
Kaji palmed the key in his hand, and relished its rough edges. He
slid it into his pocket as he saw the pretty waitress come back. He
had made a lot of progress today.
'Perhaps there is even going to be a chance to celebrate,' he

thought, as he let his gaze sweep over her body quickly.
Misato came running into the bridge frantically. "Status report!"
On the screen at the front of the control room, a diamond-shaped

object floated in the sky. The backdrop of the Tokyo-3 cityscape
could be made out easily.
"The Fifth Angel arrived approximately ten minutes ago and has
gone into position over headquarters."
"Status of the Evas?" Misato looked to Makoto.

"Both pilots arrived quickly and are suited up. Eva Unit-01 already
has synched with pilot and Unit-00 is expected to be synched in less
than thirty seconds."
Misato activated a feed with Unit-01. "Shinji."
"Yes, Captain."
"I am going to eject you into a sniping position on the western hills.
You have the best synchronization rate of the two pilots, and should
be the better shot."
"Unit-00 has been activated," someone called from behind in the

control room. Misato pushed another button, and Rei's image came
up.
"Rei, Shinji is going to try and snipe the Angel. This hasn't worked to
date, and I would be surprised if it worked this time. When the
Angel's attention shifts to Shinji, you will be sent up a launch tube
close to the Angel's flank. We are hoping you can blind side the
Angel and take it down with the prog knife."
"I understand," Rei stated.
"Be careful Rei. The last Angel was able to track your movements
underground. If something goes wrong, deploy you're A.T. Field and
allow Shinji to barrage the Angel with gunfire. We'll work on a revised
strategy based on the circumstances then."
"Understood."
"Launch Eva Unit-01."
The purple giant went screeching up the launch rails. Where it would
normally shoot up in an almost straight line, it now spent most of its
journey gliding at a diagonal slant. Overhead, it made its exit into a
large hangar. Unit-01 attached an umbilical cable. Shinji searched
the floor and retrieved a large gun. The purple giant, now properly
geared up, walked for the door.
Growth and soil had piled over the building, and it seemed the Eva
was coming out of a cave as it walked into the forested hillside west
of Tokyo-3. In the distance, the Angel hovered over the silent city. It
looked like two pyramids glued together at the base. He was sure
there was a term for that. Tetrahedron? Polyhedron?
"Shinji, there has been no response from the Angel. I think we all
know that the Angel's love to play possum with us, so be careful. Be
prepared for a counterattack. With that in mind, take aim and fire.
Rei, be ready to switch from standby."
Both pilots affirmed the orders. Shinji lifted the rifle. The image data
came up on his screen in the form of a small circle. It simulated
looking down a scope. He magnified the image, being sure to get a
good center dot on his target.
Below in the control room, Maya Ibuki shouted. "There's a massive

increase of energy from within the target."
Misato flipped the comm. "Shinji, it's going to fire."
"Always when I'm in the middle of something," Shinji muttered, and

squeezed the trigger. Through the magnification image of the
simulated scope, he saw a beam hurtle straight at the Angel. An
octagon of concentric orange lines appeared at the last moment, and
deflected the blast. Shinji saw for one moment that buildings in front
of the Angel were starting to melt, and then he felt a massive shot of
heat hit his chest. Gasping in pain, he ducked to the side and
jumped back. He could see flames spontaneously generating from
the trees around him, which allowed him to follow the Angel's firing
pattern. He ducked quickly behind the hangar he had just exited.
"Unit-01 has sustained damage to its left arm. Dermal sensors

indicate the temperature was approaching 500 degrees Kelvin
before evasive actions were taken."
"Shinji, be ready to lay distraction fire so that Unit-00 can close. Fire
on my mark."
"Yes, Misato."
"Launch Unit-00. Rei, be ready with your A.T. Field. Shinji, open fire."
Shinji sprung from behind the building, and he was going to have to
take action anyway. It had only been a few moments, but the front of
the hangar was already melting down like wax. He performed
running shots, and was rewarded with an interruption of
bombardment as the Angel's A.T. Field appeared again to deflect the
shots.
"We're going to need a fire team up here," Shinji called, looking at

the burning trees. Any further comment was cut off, as he saw the
blue robot in the distance. He laid down another barrage of gunfire.
Unit-00 had barely cleared the opening into the city when Rei felt as
if someone had started a campfire in her chest. She screamed, and
clawed frantically at her upper body. She knew, on some level, she
was only feeling her Eva's pain and not her own, but a reflexive part
of her mind screamed at her to get the burning agent off of her flesh.
In the control room, the Angel was taking gunshots from the
Westside, but the damage it was causing seemed minimal. The front
chest plate of Unit-00 had melted. Misato yelled in panic "Bring Unit-
00 back in. The Angel may be trying to attack the pilot directly.
Overhead, Shinji could hear Rei's cries, and began firing with greater
relentlessness. He could see scorch marks where the Angel was
being hit by his shots, but none broke through its casing. He
watched, first in relief, then in horror, as Unit-00 was lowered. The
invisible beam of the Angel followed the Eva down into the Earth,
melting whatever buildings were in the way. Shinji felt heat again.
Concentrating, he deployed his A.T. Field. In front of him, more trees
combusted, as the high temperature dissipated off the A.T. Field and
into the surrounding woodlands.
"How's Rei?" When there was no response, Shinji shouted again
with urgency. "Misato, how is Rei?"
"Hold on… stable. How's your gun?"
Shinji looked at his rifle. "The barrel is warped."
Misato sighed. "Return to base and regroup. Do it quickly, before the

rails on the launch tube become too misshapen to use."
Disclaimer : I am but a lowly fanfic writer who owns none of the
things I talk about. Do not sue.
Proofreader credit goes yet again to Cyber-Undead. He does

awesome work, and my gratitude for such shall never run low. Yet
again, thank you.
The next part was added during proofreading. I liked it
Cyber-Undead appears out of thin air
If I may… Though I recognize my merit in recognizing some phrase-

build flaws and sentenced errors, let us pay credit to its due: to
Guppy Lips, for writing this masterpiece. For my endless tenacity
and divine wisdom, for checking all the errors. And for MS Word XP,
for doing around 50 of the proofread for me. " And now, if you'll all
excuse me, the time has come to fade away…
Cyber-Undead disappears for under a small un-noticeable rock
Chapter 07
"What's Rei's status?" Misato yelled at Maya.
"Her bio-signs are unbalanced! She's going into sympathetic shock!"
"Give her a heart massage with the plug suit." Naoko ordered. Rei's
body convulsed as something in the plug suit contracted with enough
force to rock her whole frame.
"How's Rei?" Shinji screamed over the comm. link with Misato. She
didn't answer him yet.
"The pilot's heart rate and brain waves are stabilizing."
"Misato, how is Rei?" Shinji shouted.
"Hold on…" Misato looked back at the tech station to make sure the
crisis with Unit-00's pilot was truly over. She finally answered
"Stable. How's your gun?"
There was a pause. "The barrel is warped."
Misato grit her teeth. The positronic sniping rifle had not been built
for the high rate of fire Shinji had just put it through. Add to that the
extreme heat from the Angel's attack, and it was hard to imagine the
barrel would not have suffered after passing through such an
abusive endeavor. Unit-01 was a sitting duck, taking fire with no
means of retaliation.
"Return to base and regroup. Do it quickly, before the rails on the

launch tube are melted."
The Angel sat almost serenely in the air. With a crimson tube
extending from the bottom of the figure, it looked almost like an
artist's creation balanced on a precarious stand, rather than a
hovering 'creature' drilling into the earth.
From nearby, a raft approached. On it was an inflatable facsimile of

Unit-01. It was ignored until a string let loose. The string had held
down an arm on the balloon. The result was that the 'Eva' appeared
to draw its weapon on the Angel. The inflatable lure immediately
popped from the Angel's ranged attack.
From a different direction, a gun emplacement came rolling out of a

cave on tracks. It fired a shot at the Angel. The shot bounced
harmlessly off an A.T. Field, and the gun exploded from the Angel's
counterattack.
Misato and Naoko were watching this on the screen in the bridge.
Misato looked over to Naoko with a smile. "Now for your test,
doctor."
From opposing directions, two missile batteries began sighting the

Angel. They did not swivel to take aim until both guidance systems
had secured a lock. The Angel stayed true to form, and did not attack
until aggressive action had been shown.
"Now." Katsuragi commanded. Both missile turrets swung over and

let loose a volley against the Angel. One volley exploded in the air,
and further down the path of the Angel's energy weapon the un-
launched ordinance from that battlement blew up. The Angel stopped
firing, and an A.T. Field immediately went up on its flank, with barely
enough time to stop any impact from the other set of missiles. After it
had weathered the attack, it took out the other turret in short order.
Misato turned from the screen. "Well, it's something, I guess. I'm
going to have to think about what we should do."
Rei opened her eyes again. She tried to think of what had just been
happening. Another one of those weird dreams felt like it was
slipping away from her, and she was just as happy to let it go. She
looked up at the ceiling.
"Rei?" she heard someone call out. She looked up to see Shinji.
"Mom, Rei's awake." Yui appeared in the door. She walked over and
bent down.
"How are you doing?"
Rei managed to sit up without too much complication. "My chest is

sore." She reached up and felt of her skin there. "It tingles. What
happened?"
"The Angel fired on Unit-00 before it had a chance to free itself from
the launch rails. You felt pain feedback from the Eva."
"I don't remember. The last thing I recall is launching."
Yui stroked Rei's hair. "Sometimes, when something hurts too badly,
the mind blocks it. I'm just glad you're alright." Yui kissed the girl on
the forehead, and backed away to the door. "I've got a meeting to
attend now. I'll let Shinji watch you." With that, Yui was gone.
Rei spared her cousin a glance. "Shinji… I have something really

important to tell you."
"What?"
"I really…"
When the pause stretched, Shinji urged the girl to continue. "Go on."
"I really… really… really… hate hospitals."
"If you feel like that now, you're going to be miserable soon. It's time
for lunch." Rei made a disgusted look and Shinji laughed as he
lightly ruffled her hair.
Rei swatted a hand at her cousin. "We're not four Shinji, cut it out."
Misato, Naoko, Maya, Yui, and Kozo were gathered in a meeting

room. Naoko was talking. "We have until just after midnight before
the drill breaks through into the Geofront. 00:06:45 to be exact."
"Does anyone have a proposal?" Yui asked.
Misato straightened her jacket, and stood up. "I do, ma'am. A new
positronic rifle is being developed in a nearby research facility. It is
like the one Unit-01 used today, except with much greater firepower.
We could take out the Angel in one shot with this weapon."
"Assuming we can provide it with enough power." Yui interjected.

"This Angel has a tough hide in addition to a powerful A.T. Field."
"We could call for an emergency blackout. All of Japan's power could
be at our disposal."
"What is the Magi's projected success-rate for this plan?" Kozo

queried.
Maya, who had been following the conversation with some interest,
was slow to realize it was her turn to speak. After a short pause, she
finally chimed in a mousey manner, "Magi give this plan a 47.83
percent success rating."
Misato turned back. "Why so low?"
Naoko looked to the captain, trying to take attention off of the already
nervous Ibuki. "We already tried a sniping operation. There's no
reason to believe we can get out of the Angel's range."
"It bothers me that we would have to rely on untested equipment. If

this plan doesn't work we don't have time to implement an
alternative." Yui took a sip of coffee and then looked back to Naoko.
"What data do we have from the experiments with the Angel?"
Naoko turned on a screen at the front of the room. On it was four

pictures: each one was of the Angel destroying a target from the
earlier tests. "The Angel seems to not take action until aggressive
intent is revealed. We cannot go forward with the expectation that
this will always be the case. After all, the Angel fired on Unit-00 just
as it was launched above ground."
Another picture flipped, and Naoko continued. "There were several

interesting things we discovered. First off, the drill bit flickered and
disappeared during times when the A.T. Field was in use."
Kozo nodded. "So it is digging with a variation of an A.T. Field."
"Right, Commander. To date, we believed that an A.T. Field could

only be generated in a two-dimensional space. It seems this is not
the case. What is important is that this places a limiting factor on the
Angels' capabilities. Also of note is the fact that it seems unable to
fire and maintain an A.T. Field at the same time. This could be
because the A.T. Field would interfere with the energy weapon it
uses. However, since it demonstrated this weakness against attacks
coming from opposite directions, I am more inclined to say that this
is a constraint on the Angel's capabilities. It seems unable to
generate enough power to perform both tasks simultaneously."
Maya raised a hand. Naoko shook her head gently at the woman.
"This is a brain storm, Ms. Ibuki. Feel free to speak."
Maya blushed, and looked to the computer in her lap. "It's just…
well; the Angel has this powerful beam weapon. Why is it drilling to
headquarters, instead of just blasting its way down?"
Misato's head snapped up in realization. "Because it can't! We've

found a position from which we can safely fire on the Angel."
Yui spoke up. "There is no place for an Eva to be placed along the
drill's path, short of the Geofront."
Misato beamed. "Exactly!"
Kozo leaned forward. "Elaborate, Captain."
"I need one more piece of information. Is the drilling tube hollow?"
"We believe so."
"When the Angel's drill breaches the last layer of armor, we will have
Units 00 and 01 standing ready. Overhead, we'll have another pair of
missile turrets open fire. The Angel will have to use its A.T. Field to
deflect one set of missiles. We can then have one Eva shoot up the
tube and into the Angel's core."
"We need concrete data as to whether the drilling tube is hollow." Yui
said severely. "It is a dangerous assumption to work under if it is not.
However, I believe this plan is workable. I still have the same
reservations as with the first proposal. We don't have much time to
regroup if the plan falls apart."
Fuyutsuki stood. "Doctor, run the plan through the Magi system. Be
sure to attain two success analysis profiles. I want one with the
normal parameters, and one with a 12 percent greater leeway factor
for unknown conditional variance. Otherwise, I believe we have
something to work with. This meeting is concluded until further
notice."
Naoko Akagi let her fingers glide over the keyboard. She drank a cup
of coffee with her left hand, seemingly oblivious to the valuable data
she was entering with her right. Maya Ibuki looked on with awe.
"You are the master."
"If you had entered in as much code as me, it would be about the
same for you. Programming three neural-based supercomputers
invite this sort of adaptation."
Maya looked down. Naoko could almost pinpoint the instance when
Maya became ashamed of herself. "I embarrassed us today,
Sempaii."
"Nonsense. When in particular do you think that happened?"
"I was slow in revealing data when requested."
Naoko laughed. "Everyone in this compound is rough around the

edges. The Angel attacks have forced us all to work a lot of overtime
analyzing the nature of our enemies. Also, these attacks have forced
us to stay on call. Humans cannot function well while suffering from
high levels of stress and sleep deprivation."
"It's not that. It's just… everyone in that room. They're legends."
"Don't buy into the hype, Maya. They're just people: flawed,
sometimes brilliant, but barely above the norm. Don't let them
intimidate you." Naoko pressed the enter key three times in
succession and brought her hand back. "Now we wait."
Maya nodded. "Thanks, Sempaii."
Naoko turned to the woman. "So, how are things going with you
Maya? Are you still getting flowers from the guy in maintenance?"
Maya blushed again. "No, ma'am. He transferred to the U.S. branch.

They are just getting off the ground, and he could work himself into a
position of importance by being onboard early."
"Just as well. He was a little old for you."
"He was only 31."
"And you are what… 22? Well, if he made you happy, I guess that's
good enough. It's a pity he left. Is anyone else showing interest?"
Maya shook her head. She was still embarrassed, but would not
deny Dr. Akagi the conversation. Naoko thought it was sweet. Maya
was a kind soul, but a bit of a wallflower. Bookworm would have
been a more accurate term. Maya finally spoke up. "All of these
attacks have everyone busy. There's not a lot of time for
extracurricular activities."
"Make time, Maya. Things won't fall apart if you take an evening off."
"You should too, Sempaii."
Naoko shook her head. "Unfortunately, they will fall apart if I'm not
around." A steady tone interrupted the two, and a nearby copier
started up. After the first sheet had printed, Naoko picked it up. She
studied the paper as she walked over to the phone. She keyed in a
number on speed dial before picking up the receiver. "The Magi have
finished the analysis Commander. The first assessment has an 88
percent probability of success. The adjusted assessment you
requested came out with a 65 percent success rating."
There was a pause, as Kozo spoke. Naoko continued the

conversation on her end. "It's hard to be sure. We placed a camera
in the path of the bit, and it snapped 20 frames per second. The
pictures indicate that there is hollow space. We cannot be sure of
how far it extends. In addition we tried a sonar ping. It got results
clean to the Angel's main body. It's my hypothesis that, since the
cylinder appears to be elongating, it is drawing on matter from within
the tube itself to stretch down. Since the outside of the cylinder is not
decreasing in circumference, this means that not only is the tube
most likely hollow, but that it will achieve its maximum circumference
of empty interior space at the time of the operation."
Naoko waited for a moment, and then answered "Understood. I'll call
her now." As she hung up the phone, she looked up to Maya. "Call
Misato and the pilots. We're going ahead with the plan."
In the Geofront, an array of floodlights was on. On the ground, Rei

could see a hundred dim shadows of her Eva, all thrown from
different light sources. She looked to Unit-00's hands. She could still
feel echoes of the burning sensation from her last two fights with the
Angel's. In the first, her (Eva's) hands had been roasted. In the
previous experience, she had been blasted in the chest. She had
seen the remains of Unit-00's torso armor, and had honestly
wondered how she was still alive. The metal had a large hole in the
middle of it, and had melted extensively all around that spot.
A holo-image blinked into the forefront of her vision, and Shinji's face
was there. "Getting cold feet?"
"I wish. I was just thinking it would be nice to fight an Angel that
wasn't such a firebug. Ever notice they have a thing for hot
weapons?"
"I hadn't, but you're right. They do like it warm." Shinji paused,
seeming to search for something. "I know it hurt you, Rei. If you don't
want to be out here, I understand. This is something I can do."
Rei shook her head. "I owe this Angel. Anyway, Misato wants you to
use the Automatic."
Shinji snorted. "Like that useless piece of junk has ever done
anything. I don't know why she keeps sending us out with that stupid
gun."
Misato's face appeared angry on both of their view screens. "That's

enough, brats. You got in your cheap shot." The Captain calmed
herself before continuing. "We just hit zero hundred hours and three
minutes. The Angel will be breaking through in a moment. Do a final
check and get ready. Are there any questions about the plan?" Both
pilots shook their heads. "The operation will begin in two minutes."
Rei moved one of the Eva's hands to the back of its body, and tested
the umbilical connection to ensure that it was locked down securely.
She then lifted the same hand up to the shoulder holster, and
removed the progressive knife. Across from her, Unit-01 shouldered
the automatic gun and aimed it up in preparation for the coming
activities.
The ceiling caved in and rubble fell to the ground. The orange lines
of the drill bit could be seen, and it was propelled quickly towards the
ground along a crimson shaft. A yellow line spiraled up the shaft,
showing that it was still moving.
In the control room, Misato turned to Aoba Shigeru. "Now!"
Missile turrets had already locked onto the Angel. As before, the
turrets were on opposing sides of the Angel, ensuring that it could
not block all the fire it received. It reacted as before, firing on one
volley while shielding itself from another.
Below, the drill bit flickered and then was gone. "You're on, Rei."
Misato's image flashed up quickly with the image, and then was
gone again.
Unit-00 grabbed the cylinder with one hand, and, with the other,
sliced neatly through the shaft with the prog knife. The tube was
indeed hollow, and Unit-01 was rapidly in position with the barrel of
the gun sticking into the opening.
Misato's voice came through in Shinji's plug. "Careful to maintain

aim."
"Captain, I know. You're nagging me."
Shinji was blessed with quiet as he watched his screen. The gun had
a laser sight installed on the barrel to ensure that he got off a straight
shot, up the pipe, to the Angel. He would know that he had a clear
shot when the square on the top left of his screen became glowing
red and he got a lock-on tone. Both indicators came, and he
squeezed the trigger. The automatic got off several shots before the
tube vibrated. He went from having a dead lock to relying on the path
of the cylinder to carry his shots to the Angel.
On the command deck, Misato smiled. She looked over at Naoko.

"That went off smoothly."
"You're tempting fate." Naoko cautioned.
"Energy build-up within the target." Maya shouted.
Misato turned the comm. back on. "Shinji, take evasive action. The
Angel may be returning fire."
Unit-01 jumped back. The automatic rifle, which had been rammed
into the opening in the cylinder, fell to the ground. The rest of the
cylinder fell down on top of it, apparently released from the Angel's
main body. It tilted lazily, supported by the hole it had just made in
the ceiling overhead. Suddenly, it started melting. The rifle fired off
two shots before exploding. The ground under both objects began to
glow red.
"Crap. It can fire down." Misato looked overhead at the command

deck. The Commander and Sub-Commander were talking in hushed
tones. Yui's body language suggested that the conversation was a
worried one.
Misato wondered what the Angel was going for. Nerv HQ was deep
in the earth, but the Angel wasn't close enough to HQ to cause
damage directly to the building with its weapon. Perhaps there was a
magma flow not far underground. She would have to consult a map
sometime and see. For now, she had an Angel to slay.
"What's the Angel's status?"
"The gunfire from Unit-01 seems to have harmed it. We are detecting
emissions similar to those that resulted when Unit-00 cracked the
Fourth Angel's S2 organ."
"Shinji, Rei. We have the Angel on the ropes. We are going to launch
a simultaneous attack with the Eva's on the Angel. Both of you, close
in with your prog-knifes. One of you will come under fire."
"No." Rei said in horror.
"Launch me first, Misato. Let me beat Rei up by a second or two."
"NO!" Rei shouted.
"It sounds good. Be sure to kill the Angel as fast as possible. Go to

launch ports 23-D and 24-D. These will be the best positions from
which to flank the Angel."
"Shinji, don't do it. SHINJI!" Rei called frantically.
In the Geofront, the purple Eva released its umbilical cable and went
running to a pair of nearby launch railings. There was a sound of
screeching metal as it was propelled up.
"There is no time for this Rei. Just do it." Misato barked urgently over
the audio feed.
"Dammit." Rei muttered, and worked Unit-00 to another pair of rails.

She gave the go-ahead for launch as soon as the Eva was secured,
and went rocketing into the ground overhead.
When she reached the surface, she could already see Unit-01
jumping from building to building. Shinji was dodging wildly, but was
still getting caught from time to time. The damage was evident on
Unit-01's foot. As she watched, its ankle snapped, and the android
went rolling into a nearby building.
Rei ran her Eva towards the Angel, before it could fry Shinji. She
rammed her progressive knife up. It was met with an A.T. Field.
Grimacing, she bore down harder. She still did not seem able to tear
through. She worked her knife up from the main blade to the tip, and
felt as if something were giving way beneath the point of the blade.
The Field seemed to grow brighter, and whatever headway she
thought she was making came to an abrupt stop.
Suddenly, the orange lines disappeared. Her Eva, unexpectedly free

of opposing forces, fell forward and drove the knife into the Angel's
surface. On the other end of the Angel, Unit-01 was lying on its side.
An arm was extending up and its knife was buried deep into the
Angel's main body from the bottom.
Rei saw that the Angel was about to fall on the other Eva, and
crashed into the lifeless monster with Unit-00's body. The force of
inertia was enough to knock the Angel off the destructive path of
descent. Still, the explosion that signaled the Angel's death rocked
both Evas.
In the aftermath, both androids were still. Unit-01 had been rolled
onto its stomach by the concussive blast. Unit-00 was on its hands
and knees.
Shinji's face appeared on a screen in Rei's cockpit. "Nice save,
cousin."
"You didn't do badly either."
"Good job, both of you." Misato's voice congratulated into both entry
plugs. "Stand by for post-op. Extraction teams will have you out in
five minutes."
Disclaimer : I don't own NGE. You folks know that. Do not sue.
A multitude of props to Cyber Undead for proofreading. Thanks once

again. His proofreading comments can be as fun as the actual story
Changes camera-view to Cyber-Undead
Well, there's got to be some stress-relief, asides the comical jabs

thrown by the author, no! Pouts snobbishly Rowan Atkinson, AKA
Mr. Bean, AKA Johnny English, understood that well…
Chapter 08
The large room was distinctive, to say the least. The glare of screens
from one wall sent a yellow glow, which mingled with the illumination
of the overhead lights in a menacing way. A large tree, with various
foreign scripts along its branches, decorated the flooring. On the
ceiling, the Sephirothic System shone down on the room's two
occupants, who were seated on opposite sides of a large desk. One
could look at the circles and lines and contemplate the Cabbalistic
path to Godhood.
Or, if one were flippant enough, he could just use it as lighting for a
quasi-romantic dinner away from the help.
"Oh, let me try that." Yui said, eyeing something new from within
Kozo's Styrofoam dish and indicating it with her fork. Kozo smiled,
and stabbed at a morsel with his own plastic utensil, and brought it to
her mouth. Yui made pleasant noises as she took a bite.
"This Middle Eastern cuisine is wonderful. I still can't believe you

found a place that made it in Tokyo-3. I'm going to have to take
Shinji."
Kozo took a sip of his drink before answering. "With all the foreign
media personnel coming in to cover the Angel attacks, such
delicacies have become a bit more common."
"It still bothers me that we have to sneak around like this. It's not as if
we are doing anything wrong."
Kozo lost a bit of his good humor. "Do we need to have this talk
again, Yui?"
Yui shook her head. "Sorry, I'm messing up lunch. I know an

entanglement in the command structure, such as we have, would set
off red flags with the oversight committee." Yui put her fork down,
and looked decidedly less interested in her dish.
They went on eating, with noticeably less talking. Yui barely touched
her food, and Kozo took one last bite before putting his dish aside as
well.
"I know that old complaint isn't enough to take away your appetite.
What is it, Yui?"
Yui turned away, and looked to the floor. She was silent for a
moment, before finally speaking a word. "Gendo."
Kozo closed the lid on his take-out tray, seeing that the meal had
come to an abrupt stop. "I'll abide by whatever decision you make,
you know. I won't claim to be happy about certain choices, should
they happen. But I realize this whole situation puts you in a bad spot.
I always knew that some day this would be a problem."
Yui got up and started pacing now. "So what about the last six years
we've been together? I love you, Kozo. That's supposed to be
nothing? I can't turn you away. I can't do it to either of you."
Kozo rose from his chair, and drew Yui into a hug. He stroked her
hair, seeking to soothe her. "All this fretting at a mere possibility. Who
knows if any of us will be here when Third Impact comes? We'll
cross bridges as we arrive at them: let's just take what moments we
have."
Kozo kissed her cheek. His lips moved, searching for her mouth, and
she pulled away.
"You might be right. But I can't, not right now."
Kozo let loose of her, and returned to his seat. "Very well. If you
need space, I will do what I can. Just remember that, when you sort
things out, I'll be here."
Kozo worked his way around the desk and back to his chair. He
waited a few minutes, composing himself, and allowing Yui the same
opportunity. When he spoke, his tone had shifted. "We've got
business to discuss. Unit-02 is prepared for departure to Japan. The
next Angel, Gagiel, is denoted in the texts as the Angel of fishes.
Given that descriptor, the prophecies, and the fact that Adam has
stirred from cryostasis for the first time since the Angels reappeared,
it seems likely that an attack will occur during transit."
Yui nodded as she took her seat again. It had taken her a minute to
get herself in order, but now she was all business. "Well, the smart
thing to do would be to transport B-type equipment with the Eva."
"My thoughts as well. But this presents a problem: thus far, the
Committee is unaware of the fact that we are receiving Adam. To my
knowledge, Keel, Ryoji, and the two of us are the only people who
know of the move. Should some evidence turn up that we, somehow,
knew an Angel would harass Unit-02 during shipment, there may be
a reason for investigators to pry. If the Angel attacks, the battle will
already be under scrutiny. It will be the first Angelic sortie outside of
Tokyo-3. If we don't tip our hand, we can write it off as a strike
against Unit-02. But we must be cautious. The presence of B-Type
equipment with the fleet may suggest that we were already
prepared."
Yui frowned. "I don't like it. It wouldn't be hard for the Eva to be cast
into the ocean. Once submerged, it would be ineffective. There's no
guarantee that Unit-02 is going to make it through the battle. The
prophecies merely mention three golems for the upcoming
confrontations. For all we know, we might get a rush job and end up
supplied with one of the U.S. Evas. And I have a decided preference
for Unit-02. Not only has the model had enough development time to
be refined, but it could house a soul within it. It could be as powerful
as Unit-01."
Kozo rubbed his fingers against his temples. "I know. I feel the same
way. But, secrecy and control are our best weapons for disrupting
Seele's plans for Third Impact. If we have both Adam and Lillith, then
Tokyo-3 is the guaranteed battleground for the coming Angels. We
must secure Adam, without anyone interceding. If another country
were to discover that we have it, they would use all their resources to
steal it, and bring it to their country. Wherever the Angels attack is
where the brunt of the Eva technology will be, not to mention the
scientific breakthroughs that come from analysis of the Angels'
physiology."
Yui waved her hands. "Okay, professor. Still, I hate to have this
happen without some sort of preparations. The Third Children,
Asuka, seems to be a good pilot under laboratory conditions.
However, we both know how things can go wrong on the field of
battle. And the naval officers of the Pacific fleet have no experience
fighting Angels. They'll make the same mistakes the U.N. made."
"I wonder if we could get away with sending personnel."
"I was thinking the same thing." Yui became decidedly more
animated. She could set aside almost anything when presented with
an appropriate analytical dilemma. Their earlier conversation was
forgotten, at least for the moment. Kozo knew this would be the
case.
She continued. "I propose we send Katsuragi and Rei."

"Agreed. Katsuragi has a gift for improvisation that should result in
suitable tactics in case the Angel assaults the fleet. Plus, the Angels
have shown no predilection for causing bystander casualties. So
long as there are evacuations procedures in place, our risk of loosing
her is low. And Rei…"
Yui's face became dark. "Is expendable?"
Kozo's only answer was silence.
"Such thinking makes me feel like a monster, Kozo. I've raised her
as a daughter. And we both saw the results of Naoko's tests. Rei
may be more distinctive than we had first believed. Her profile did
not transplant into the components."
"You know as well as I that only one soul can be in play at a time."
Kozo sighed. "We've known this was coming for a long time. We'll
hope for the best, but stay prepared for the worst. In any case, if it
were Shinji instead of Rei, then we would be left without a suitable
pilot for Unit-01. And that, above all things, cannot be allowed to
happen."
Yui looked at the floor. "I can't keep doing this. They're my children,
Kozo. It was stupid of me to raise Rei, but… she's a part of me.
She's as much my child as Shinji is."
"It was the right thing to do. It breaks my heart to do this to the
children as well, but there is no other way. It'll be over soon."
A tear slid down Yui's face to the floor. She nodded. "But it won't be
over soon enough. And I do not relish the opportunity to play
Abraham and Isaac. That is a test I may not pass."
In the lab
Misato peeked in the door to Dr. Akagi's office. Maya Ibuki was
walking to one side of the room to retrieve a disc, and stopped to
turn to Misato. She bowed slightly. "Welcome, Major Katsuragi."
Naoko looked up from her keyboard. "How are things going, Major?"
Misato walked in, and closed the door behind her. She beamed.
"What did you call me?"
"What, Major?" Maya took a step back as Misato came into the
room, a grin on her face.
"Congratulations, Misato." Naoko piped in from her desk where she

was typing.
"And do you know what's the icing on the cake?"
"The fact that the Jet Alone conference has been postponed?"
Naoko ventured a guess.
Misato winked, and pointed at Naoko. "She's a genius."
"We'll celebrate. I'll catch lunch." Naoko said. Misato let her smile go
up a notch. She walked behind Naoko, and looked at the computer
screen.
"Checking out something on Rei?"
"Yes. I found her actions during the last battle to be overly emotional.
Rei has tended thus far been the more levelheaded of our two pilots.
But in the last battle, when you asked Shinji and her to attack the
Angel, she came very close to violating a direct command from you."
Misato paused, contemplating. "I noticed that as well. But she's a

teenage girl, so mood swings are part of the package. I'd say for
everything she's probably going through, Rei is well-adjusted."
"It doesn't hurt to review relative synch ratios, and examine battle
footage. I just want to be sure I rule out other causes. For instance,
she could be in the early stages of developing a debilitating fear of
some kind. It's unlikely, but deserves checking out." Naoko reached
back to Maya. "Ms. Ibuki, did you locate the data recordings?"
"Yes, sempaii." Maya handed the discs over.
Misato's eyes rose, as an idea seemingly sprang to life inside her

head. "I just thought of something. I was going over the terrain
features of the Geofront earlier. The way the Angel used its beam
weapon on the ground made me wonder if we have any tectonic
instability underneath headquarters. From an operational standpoint,
that could be disastrous. But when I tried to pull up any geological
survey data, I got nothing, or restricted access files." Misato crossed
her arms. "And that was 'after' I made Major."
Naoko paused. "I'll talk to the Commander about it. It's probably an
old carry-over, from when we reallocated the Gehirn staff into Nerv."
Naoko finished her typing, and put a password protection on her
computer. She rose and stretched, sparing Misato an
uncharacteristically cheery look. "Well, that can wait till later. For
now, let's find something to eat. Major Katsuragi, we'll dine at an
establishment of your choosing. I only ask that we stay clear of the
alcohol, at least until we are off the clock."
"How did you…" Misato paused mid-sentence, as if suddenly seized

by realization. "I'm not that bad am I?"
Maya giggled, and the trio went out into the day.
Days Later
The flight deck to the carrier 'Over the Rainbow' was decidedly
comfortable. The night air blew onto the duo lying on the portside
deck. The air was cool, but not chilly. The sky was clear, and the
stars were out in abundance.
"I don't know; I just don't like Misato." The redhead was saying. She
looked over, but the man beside her was unresponsive. "Anyways,
she said she would be picking me up around lunchtime, so I guess
this is good bye."
"There'll be plenty of young men in Japan that'll gladly be boyfriends
with you. The First Child is a boy, you know."
"I'm not interested in stupid kids." Asuka said indignantly. She rolled
over several times and landed on top of Kaji. "You're the one who
has my love, Kaji."
Kaji glanced away in a long-suffering manner. "I'm honored." He

made sure to inflict an appropriate amount of boredom into the
statement.
"I'm serious. If it were with you, then all of that stuff would be okay.
The kissing and whatever comes after, just as long as it's with you."
"Asuka, you're still a child. There's plenty of time for that sort of thing,
after you've grown up some."
Asuka pulled down her shirt, exposing a bra and the top of ample
breasts. "I'm grown up enough."
Kaji sighed, and worked his way out from under the girl. "I should go.
We've got an important day tomorrow. Try and get some rest, ok?"
Back behind him, Asuka watched his form moving away from her.
"See me, Kaji. Please," She whispered, barely loud enough to qualify
the utterance as audible. She rose, and went to her own cabin.
In his cabin, Kaji closed the door and locked it. He pulled a device
out of his pocket that resembled a wand. He ran it along the walls
and watched intently to see if an LED light on the bottom of the
device lit, but there was nothing. Satisfied, he went to his luggage,
and pulled out what appeared to be a metal briefcase. He resisted
the urge to open the case, knowing that satisfying his curiosity would
result in upsetting the conditions within. And the being that was being
kept in the case did not need an opportunity to function outside of
the cold sleep it had been in for the past fifteen years.
He examined the clasps. There were several devices in place on the
locking mechanism to keep it safe. He noted a hair tied around the
clasp, and was reassured by its presence. Sometimes low tech was
still the best tech. If the hair had been broken, he would have had
cause for concern. He slid the case back.
He lay on his bed, and indulged in smug self-satisfaction. He was

coming closer to the truth. He had the confidence of Lorenz Keel, as
well as Yui Ikari, and Kozo Fuyutsuki. He had the identity of another
member of Seele, Joshua Christian, who was one of the American
members. He now knew almost a third of the secret cabal.
He knew he was lucky. Keel was sly, but his manic pursuit of the
prophecies made him less a taskmaster than he could have been.
Kozo and Yui were out of their element when they dabbled in
espionage. And his nation's intelligence service was thrilled with his
reports. This gave him a great degree of operational independence.
He was the only agent to date to gain high-level access to Nerv. One
had tried by bedding the Magi's creator, but, by all accounts, he had
been neutralized. So Kaji was at liberty to pursue the truth
unsupervised, and in almost any way he deemed possible.
And of course, he was going to see Misato again. What's more, he

could romance her, and still be doing his job. In his heart, it was
more than that. He wanted to recruit her. The thought of having her
at his side again, if just for a short while, seemed most pleasurable.
She was smart, sexy, and knew how to party. And by Ritsuko's
accounts, still single.
With memories of his college days flowing through his mind, Kaji
went to sleep.
Claimer : I own Neon Genesis Evangelion. That's right, with one
simple fanfic, I have taken over the whole franchise. Kneel before my
ignorance of litigation, and weep that you did not think of this first
All praise be unto Cyber Undead for proofreading. I am blessed to

have his talent going into correcting my story. Thanks.
Chapter 09
Rei was trying to contain her excitement. Misato sat beside her, and
a few men, who were their security detail, were also in the VTOL.
Ever since Rei had heard she was going out with Misato to meet the
new pilot, she had been in a state of high anticipation.
Misato, for her part, had weathered her questions good-naturedly.
"Who is she?"
"Asuka Langley Sohryu, the Third Children."
"What's she like?"
"Asuka is a nice kid. She's very confident and self-assured."
"Does she speak Japanese?"
"Yeah, as well as four other languages. She's already finished

University."
That one had stunned Rei. The girl finally asked, "Is she some kind
of shut-in bookworm."
Misato laughed. "I wouldn't call her that."
"Think she'll want to go shopping?"

"I'm sure she will, Rei. Now, why don't you wait until you meet her,
and make your own conclusions? It won't be long."
The rest of the ride went on in silence, at least as far as conversation

was concerned. The helicopter was noisy. Misato finally spoke,
pointing towards the front glass. "There it is: the Pacific Fleet."
Rei peeked over, and saw a lot of ships. Battleships, an aircraft

carrier, Destroyers, Frigates, and who knew what all else. It was
impressive. The helicopter made its way to the aircraft carrier. It
landed in short order.
One of the crewmen helped Misato down from the side door. He
smiled in a way that bordered on being flirty, and said something in
English. Misato noted that no one seemed alarmed, and assumed
the man was being cordial. She told him "Gomen" and gave an
inviting grin of her own. The man paused for a moment, before
remembering the other passenger and helping Rei out. Misato was
happy to see she still had the touch.
The Security detail soon had Rei and Misato flanked, and the group
followed a guide to the direction of the bridge. As they came closer,
an auburn-crowned girl in a yellow sundress stood in the group's
path. She called out to them in Japanese.
"Hello, Misato."
Misato waved back. "Hi Asuka, it's been a while. You sure have
grown up."
"I think you'll find I've developed well in every way." Asuka said, not
shouting anymore as the group and she moved closer to each other.
Rei suppressed a feeling of disgust at the girl's lack of discretion.
She wrote it off to the girl being a foreigner. Such people were not
known for their tact.
"Is this the second child?" Asuka was asking Misato, indicating Rei.
Misato nodded. "Asuka Langley Sohryu, meet Rei Ikari."
Asuka held out her hand to shake, and Rei followed suit. She tried to
look friendly until Asuka spoke. "So you're one of the people who will
be my backup. Charmed."
Rei's hand lost some of its rigidity, and her manner became a little
less sociable.
Asuka looked over to Misato. The group began making their way to
the bridge. "So, where's the First Children?"
"He had to stay in Tokyo-3. We needed to have someone around in

case the Angels attacked."
Scene Shift
A pilot on the deck watched the Japanese visitors walk into the
bridge of the 'Over the Rainbow.' He walked away, theoretically to
use the facilities. When he was out of sight he ducked into a vacant
supply closet, and pulled out a hand held communications device. A
passerby might have mistaken it for a Satellite phone. Most casual
observers would not have been able to identify the encryption
hardware on the piece of equipment.
"They're here… Yes, I'll be watching for it… Are we sure he'll try to
bolt?… Understood… A harrier or combat VTOL seems most likely. A
flight deck will be unstable during the upcoming confrontation…
Understood. I'm out."
The airman put the device back into his vest, and casually slipped
out the door.
Scene Shift
Rei looked off in a state of utter boredom. This certainly wasn't what
she had hoped for. Right now, Misato and a U.S. Naval Commander
were brandishing egos. Apparently the Americans did not like
relegating the whole fleet to cargo duty. Rei had to admit that they
had a point. If an Angel could destroy five ships like this, then
another fifteen probably wouldn't matter. So the U.S. forces were
getting nit-picky with the signing over of the cargo. Boring stuff,
really.
Rei let her gaze slide back to Asuka. The girl was standing proudly to
the side, giving slight approval to the way Misato handled the naval
officers. One of the officers whipped his head up, an annoyed look
decorating his features.
"Mr. Ryoji, I have asked you several times to not come aboard my
bridge without invitation."
Asuka's face beamed with pure joy as she went over to the
newcomer. He had an average build. His hair was in a ponytail, and
he had several days of ill-maintained hair growth on his face.
"Kaji!" Misato called out in alarm.
"Hello, Major. And congratulations on your promotion."
Scene Shift
"I hope Rei's doing alright," Shinji said in-between sips of tea.
"I'm sure she's fine." Yui answered him. She looked to the television.
She had rented a movie for the two to watch, but there had been
little need for her to get anything to keep Shinji entertained. He
seemed genuinely content to just spend time conversing with his
mother.
She couldn't have been happier. In the end, she thought that what
any parent wanted was to raise children who did well, and whom
they could talk to as adults. "I heard you playing the cello yesterday. I
see you haven't slipped any."
"No, Rei harps on me to stay after it. I think it may be some sort of
revenge thing for me keeping her caught up on school work."
Yui grinned. "And what about school, Shinji? Are you making any
new friends?"
"Well, there's one guy who wants me to hit him. I really wouldn't call
him a friend, though. I don't know. It's hard to find people I can relate
to. Work makes me different. I guess it's why I stay around Rei so
much."
"I'm sorry that you have to go through that."
Shinji waved his hand dismissively. "I don't think I'm missing
anything. The guys just mostly talk about girls. 'Nonami is looking
good' and 'Look at them in their bathing suits.' Don't get me wrong; I
think some of the girls are attractive. I just don't think I can obsess
the way that they do."
Yui sighed. The last thing she had wanted to do with this time with
her son was have 'The Talk.' He was getting to be that age, and she
should have seen this coming. Apparently, Shinji's hormones hadn't
scrambled his brains yet, as was typically the case for adolescent
males. Now would be a good time for this.
Maybe she could make Kozo do it.
A memory of Kozo's own shy advances towards her made her

reconsider. It had taken the man a full three years to ask her out, and
another on top of that to stop being awkward. Kozo was not the type
to be at ease with others. He was a genius, but had also been a little
antisocial. He probably wasn't the best choice. Maybe she could
shove the duty off on a random tech, or a Section Two Agent.
With a resigned attitude, Yui finally spoke. "Shinji, I think there are
some things you need to know about girls."
Shinji laughed. "You're telling me."

"About boys and girls."
Shinji's jovial attitude immediately vanished. He looked to the ceiling

uncomfortably.
Scene Shift
"It's been so long, dear," Kaji was saying. The group was eating in
the mess hall, which was relatively abandoned except for Kaji,
Misato, Rei, Asuka, and a distant security detail.
"What are you doing here, Kaji?"
"I was delivering Eva-02 and its pilot. I have been Asuka's overseer
for some time."
Misato noted the way the girl looked at Kaji with adulation, and had
an uncomfortable moment. Kaji, for his part, seemed resigned to just
ignoring Asuka. Misato felt a little better about that. Asuka just had a
crush. She remembered Kaji being something of a lecher, but at
least he had his limits. He wasn't like some dirty businessman
chasing after schoolgirls.
"So, is your bedside manner still as good as I remember?"
Albeit, his limits were very few indeed.
Rei made a disgusted expression, and Asuka looked indignant.

Misato stammered an angry "What!"
"Yeah, I suppose it is." Misato felt a hand slipping onto her leg for the
third time in so many minutes.
The Major got up in an angry huff. "I'm leaving." Rei fell in beside
her, and the two walked briskly out of the cafeteria.
"I don't like her." Asuka told Kaji as the two females disappeared out
the door.
"Oh. Which lady are you referring to?" Kaji queried.
"Either of them."
Scene Shift
"I don't like her." Rei said, as she and Misato emerged on the flight
deck.
"What, Asuka?" Misato's mind raced. She could certainly understand

where Rei was coming from, but she did not need squabbles
between her pilots. "It's because she was raised foreign, Rei. They
don't realize so many of their mannerisms are arrogant."
"I've been around foreign people, Misato. Asuka's attitude is worse

than some cultural difference."
"Just give her time to adjust, Rei."
Rei looked at Misato mischievously. "I'll be nice to Asuka, if you are

just as pleasant to Kaji."
Misato started to get angry, before she saw the girl's mischievous
look. "You're a sneaky one, kiddo."
Scene Shift
Some time later, Rei was being drug out of her cabin. Asuka was
ahead of her. She seemed animated enough, and Rei wasn't doing
anything, so she followed the redhead willingly.
They made it to a cargo bay. Asuka picked up a tarp to allow Rei a

better look.
"There it is." Asuka said with satisfaction.
"It certainly is… red."

"That's not all that's different. This is the mass production model. It's
the world's first real Eva. That's why it's so special."
Rei was getting mad, but decided not to let it show. "So your Eva is
more special because… it's the generic model?"
Asuka's face darkened. "The fact that Unit-01 was able to synch with
the First Children so highly during the first Angelic sortie is proof of
how unstable the prototype and test type really are."
"Or it could mean that Shinji has more talent than you, or me for that
matter."
"Ha! That would be the day."
A sudden jarring of the ship's deck shook the two girls. They both
had to grab the nearby railing to keep upright.
"What was that?"
Asuka looked excited. "An Angel." She started digging through a

nearby locker, and threw a red suit back to Rei. "Put that on."
Rei looked at the suit, and then back to Asuka. "The proper protocol
is to contact Misato Katsuragi. She will tell us what to do."
Asuka was slipping out of her clothes. "We don't have time, the
Angel is attacking now!"
"And we are sure this is an Angel? It could be a… submarine. Or

who knows what else."
"All the more reason for us to get in the Eva. Now put your plug suit
on."
Rei tossed the suit back to Asuka. "A Section Two Agent is nearby. I
can have him put me in contact with Misato. If she orders me to pilot
Unit-02, I will. However, she is the only person that I have to take
orders from." With that Rei spun on a heel and headed for the hatch.
"WHAT!" Asuka screamed. "Dump koff! I don't need you. You'd only
hold me back." Asuka was now in her plug suit. She pressed a
switch on her arm, and the fabric tightened around her figure. Her
gaze fell to the four-eyed visage of the android she was going to
pilot. "We don't need her. We can do this."
When Rei emerged overhead, one of the security men quickly came
around to protect her. "Put me in contact with Major Katsuragi." Rei
said. The man nodded, and pulled out a walkie-talkie.
He was just handing the device over to Rei, when the flight deck of
the ship was torn open. What had once been level ground suddenly
became a steep incline, and Rei slid down. The man cradled her,
and, as the two approached the railing that led to the side of the
boat, he shifted to be under her. The duo hit the rails with a thud, and
Rei could hear the breath pushed out of the man. He secured an arm
around the rail to keep them braced and held Rei tight with the other.
Rei watched Unit-02 land on a nearby ship, and readjust its weight to
keep the ship from capsizing. With growing anger, she realized that
her mishap was because Asuka had torn out of the hull with Unit-02.
She was so mad at the stubborn German girl that she could have
strangled her. She checked, but couldn't find the walkie-talkie
anywhere. The crew was scrambling in response to the damage
Asuka had caused. She watched the red android jump from ship to
ship, until it finally reached an umbilical cable. It attached the cable
to its back.
Then the Angel came up. It was massive, easily dwarfing the Eva in
size, which was no small feat. It was probably the size of the aircraft
carrier. Unit-02 held onto the Angel, trying to wrestle it. Rei saw a
sudden jolt run through the red android as something gave, and then
both Eva and Angel were in the water.
Scene Shift
Kaji was making his way to the flight deck. He had the metal
briefcase in hand. He looked over to the ocean where Asuka had
disappeared. The umbilical cable was still unwinding.
"Good luck, Asuka." He turned back to head for a nearby Yak-38. He

came face to face with an airman.
"Sorry, sir. Access to the flight deck is off limits."
Kaji pulled a form out of his pocket. "I have special dispensation.
Allow me through."
The airman grabbed the document and studied it. Kaji was
concerned that he might have to fight his way through this situation.
He was forced to reconsider even that possibility, until he saw two
more crewmen coming towards them.
"These aircraft represent a bare minimum of twelve million dollars to

the U.S. government. I cannot allow you to confiscate one, not even
with this level of clearance."
Kaji let an eyebrow rise. "Really? Are you quite certain? It's not as if I
am going to sell it at the market. And these papers are specific on
providing me with assistance in being removed from situations that
could hamper my passage."
The airman nodded. "What I can do is have someone pilot you out.
This would be in keeping with your papers."
"Well then, summon my chauffeur. I have places I need to go."
Scene Shift
Rei was on the bridge of the 'Over the Rainbow.' The command staff
finally seemed resigned to Misato becoming the operations manager.
"Asuka, what's your status?" Misato yelled into a microphone.
"This stupid Eva won't move." Asuka called back in frustration.
"It's because your Eva isn't equipped with B-Type equipment."

"Sheiss. So I'm just supposed to sit here."
"I don't know. We're working on something. Hold on." Misato looked
over to the flight deck, where an aircraft had just emerged from the
floor. "Kaji?"
Kaji waved up to the control tower. He was in the back of a two-

seater harrier. He tapped something on the side of his helmet, and
Misato could hear his voice on the control panel's speakers. "Sorry
to run out in the middle of battle, Misato. But I have somewhere I
really need to be."
Misato's fist gripped until her knuckles turned white. The tension was
enough to make her hand shake. "You're running away?"
Kaji waved, and then the harrier he was in powered up.
Rei watched Kaji's plane rise into the air. She looked to Misato, and
thought about saying something. But the look on her face made Rei
reconsider. Kaji Ryoji had just made a serious mistake.
Instead, Rei looked to watch the umbilical cable un-spool. "It's like a
reel."
Misato turned to look at Rei. "What was that?"
"Like on a fishing pole. A reel."
Misato immediately brightened. "I have an idea."
Scene Shift
In the air, Kaji put on his oxygen mask. He spoke through the
transmitter in the mask to the pilot. "I need for you to head a half of a
kilometer southwest of the Nerv operations center."
"Whatever you say." The pilot responded. Kaji was going to say
something else, but everything suddenly seemed to be slipping
away. He had just enough energy to form one thought before he
passed out. 'I've been discovered.'
Scene Shift
Asuka grimaced as the Angel's teeth bit down harder into Unit-02's
legs. It was a wonder that the massive Angel hadn't chewed through
them yet.
She closed her eyes. She tried to seek out some spark in the robot
around her. She needed a connection to the Eva. It had never been
this hard before. She had synched several times with Unit-02 in
Germany. Even if the Eva couldn't move underwater, it didn't mean
that she couldn't make a connection.
And she needed to figure this out quick. In just a few minutes, two
destroyers were going to come floating down on either side of her. If
the Angel's jaw wasn't open by then, Unit-02 was going to suffer a lot
of damage.
Sweat floated off of her forehead and into the surrounding LCL.
Misato's voice chimed in. "Asuka, you've only got thirty seconds. You
need to do this now."
"I'm trying!" Asuka called back. She strained, searching. And then
she thought she had it. A spark or something floated just past the
periphery of her perceptions. She seized on it triumphantly. She
established a link with the Eva.
It was too little too late.
"Asuka!" Misato called out.
The destroyers crashed into the closed mouth of the Angel. One fired
upon impact, causing teeth to fly into the ocean, and tearing a hole in
the Angel's jaw. The other ricocheted off and fired harmlessly into the
surrounding ocean.
The Angel became more enraged then. It dug its bite deeper into
Unit-02's leg, and slung its head side to side. Asuka screamed.
On the bridge, Misato was scrambling. "Dammit. We're going to have

to reel Unit-02 back in."
"We can't. We'll tip the whole ship unless that Angel turns her loose."
"So, how do we get it to turn her loose?"
"Hell if I know."
There was a scream. "My leg. Mein Gott in Himmel, my leg!"
Unit-02 was suddenly free of the Angel's jaw.
"Get her up, get her up!" Misato shouted.
The winch started winding quickly, and Unit-02 made its ascent to
the surface. Someone from a radar station called out. "The Angel is
coming back for another pass."
"Can we get Unit-02 on deck in time?"
"Negative."
Misato frowned, and then activated the mike. "The Angel is coming
back, Asuka. Be prepared to eject your entry plug."
"No!" Asuka called back. Unit-02's head was looking down, having
responded to the drag the water was causing as it made its speedy
return to the surface. From her cockpit, she could see purple and red
ribbons in the water, trailing behind her like streamers. The vacant
stump that was all that remained of the left leg continued to pour fluid
out.
"It wasn't a request, Asuka."

The Angel came, crimson ribbons flowing from the side of its own
mouth and into the murky depths. A gaping hole, where the destroyer
had gotten off a shot, propelled the Angel from looking alien and right
into the realms of the horrific.
It rammed Unit-02, and followed up with a bite that encompassed the

right arm and part of the torso. Asuka still had a synch connection
with her Eva, and felt the teeth sink into her own flesh. She
screamed again.
'Mein Gott, I don't want to die!' She thought in her mind.
"Asuka, eject."
Misato's voice couldn't reach Asuka. Instead, the mantra flowed

through her mind. 'I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want
to die. I don't want to die.'
And then, from somewhere, she felt a soothing touch. It was like
balm to her troubled mind.
And the four eyes of Unit-02 flared to life.
The shoulder casing came open. She had been fortunate that the
Angel had locked down on the holster that was empty. As it was,
Unit-02 was equipped with a progressive knife housing in both
launch brackets, and she still had one left.
Her left hand grabbed the knife, and drove it deep into the Angel's
jaw. It brought the knife back, and dug a gaping wound into the
Angel. The Angel released its grip on the Eva. As the pressure eased
off its hand, the Eva grabbed the inside of the Angel's mouth, and
yanked itself inside the maw. The left hand swiped forward, and
struck the core at the back of the Angel's throat.
The Angel convulsed, trying to spit the Eva out. Suddenly, orange
concentric lines formed from the middle of the Angel's head. Its
tissue was separated cleanly from the rest of its body. The lower jaw
fell away under Asuka, and she had to shove the ceiling of the mouth
off as it fell onto Unit-02. The Eva dove forward again, and made
another swipe at the core. This time the prog knife bit deep, and the
Angel ceased to move. She tilted the knife handle, and was
rewarded with a satisfying crack from the jewel-like organ.
"The Angel… is dead." Asuka said, her body struggling to get

enough oxygen from the LCL. The combination of pain and battle
had left her short of breath. "Bring… me up."
Scene Shift
Kozo was in his office, digging through various stacks of paperwork.

Naoko announced her arrival with a knock. He beckoned her in.
"How is the salvage operation going?"
Naoko frowned. "It appears that we are going to be able to recover

the leg. There has been a loss of tissue as aquatic life has done
some damage during the interim. It'll take about two weeks to get
Unit-02 back to operational status."
Kozo looked at the way Naoko fidgeted. "There's something else."
"The Magi have just picked up a transmission. It was encrypted, and

sent over a secure server to North America."
"And?"
"It's about Ryoji Kaji. The Americans have arrested him for
transporting a biological agent that could be used as a weapon of
mass destruction. He is being held as a terrorist. Such a charge
gives them a lot more leeway in how they can handle him."
Kozo dropped the papers in his hand. His face was pale.
'They have Adam,' he thought in dismay.

Disclaimer - I don't own Eva
Author's notes - No explosions, rock 'em sock 'em robots, or the

such. This chapter isn't exciting like that.
Cyber Undead is worthy of all proof reading praise that can be

heaped upon his head. He did a good job, and I think his checks
have actually made me better
Chapter 10
Rei walked down the pedestrian ramp from the aircraft carrier to
solid land. Shinji and Yui were waiting for her, down on the ground.
She smiled and waved to the two. As soon as she had made her way
close to them, she ran over to give both a hug.
"I've missed you guys."
"I'm just glad you're safe dear." Yui said, and looked up to the
walkway. "Give me a minute, kids. I've got to talk to Misato."
As soon as Yui was out of earshot, Shinji looked at Rei seriously.

"Never leave again."
"Why, what did I miss?"
Shinji shivered, and found something interesting on his shoes. "Mom

gave me… the talk."
Rei stared at him blankly for a second. Then she erupted in laughter.
"Aunt Yui tried to talk to you about…" Rei lapsed into giggles, unable
to finish the sentence.
"Glad you're enjoying yourself." Shinji commented dryly.

"Sorry, it's just…" Rei interrupted her explanation with a fresh peal of
laughter. She fought to stifle her humor, and was eventually able to
contain her mirth to a wide grin.
"It's the creepiest thing I've ever been a part of. I'm fourteen! She
should have guessed that I know something by now."
Rei pinched Shinji's cheek. "Not momma's pretty little boy. He

doesn't have such thoughts."
"I really regret telling you anything."
"I'm going to have to change the subject. I'll just keep laughing about
this if I don't, and it's making you mad." Shinji nodded, and Rei
became slightly more serious. "Shinji, I think I'm in love."
"What? With who?"
"One of the Section Two men. He protected me during the battle. He

was so strong and gallant, Shinji. He cracked a rib shielding me
during a fall. And he's handsome. His name is Tukagi Ikita. I… I
shouldn't be telling you this."
"You're right." Shinji let the statement hang for a moment. Rei gave
him her best puppy dog eyes, and Shinji relented. "Go ahead."
"I gave him a kiss. Before I disembarked, I went by the ship's

sickbay, where he is being kept. And I kissed him on the cheek. It
was so sweet. He blushed, and I think his friend, who was there with
him, teased him when I left the room."
"What! Rei, they're security, they're supposed to protect us. Do you

know how many different ways this is a bad idea? Section Two guys
are old. Like, twice our age, if not more." Shinji paused, looking at
Rei. "It doesn't really matter what I tell you about this, does it?"
Rei shook her head and beamed.

Shinji sighed, and looked around. "Fine, I just hate to see you learn
the hard way." Seeing that nothing was sinking in, he decided to try
another subject. "What about the new pilot?"
That managed to bring a dark emotion into Rei's bliss. "She's rude
and arrogant. She almost got me killed. She had Unit-02 jump
through the top of the ship where I was standing. It tore away and
almost threw me into the ocean. When she comes around, I'm going
to let her have a piece of my mind."
"So, where is she?"
"I went ahead of Misato and her. They both wanted to oversee Unit-
02's transfer." Rei looked to the off-loading ramp, and immediately
her attitude became chilly. "Speak of the devil."
Shinji looked, and spotted his mother and Misato quickly. In front of
Misato, a girl with red hair walked along proudly. The red clips in her
hair were an obvious indication that she was a pilot.
Shinji's mouth opened a little. "She's beautiful." Given Rei's

description, he had been expecting a monster of a female. But this
girl was attractive. Make that 'very' attractive.
"OW!" Shinji grabbed his leg, and looked to his cousin accusingly.
She had felt it necessary to bring him back around with a swift kick.
"That's just gross, Shinji. The girl is evil, pure and simple. And during
combat, she's likely to get one or both of us killed. I never thought
you were the typical male, but here you are, drooling over her."
"Well, you didn't mention she was a babe. Ow!"
Shinji and Rei became less casual as Yui, Misato, and Asuka came
off the ramp to meet them. Shinji offered a big smile as Asuka
approached.
"Welcome to Japan."
Asuka looked down at the boy, and then to Misato. "Is this the First
Child?"
Misato nodded. "Asuka Langley Sohryu, meet Shinji Ikari. Asuka is

the Third Children, Shinji."
"It's a pleasure to meet my new colleague."
Asuka looked over to Rei, but dismissed her instantly. The German
girl was turning to say something to Yui when Rei spoke up. "You
almost killed me, and a lot of crewmen as well."
"What?"
"During the battle, Pilot Sohryu. You jumped straight through a ship's
deck. It was a surface that several crewmen and I were standing on.
You almost killed us."
Yui looked to Misato, who shrugged and nodded. Misato spoke up.
"If Asuka had stayed where she was, the Angel would have done
worse to the ship. We cut it close as it was. She should have given
some notice though."
"I don't have to justify myself to her." Asuka looked at Rei darkly.
Yui looked down at the German girl. "All of this can be sorted in
debriefing. For now, let's see to it that you are settled in to your new
living quarters."
Misato put a hand on Asuka's shoulder. "It's going to be so nice to

have a roommate. This'll be like university all over again."
Scene Shift
Kaji's head was knocked back again, and stars filled his vision from
the impact. He thought he might be used to such a thing by now, but
every time it happened was a new exercise in pain. He felt the rough
fabric of the blindfold becoming a little wet against his face.
"Do you think I like doing this, Mister Ryoji. I don't want to, but until I
get some information out of you, this will continue. I can't go back to
my superiors otherwise."
Kaji chuckled. "I've never had one person play both good cop and
bad cop before. It works better with two you know."
"What is the nature of the embryonic entity that was found in the
case?"
"Just your average little baby boy."
"Mr. Ryoji, we both know that is untrue. As it stands, your lack of

cooperation is forcing us to resuscitate it from its cryo-sleep."
"I wouldn't advise that. The consequences of such an action may be

more than you know."
"If anything bad happens, it'll be on your head, Mr. Ryoji. If you will
talk, we can avoid such actions."
Kaji's mouth clamped shut into a firm line. The interrogator smiled.
He almost had him.
"I'm going to check and see when the revival of the embryo is
scheduled. Think about what you do and do not need to say."
Scene Shift
Nine black monoliths hovered in a circular formation. They formed a

ring that allowed each one to be facing the rest. The circle was
broken by the absence of four monoliths. Had they been here, the
designation they would have broadcast would be Seele 01, Seele
05, Seele 07 and Seele 11.
Seele 04 was the first to speak. "Strange tidings are coming from the
Americans. They report capturing an entity that resembles in
fundamental ways the giant of light. This is interesting indeed, since
Adam is supposed to be buried within Nerv Headquarters."
"Such a turn of events means one of three things: The Americans
are wrong, they have a copy, probably Angelic in nature, or they
have Adam."
"I have seen the wave spectral analysis taken from a scan of the
embryo. It is identical to those that the Katsuragi expedition recorded
of Adam."
"It is impossible for it to be an Angel. They only manifest when we

break a Seal."
"And who breaks those Seals? Regardless of whether it is an Angel

or Adam, there is only one man who could have betrayed this group.
Ironically, it is the man that would lead us."
"I protest these accusations. You jump to conclusions. He should be

allowed to defend himself."
"And he will be allowed. However, he is persuasive. He will not be

permitted to color these deliberations until we are ready for him."
"This is a witch hunt."
"These talks are to prevent a disaster. As it is now, the Angels have

two locations they can manifest in. Our resources were spread thin
just to support Tokyo-3. To support that city and a Nevada site is
unthinkable. The world's present assets are unable to meet the
challenge."
"Where are Seele 05, 07, and 11?"
"The German was discovered to have been in contact with Ryoji

Kaji. He is being questioned. Seele 07 is scrambling with his Nerv
resources to contain the situation. Seele 11 has chosen to disregard
our summons to this meeting."
"Such disregard is suspicious."

"Agreed. Especially since it is his country that is the subject of our
talks. What does the other American think?"
"I cannot speak for my compatriot. The present situation might have
him detained, or he may be avoiding us. It is difficult to say without
further data."
Suddenly, another monolith joined the proceeding. It was designated

Seele 01.
"Is this a meeting? A paranoid person might think others were

plotting behind his back." The audio from the newly arrived monolith
proclaimed.
Seele 03 spoke up. "Do the Americans have Adam?"
"Yes."
There was a collective gasp around the circle.
"To date, we have had a copy inhabiting Nerv. This was felt to be a
safer route, in case someone tried to secure Adam through
militaristic means. Adam was kept near to the locale of Evangelion
Unit 02 as a precaution. The German's had better security, not to
mention a strong militaristic presence in the area. It was determined
that among foreign powers, they represented the least threat of
government seizure. After the Angel attacks began, it was decided
that Adam would be safer under the trio of Evas that would be in
Tokyo-3. The shipment of Unit-02 was the first safe opportunity to
move him."
"Obviously you were mistaken."
"Obviously."
"You lied to this group."
"Indeed. Such sensitive information could not be trusted with certain

members. The absence of one of our members is a testimony to
that."
"We do not know if he is guilty."
"His absence suggests his culpability."
"What must be done now? We need to collect all the pieces in one
place. Either it will be Tokyo-3 or Nevada."
"Both sites have merit. The Americans have almost completed their
Evas."
Seele 01 spoke. "The location of Tokyo-3 is special. It is likely that

the Red Earth ceremony will only work at that location."
"It is for the completion of that ceremony that this group was created.
We must not allow the ritual to come into jeopardy."
"Then we must seize Adam from the Americans."
"It must be done covertly. A war with the Americans will divert too
may resources."
"A covert operation is unlikely to succeed. They have Adam in a

secure military complex."
"We need a diversion."
"Perhaps an Angelic attack could convince the Americans that they

should release Adam to those who can best protect him."
"No." Seele 01's tone of voice carried an authority to the

proclamation. "After the attack on the Pacific Fleet, if another Angel
attack were to occur outside of Tokyo-3, the world would be in an
uproar. So long as the attacks are confined to Tokyo-3 we have
latitude with our budgeting. If we were to try and ensure a response
to every country that wanted protection after an Angelic attack in
America, we would go broke. Countries would pull out of the U.N.
and stop funding internationally to instead finance their own
programs. I will determine a suitable strategy for a covert operation."
With that, Seele 01 was gone. There was muttering after he left, but
the monoliths began disappearing, one by one. The space that had
been filled with the floating black rectangles was empty for a
moment. Then, two reappeared. One proclaimed it was Seele 01,
and the other was Seele 08.
"We must neutralize Joshua Christian. It had to be he who

interrupted Kaji Ryoji's delivery."
"You're sure?"
"Yes. Can you manipulate security to make it so that an extraction of

Adam and Kaji Ryoji is possible?"
A whistle came over the audio of Seele 08. "That's a tall order. I don't
know if I can do that 'and' keep from exposing myself. Especially
since he's been taken as a terrorist."
"That's another thing. We should fabricate ties between Kaji and a

terrorist organization. U.S. intelligence is good. We do not need them
snooping after committee members."
"I'll do what I can. By all accounts, this is still a free society. It is

going to make it difficult to manipulate evidence and extract your
man and Adam."
"Retrieving Adam is the highest priority. Everything besides that is

secondary. We have to get the Giant of Light before the U.S. alters it.
In examining the specimen, they may awaken it to its true potential.
And this could cause another Impact."
"I'll do what I can."
Both rectangles faded away.
Scene Shift
Asuka looked around her new living quarters. Her jaw dropped.
"You live here?" she asked Misato, as the woman made her way
through with a handful of boxes.
"Nice huh?" Misato said, without a hint of irony in her voice.
Asuka stared at the woman in disbelief. She followed the woman into
her new home.
"I just hope my room is cleaner. What's with the two refrigerators?"
Scene Shift
Naoko, Kozo, and Yui were sitting in Kozo's office. All had looks that
were severe.
"What can we do about this?" Kozo was asking.
"I don't know. The U.S. hosts exceptional security. I'm not sure of
how we can extract Adam." Naoko said worriedly.
"Perhaps they are keeping it with one of the Nerv branches." Yui
supplied.
Kozo shook his head. "Intelligence indicates it is being kept at a

separate location. The latest accounts indicate that Adam was being
moved to a site in Nevada. It will be within the same state."
"That's still vague."
Kozo nodded. "We may have to bring in outside help. They will be
cautious of anyone in the area with Japanese features. We may
have to either secure a member of the U.S. citizenry, or possibly the
Germans."
Yui shook her head. "This is bad. We need to keep as many people
out of the loop as possible."
After a brief pause, Naoko spoke up. "We have another problem,
though it pales in comparison to this. Misato has been trying to
access geological data for the Geofront. The sixth angel attack
targeted something underneath Nerv. She suspects there are
tectonic instabilities. When she couldn't access the files, she became
suspicious and approached me."
Kozo nodded. "How difficult would it be to create a dummy file?"
Naoko frowned. "Not as easy as you might think, but it's do-able."
"Fine, we'll do it. Keep Katsuragi in the dark for now. But with the
abduction of Kaji Ryoji, we may have neutralized our security risk, as
far as the Major goes." Kozo leaned back in his chair. "And Naoko,
thank you."
Naoko knew when she was being dismissed, regardless of how nice
the request was made. She rose, and walked out the door.
Kozo turned to Yui. "We may have to request higher resources."
"You mean Seele?"
"I mean Seele. With the fate of Adam uncertain, we should secure all
possible funding, and save it for the upcoming battles."
Yui sighed. "They are going to want to keep a closer eye on things
now that something went wrong. It's going to be more difficult for us."
"It wouldn't be worth doing if it was easy." Yui rolled her eyes at
Kozo's remarks, and he smiled. He thought briefly of going over to
the woman. He rose from his seat, and paused. Instead, he began to
walk to the door, and heard Yui's footsteps behind him. "We've got a
lot of work to do." Kozo said. Yui only nodded in reply.
"Good luck."
Scene Shift
Maya was walking around the cage for Unit-02. She was scribbling
away busily on a clipboard.
A pair of footsteps caught her attention. She looked up to see

Makoto Hyuga and Aoba Shigeru looking at Unit-02.
"You're not supposed to be here, guys." Maya said. She tried to

inflict a note of menace and authority into her voice, though,
considering the looks on the faces of her two coworkers, she failed
miserably.
"Come on, Maya. Everyone and their brother have been by to take a
look at the new Eva. We didn't want to wait until an Angel attack to
see it."
Maya sighed. "There it is. Now, you really should leave."
"I wonder why they decided to give it four eyes." Aoba wondered
aloud.
"It increases visual acuity, not only in the horizontal plane, but also
the vertical. This Eva can target objects moving any direction with
incredible accuracy. The German engineers really know their stuff."
Maya seemed delighted to talk about the new android.
Makoto looked incredulous. "Wouldn't it cause bad feedback with the

pilot? A four-eyed configuration isn't exactly normal for most people."
"Yourself excluded." Aoba said, indicating Makoto's glasses.
Maya ignored the remark. "Asuka is actually used to it. She's

something of a genius really. She's able to convert the sensory input
with such ease that it is almost natural for her. She's really very
good."
Aoba let his eyebrows rise slightly. "You sound like a fan."
"Her activation synch ratio was over fifty-two percent. And there were
weird fluctuations during the end of battle that almost have to be
erroneous. At several points, she was recorded as having a near
optimal synch ratio."
Makoto whistled. "As in one hundred percent optimal?"
Maya nodded. She seemed to catch herself, and then looked to the
floor awkwardly. "I'm not really supposed to be talking about this.
Can you guys not tell anyone about this conversation?"
Aoba and Makoto both nodded. She wasn't reassured. "Really, don't
mention this to anyone else. Not even each other. I mean it."
"We will not betray your trust, Maya." Aoba looked as serious as she
could ever remember seeing him. Makoto agreed to the same.
"Thanks. I've got to take this inspection chart back to Dr. Akagi. You
guys should leave the cage as well."
The two men followed her advice. When they were off by
themselves, Makoto looked at Shigeru. "Why didn't you ask her?"
Aoba shook his head. "That was your plan, not mine. I think going
out with coworkers is a bad idea. I don't like a soap opera at the
workplace."
"But you are playing your guitar tonight. Women love a guy who
plays music." Makoto's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Unless you're
just scared."
"Big talk coming from you." Aoba's tone shifted into one of mockery.
"Oh Captain, my Captain, how I burn for you! If only you weren't my
superior."
"Shut up. And she's a Major now." Aoba laughed, and Makoto looked
away embarrassed.
Scene Shift
In class, Shinji and Rei watched as the new student came in and
introduced herself. Rei, as well as many of the other girls, peered at
the newcomer with looks of disapproval. Such looks were balanced
out by the males of the class, who were quite enthusiastic with their
new peer.
Kensuke had slid a chair up to Shinji's desk. "Is she the new Eva
pilot?"
"I'm not supposed to talk about that stuff. I got in a lot of trouble last
time."
Kensuke nodded. "She is. You are so lucky. You get to work with Rei
and that girl."
"Rei's my cousin, Kensuke. Be careful of what you say."
Kensuke backpedaled a little. "That's not what I meant."
The class went on, with the new student being the focus of
conversations carried out below the teacher's radar. At lunch, Shinji
and Rei went to their usual spot to eat. It was a table under a tree.
The shade made the spot nice, and Yui had packed them both some
wonderful Bento boxes.
A shadow originating from behind them let them know that someone
was with them. Asuka stood with her hands on her hips. She looked
at the pair. Shinji couldn't help but notice that a lot of his classmates
were watching her with interest.
"Shinji and Rei Ikari. I think we should be friends."
Shinji liked the idea of that. Rei was less enthusiastic. "I don't think
so."
"Why not?' Asuka seemed slightly amazed she had been given a
negative reply. She didn't seem like the type who was used to such a
response.
"Because you almost killed me. Friends don't do that. And I haven't
heard anything that resembles an apology."
"I'm not sorry for what I did. If you had got into the plug you wouldn't
have been in any danger. You were just being stubborn. It's really
your fault."
Rei stood, and Shinji jumped up quickly as well. Rei knew Shinji was
going to stop her and Asuka from fighting. She gathered up what
food was left on the table, and looked to Shinji. "Come on. I don't
think I can be around her for much longer."
Shinji nodded, and helped Rei carry some stuff. He didn't want to
snub Asuka, and looked to her apologetically. But given the option
between this or a fistfight between the two girls, he would have to go
with this.
Asuka looked at Shinji with disdain. "Go on then. I see how things
are. I don't need either of you anyway."
Shinji tossed back an apology, and followed Rei to another place to

eat.
Scene Shift
Ritsuko and Misato were walking towards a restaurant. Misato lifted

her face. The warm afternoon sun felt good. Truth to tell, she was
glad to be away from her apartment. Misato had wanted someone
with her to fill the empty residence, and she did enjoy having a new
roommate. But after so long on her own, she found that the presence
of another person in her home was grating on her nerves.
Ritsuko pointed at a place, and it looked good to Misato. When the

two were seated, Misato looked at Ritsuko. "Sorry about the
conference."
Ritsuko smiled. "I doubt that, though I appreciate the sentiment. So,
have you heard from Kaji?"
Misato made an unappreciative face. "He was a letch. He behaved
like a total pig when I talked to him, and ran away like a little girl at
the first sign of trouble."
"I assume you mean with the fleet."
Misato stopped, realizing she was getting dangerously close to

revealing information outside of what the security detail had said was
reasonably allowed. She just shook her head.
Ritsuko rolled her eyes. "Fine, I get it." The two friends went through
the rest of lunch with some small talk. Ritsuko left after getting a call
on her cell phone. Judging by her urgency, Misato knew it had been
important.
Misato went to the bathroom to check herself before leaving. As she

rifled through her purse for makeup, she noticed a folded piece of
paper. Quickly, she opened it.
Misato
The Americans have Kaji. They are holding him as a terrorist. He's
being detained in Nevada, at a secure location. I thought you should
know, because it doesn't seem anyone at Nerv is telling you.
Your friend
Misato went back to a stall. She ripped the note, and let the pieces
fall into the toilet. Then she flushed them. She walked back to the
mirror. She stared at herself for a long moment, and then beat her
hand against the counter.
"Why Kaji? Dammit, why?"
She knew two things. Despite it all, he still held a special place in her
heart. It might not be love, but it was something.
And no matter what it took, she would rescue him.

Disclaimer: Neon Genesis Evangelion is the work of other folks. I'm
just writing a fanfic.
Pre-reader credit, as always, goes to Cyber Undead . I might have

mentioned that he is invaluable in the creation of this story, but I
probably still don't mention it enough.
Chapter 11
Asuka looked up from her position in the floor, where she had been
watching some inane television program. "I'm so bored."
Misato gazed down from her spot at the table, where she was
reading something in a folder. Several such files where spread
across the table. "Sorry Asuka, but I've got to get through this.
Otherwise, we might do something."
Asuka sighed. "I hate the Nerv branch here. I feel like there's the
whole Ikari family, who everyone bows down to, and then there's
me."
'Because that's exactly how it is.' Misato reflected, her thoughts

going to Yui in particular. Of course, voicing that would do no good.
"You and Rei didn't get off on the right foot. That's why it seems that
way."
Asuka rolled over to get a better look at Misato. "I knew it would be
like that. I remember seeing the name Ikari coming up when I looked
up the files on this base. I mean, the mother is sub-commander and
her two kids are the pilots. That's just asking for trouble."
'Preach on.' Misato wisely kept her thoughts to herself, instead

letting Asuka vent.
"And don't get me started on the first child." The statement was
immediately rendered ironic, as Asuka saw fit to start herself. "He's
so whipped. I swear that he and the Second Child are closer than
cousins should be."
"They're not incestuous, Asuka. There's nothing wrong with being

close to family." Misato and Asuka were quiet, as that statement
gave both something to ponder.
"Misato, what do you know about the Evas?"
Misato looked puzzled. "I probably know what you know. Why?"
Asuka took a breath. "When I was fighting the Angel, I felt… I don't
know." Misato waited patiently while the girl searched for words. "It
was like someone else was there. Someone I knew."
"In the plug?"
"Sort of."
"Do you think it was your Eva?" Misato suppressed the urge to slap
herself in the head for that question. When you were trying to get
information from someone, the most important thing was not to lead
him or her. She didn't need to be concerned with that problem, as it
turned out.
"No. The Evas are just dolls that we make dance with our minds. It
doesn't do anything if I don't tell it to."
"I don't know then, Asuka. Can you think of anything?"
"I'm trying, but no."
Now she could suggest options. "Was it because I was on the comm.
with you?"
"Maybe." Asuka sighed. "Maybe not."

"It's just a mystery we'll have to figure out together."
"Speaking of which: I can't get hold of Kaji." Asuka pouted. "It's like
he's ignoring me. When I tried his cell phone, the service was
disconnected."
"You probably won't hear from Kaji…" Misato was going to say 'for a
while,' but was that true? Would Kaji ever reenter their lives?
"What do you know, Misato?"
"Kaji had to leave. He may not be coming back."
"What? No!" Asuka stood up now. "I don't believe it."
Misato didn't want this. "The dishes are piling up, Asuka."
Asuka tapped her foot impatiently. "That is such an obvious change

of conversation that it's insulting."
"It doesn't change the facts. It's your day to do dishes, and we have
several. So if you don't have anything to do…"
Misato was interrupted by a phone call. Asuka dashed over to

answer it. When she picked up the receiver and heard the voice of
the caller, her tone immediately became jovial. "Hey Hikari… I would
love to, let me check." Asuka placed her hand over the phone.
"Hikari wants to show me around the city. Can the dishes wait?"
Scene Shift
The girl with azure hair sat in a comfortable chair. Her feet were
folded under her. She had on a loose sweatshirt and a baggy pair of
pants. By the glow from a nearby table lamp, she was reading a
hardback book. Shinji walked up behind the girl, and looked over her
shoulder. "What's that?"
Rei looked up, a little startled to not be alone anymore. "A book."
Shinji came around, and took another seat in the living room.
"What's it about?"
Rei sighed. "Why is it that people always want to talk when a person
is in the middle of reading?"
"I don't know. Why do you think it's called Solitaire for that matter?
Every time I play that card game, there is at least one person who
tells me what to do next."
"You're being dense on purpose."
"Of course. It makes me feel smarter when I know it's not always
accidental." Shinji nodded to the book. "I can leave you alone. It's
just that the house is so quiet with mom gone again."
Rei nodded. Shortly after Asuka had arrived, Yui had left on another
work-related trip. She knew it was something they should probably
come to expect until the war with the Angels was over. "Okay. The
book is about twins."
Shinji raised an eyebrow. "What about them?"
"Well, there was this pair of twins. They're called the Jim twins. Both
were separated at birth, and reunited four decades later. All these
weird similarities kept coming up in the lives they had lived. Like,
they both were married to women named Linda, and then to women
named Betty. Both had a dog named Toy, and a son named James
Alan. Both were in law enforcement, and went to vacations at the
same spot."
Shinji wiggled his fingers. "Creepy."
"It is. It makes you wonder how distinctive we really are."
"Why do you say that? Neither one of us are twins."
Rei looked down. "Sometimes I wonder. I have weird dreams on

occasion, you know."
Shinji nodded. "You've told me about the evil 'Rei's. They float
around and laugh. They don't have goatees, so you don't know
they're evil right away."
"It's not funny."
"You should talk to one of those dream people about it." Seeing Rei's
quizzical look, Shinji went on. "Dream interpreters, that's what they're
called. They tell you what things in your dreams are supposed to
symbolize. Going to school in your underwear is supposed to be a
sign of anxiety, for instance."
Rei stared at him suspiciously. "Why was that the first example to
come to your mind, Shinji?"
"You've never had that dream? Where you look down, and you forgot
to put on your clothes, and it's the middle of school."
Rei shook her head. "I can't decide if you have anxiety, or if you're a
pervert."
"Everybody has that dream."
"I don't think they do."
Shinji got up, and walked to the kitchen. "I'm going to make some
soup. Do you want any?"
"Sure. Just make sure you keep your clothes on while you cook."
Any other response was interrupted, as both of their cell phones

began ringing.
Scene Shift
Overhead, the sound of aircraft could be heard. Three black flying-

wings were soaring along in the sky. The only dissimilarity was the
splotches of color in the middle of each, indicating a different Eva
that was being hauled.
Inside the cockpit of each android, Misato's image came up.
"Repairs have not yet been completed on Tokyo-3. Our response
capability is just twenty-six percent. So we are going to intercept this
Angel at the water's edge to avoid a battle in the weakened city."
Asuka's face appeared on all the links. "Just leave this to me."
Misato corrected the girl quickly. "Units-00 and 02 will attack the
target in waves. Unit-01 will be set up nearby with a high-powered
rifle to provide sniping support. We don't know what to expect yet
from this Angel, so it's better if we send in one Eva at a time to test
the capabilities of this opponent."
"This isn't sporting." Asuka complained bitterly. "I would rather be

allowed to attack the target on my own."
"Yeah, you did so well with the last Angel." Rei interjected.
"What was that?" Asuka responded with menace.
"It's just S.O.P. You could probably take the Angel on your own, but
we have to ensure the highest chance of completing the mission
objective." Shinji tried to calm the girls.
"Just stay out of my way," Asuka told the holo-images of the two
pilots. Shinji cringed a little, and disappeared. Rei stared levelly back
at the girl.
"When you fall, try to do it away from the battlefield. I don't want the
Angel using Unit-02 as cover."
"Fat chance, Second Child. Watch, and learn how you're supposed
to fight."
In the Mobile Command, Misato listened with one ear to the

bickering of her pilots. Most of her attention was focused on the
unfolding operation. The Evas dropped from their aircraft, and
landed with an earth-jarring crash on the ground below. Mobile
umbilical stations rolled up to the Evangelions, allowing each unit
relief from draining its batteries.
Unit-01 scrambled up a nearby hill and leveled the sights of the rifle
on the ocean. The U.N. VTOLs were marking the progress of the
Angel, so it was easy to determine where the Angel would exit the
water. On the beach, Units 00 and 02 stood ready. Unit-02 had what
appeared to be a spear. Unit-00 was armed with an automatic
handgun, and a progressive knife in its off-hand.
The Angel emerged, salt water spilling off the contours of its body in
colossal torrents. Asuka was the first to move. Unit-02 jumped first to
one building, and then to another structure that almost flanked the
Angel. Then, the red Eva made a leap that brought it behind the
Angel at a high arc. Asuka used the momentum of the jump to add to
the swing of her spear, and sliced the Angel in half.
"There, that is how you kill an Angel. It should be done cleanly, and
with a minimum of waste."
Suddenly, something shifted on the Angel's body. The two separate

halves of the Angel morphed, and both became distinctive entities.
One entity was staring at Unit-02, while the other faced Unit-00.
The one facing Unit-00 was suddenly rocked by high velocity

impacts. Sparks flew from the core of the Angel, and it went
stumbling back to its counterpart, which moved ahead to keep the
two Angels from colliding.
"Don't cut off any more body parts. Try and destroy the Angel with
piercing attacks and impact damage." Misato called out hurriedly
over the pilots' communication systems.
Rei added to Shinji's assault with shots from the pistol. She
unloaded the ammunition quickly into the Angel. The Angel looked
up at her, and released a volley of energy attacks. Rei tried to dodge,
but the spray pattern of the attacks made it difficult for her to avoid
all the bolts flying at her. One caught the side of Unit-00, while a few
connected with the right leg.
Asuka was moving to attack her half of the Angelic duo. She ran
forward with the spear down from her first strike. As she closed in,
she brought the spear up, ready to thrust it into the Angel's core. At
the last moment, a gust of displaced air spiraled and flew away from
the Angel near the water. Asuka had expected possible evasive
maneuvers from the Angel, but hadn't expected her environment to
be augmented. The Angel hovered slightly, and the current of air hit
the Eva's legs while she didn't have a solid center of gravity. Sensing
that Unit-02 was about to topple forward, she jumped to the side. As
she landed, she dug the blunt end of the spear to the ground to
prevent sliding, as well as help regain her center of gravity.
Misato was scrambling for ideas. This was their first encounter with
multiple opponents. She had expected it to happen sooner or later,
but had still been caught off guard, because the Angel had begun the
battle as one entity. She had strategies planned for such an
encounter, but they were no good with the present deployment of the
Evas.
Misato opened the link to all the plugs. "Shinji, close in with the
Angels. Unload fire when possible along the way, but be prepared to
assault with progressive knife when you close to striking distance of
one of the Angels. I want you go in with the first available target and
double team one of the targets. If necessary, we'll draw in the other
Eva, and have all three units assault one. These creatures will be
easier to take down if we can pick them off one at a time."
She had expected a protest from Asuka, but the German held her
tongue. Misato didn't know if that was good or not, and didn't have
time to worry about it.
Rei turned back to her Angel. The pain feedback hurt, but it was also
firming her resolve to strike. She dropped the handgun. 'Projectiles
never work against these monsters anyway' she thought resignedly.
She shifted her progressive knife to her more adept hand, and ran
towards the Angel.
At the last moment, the Angelic duo rolled out of the way. It was
almost comical, as the two entities turned cartwheels in perfect
synchronicity. Rei tried to avert her path when she saw Unit-02
bearing down on her, having apparently decided on performing a
charge at the same time from the other side. The spear that had
been thrusting towards the Angel had instead become aimed at the
center of Unit-00's chest. Rei ducked, and tried to evade. Her dodge
was unable to take her out of harm's way, and the spear went
through the shoulder of Unit-00. Rei screamed as the arm fell off of
Unit-00, and into the water below. Unit-02 went rushing past. The
strike had been miscalculated because of the Angel's evasion, and
Asuka found herself scrambling to stop her Eva's momentum.
"Cut the synchronization rate of Unit-00." Misato was disgusted to

see Shinji arrive at the edge of the beach. 'Why couldn't the girls wait
half a minute?' she mused forlornly.
Unit-02 was scrambling back to a combat stance. The Angels weren't

about to let her get a chance to recover. Both of the creatures floated
over to Asuka's position. Shots bounced off the hide of her attackers
as Shinji let loose with another burst of fire.
As the closest Angel was about to land, Asuka twisted Unit-02 and
threw her weapon at it. The spear lodged into the Angel's chest, and
the point made its way out the other side. There was a screech from
the Angel. The red Eva leaped back, getting some distance to
prepare for another strike. The shoulder holster of Unit-02 snapped
open, and the prog knife's handle fell out. Unit-02 reached up and
seized it, while crouching in a smooth, fluid motion.
Remembering her earlier misfortunes with keeping her balance, she

decided to go with her first attack, which had seemed to be most
effective. She launched Unit-02 into the air, and brought the blade of
her knife down as she descended. Both of the entities turned up to
her, and rose to meet Unit-02 in the middle of its downward
progression. She planted her knife into the head of one, but there
didn't seem to be any visible effect. She found herself being flipped,
and dropping with increased speed. There was a moment of pain as
she felt something colliding first with Unit-02's head, and then the
rest of the body. And then all was dark. Asuka attempted to move,
but felt herself confined. The only part of her Eva's body that seemed
free of the constraints where the legs.
Shinji watched as the Angels grabbed Unit-02 in the air. They

proceeded to turn it over, and then descend rapidly to the ground.
Such a fall was quicker than what could be attributed to gravity. The
action was enough to bury the Eva somewhere underwater. Its lower
limbs were all that could be seen.
Shinji had wanted to scramble and reattach Unit-01 to an umbilical

cable. He only had a minute and a half of battery power left after
arriving on the beach. He searched, and couldn't find any spares. He
spotted the inert form of Unit-00, and made his way over. The Angels
hadn't failed to notice Unit-01's arrival, and began closing with him.
Shinji tried to lay down fire to keep the creatures at bay. He was glad
to see that his shots were finally having some effect against the
Angels. He saw bits of hide flying off, and was able to make out pink
tissue from the exposed body beneath. He grimaced as he pulled the
trigger, and suddenly realized he was out of ammo.
Unit-01 jumped the distance to where Unit-00 was turned over, and
grasped the umbilical connection. To his disappointment, he found
the umbilical connection locked firmly in place. The sockets were
made to withstand the jarring and jerking that came from combat,
and he didn't know if he could pull the connector out without causing
damage to Unit-00 or the cable. Looking to the approaching Angels,
he realized he was putting Rei in unnecessary danger. He backed
away to ensure the battle happened somewhere else.
Misato was berating the techs to release the umbilical connection on

Unit-00. There was a malfunction of some sort, and the team couldn't
get a remote disconnect. Misato activated the link to Unit-01. "A
mobile umbilical station is approaching the beach Shinji, five o'clock
of your current position. Run for it!"
Shinji looked to his display, which was now down to thirty-eight

seconds, and took the Major's advice to heart. Unit-01 sprinted for
the position, and Shinji was quick in making out an umbilical
connection in the distance.
He felt a sting as several energy bolts caught Unit-01 in the back. He

dodged as he ran, and the shots went past him. He realized his error
too late. The Angels had put themselves in a line of fire with Unit-01
and the umbilical connection. Shinji could either take the barrage, or
have the power connection destroyed. Having reacted on instinct, he
had allowed several of the attacks to slip past, and they had scored
hits on his goal. Flames erupted underneath the vehicle, and a small
explosion came from the side of the socket.
"Misato!" Shinji called out in alarm. He noted that Unit-01 was

closing in on ten seconds of active power. The purple Eva spun to
meet its attackers.
"Dammit!" Misato was frustrated, and didn't seem able to catch a

break. She turned to Makoto. "Cut the synchronization with Unit-01,
and eject the entry plug. Eject the entry plug for Unit-00 as well.
Place me in contact with Commander Fuyutsuki."
Scene Shift
Maya cracked the door to Dr. Akagi's office. She was cautious.
Usually, the sound of keys being struck with mind-numbing speed
floated out from that room, but it was quiet. Maya didn't really expect
to see anyone in there.
Dr. Akagi sat at her desk. She had a cup of coffee in her hand. Her
stare was fixed somewhere in space, and did not some to focus on
any physical object. Her mouth was slightly agape. Maya hadn't
drawn the doctor's attention when she had opened the entrance.
Ibuki closed the door softly, careful not to call attention to herself.
What she had to tell Dr. Akagi could wait.
Naoko, for her part, was thinking deep thoughts. One thing had held
her attention in particular. In the communications that the Magi had
been able to tap, the Americans kept referring to Kaji Ryoji carrying a
weapon of mass destruction. It was biological in nature, according to
their accounts.
When she had approached Kozo with that information, he had never
batted an eye at that charge. He never addressed it, or questioned
why it was there. Naoko had thought about bringing up the obvious
fabricated nature of the allegation during her last meeting with Kozo
and Yui. Instead, she had held back, seeing if either of her two
compatriots would think of exploring that angle.
Neither did. And both were smart. Yui was arguable Naoko's
intellectual equivalent, when she chose to focus herself.
This turn of events did not sit well with Naoko.
There was a knock on the door. Naoko snapped out of her thoughts,
and turned. "It's open."
Misato looked in. "Is now a bad time?"
Naoko beckoned her in. "What can I do for you, Major?"
"I just didn't want to go to my office yet. I opened my door, and saw
several stacks of papers that came up to my head, and decided to
procrastinate." Naoko pulled over a chair, and Misato sat in it. "What
a day. Having to call in a U.N. strike really pissed off everyone."
"Did the pilots react appropriately to their dressing down?" Naoko

had skipped the meeting on purpose. She thought it an exercise in
sadism, but understood the need for it, especially after the recent
battle.
"Well, it's pretty obvious that Rei and Asuka don't like each other.
Shinji is siding up with Rei when forced, though he likes to try and
remain neutral. And Asuka likes to be self-sufficient. I'm having a
problem molding them into a squad. I don't think berating them will
fix the problem."
Naoko nodded. "So, do you think if Shinji came around to accepting

Asuka, Rei might go easier on her?"
"It would take something drastic for Rei and Asuka to like each other.
The best I could probably hope for is tolerance, and then it would
have to be because Shinji took offense on behalf of Asuka."
"Like a boyfriend." Naoko thought it was fun to plant ideas in Misato's

mind. Misato's eyes brightened, and Naoko knew she had a bloom.
"I've got a plan. We'll beat this Angel and make a team out of these
kids." Misato got up, and then looked back. "Thanks for talking with
me, Doctor."
Scene Shift
The rough fabric came off of Yui's face. She blinked, trying to adjust
her eyes to the sudden change in vision. She looked back to the van
she had just exited, which resolved itself from a green blur to a
vehicle with details. She could tell it was night. There was an armed
man to either side of her.
In front of her, another man was standing. He had on cotton slacks,

and a Hawaiian shirt. He was slightly overweight, and was suffering
from male-pattern baldness. All in all, it was not what she had
expected.
"Ms. Ikari, it's a pleasure to meet you."
Yui looked down to her bound hands. "I wish I could say the same,
Mr. Christian. However, I find your hospitality lacking."
"Sorry. You'll have to forgive me, but I am in a position that dictates
such rudeness. Several people wish to see me dead, and your
superiors are foremost among that group."
"It wasn't a smart thing to do." Yui said.
"What, swiping Adam? I could say the same for yourself, you know."
Yui looked away. "I know. But it was necessary."
"I'm sure you came to try and strike a deal."
"You are perceptive, Mr. Christian."
"Please, Joshua is good enough. No need for the formalities. And

now that I know you might talk instead of killing me outright…"
Joshua made a gesture to one of the men, and he cut the cords that
bound Yui's hands. The men turned and began walking, and Yui
followed. They ended their trek when they had made their way
through some woodland growth, and to a cabin nearby.
"I don't believe I'm still in Nevada." Yui stated, looking around.
"If I answered, that would be telling. So, what is the deal?"
Both took a seat on chairs outside the front of the cabin. "Can I ask
you something first?"
"Certainly. Understand, however, I'm not obligated to answer."
"Why would you only meet with me, and not Commander
Fuyutsuki?"
"Because I believe Kozo, or any member of Seele for that matter,

would kill me on sight, or at least begin a chain of actions that would
lead to my death. I don't believe you have the desire for bloodshed
that they might possess. And you are still high-ranking enough for
anything you say to be valid."
Yui nodded. "So what do you want?"
"I've gotten what I want. I'm just here to entertain your thoughts of
getting me to release it."
"You will never be left alone as long as you possess Adam. The old
men will hunt you down until the end of time."
"Such an end is not so far away."
"We cannot win the war with the Angels if we divide battlefronts."
"What if my interests do not lie in winning the war?" Joshua looked

over to the Japanese woman with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"What are your interests?"
"In due time, Ms. Ikari."
"What of the release of Kaji Ryoji?"
The man laughed. "The gofer of the Apocalypse? He's told us

everything he's going to reveal. When he found out what we planned
on doing with Adam, he said what he could to get us to stop. It was
mostly lies of course. Still, there were useful nuggets of information
in his confession."
Yui stared. "An investigation could clear him of charges, if performed

by the right people."
Joshua waved a hand dismissively. "I'm already on it. He'll be

cleared of charges. You'll have Mr. Ryoji back shortly. And I daresay
Adam as well, if you cooperate. So let's see, what do I want?"
Joshua tapped his chin thoughtfully. "First, I want the data from the
contact experiments."
"What?"
"Fifteen years ago, there were two contact experiments. One made
by Gendo Ikari, and another by Kyoko Sohryu. I want all the data on
both. In addition, I want the next pilot selected by the Marduk
Institute to be sent to the U.S. directly. Upon receiving the transfer
candidate, I can release Adam to you."
"That's absurd. We have no control over when the Marduk Institute

discovers new potentials."
"Ms. Ikari, save it. What Ryoji Kaji would not tell us willingly, we have
learned through forceful persuasion. You can find a suitable
candidate if you so desire."
"I'll have to speak with my superior about this."
"And now the reason I called you in particular here. Commander

Fuyutsuki will do whatever you recommend. I know enough of your
profiles to know that. And he wants Adam back badly enough to
make a deal with the devil. So let's just cut the act: you're stalling.
You can validate this deal."
"And what can we do to ensure things are kept honest?"
"I'll work out a suitable transfer system. After one of the Angelic
attacks, I'll be able to convince my people to send Adam to Nerv.
When a pilot candidate is located, we'll ensure delivery of Adam. I'll
tell you what; let one of your Nerv personnel come over with the
pilot. Allow this person to act as a bodyguard. If I don't make good on
my promise, the pilot can be disposed of. And as a sign of goodwill,
I'll release Kaji to you first. The next step will be up to you."
Disclaimer : I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion
Proofreader credit goes to Cyber-Undead. All hail Cyber-Undead, for

he is worthy of proofreader praise!
Author's Note : To make the chapters sync up with the chapter

allocation on the fanfiction site I am going to skip one sequentially.
All that this means is where I would have called this Chapter 12, it is
now Chapter 13. It makes all the numbers pretty.
Chapter 13
Rei and Hikari had both been in the general vicinity of each other
since the end of school. They had walked towards the same
direction, though neither had closed the distance between them or
spoken to the other. But when the two came to the same apartment
building, the coincidence started becoming suspicious. When the two
entered the same elevator, Rei finally spoke up.
"Are you following me, Class Rep?"
Hikari looked a little puzzled. "I was wondering the same about you,
even though you were in front."
Rei checked the address she had been given again, keeping the
paper turned away from Hikari. Rei was going to the right place.
The elevator dinged, and both of the girls started waking the same
direction. "So, who are you here to see, Hikari?"
"Asuka Langley Sohryu. She's the new transfer student."
"Yes, I know who she is." Rei said sourly.

Hikari looked embarrassed. "I suppose you do. Who are you here to
see?"
"My cousin, Shinji." Both stopped at the same door. Hikari's hand
pressed on the doorbell, and Rei had a sinking sensation in the pit of
her stomach. Her fears were confirmed as she saw both Shinji and
Asuka in the doorway together. They were talking in unison.
Before the pair had gotten too far into their dialogue, Rei had
grabbed Shinji and pulled him out the door. She started dragging him
away from the apartment. "What do you think you're doing?"
Shinji had shown some hesitancy about going with Rei, but seeing
how angry she was, he decided to keep in step with her while he
explained. "Misato has us training together. That's why I left school
today. She was waiting for me when I went to the office."
"So why has she got you wearing…" Rei paused a moment to look
over Shinji's outfit. It was typical workout clothing, except for the top,
which was dangerously close to being a sports bra. The look was
decidedly un-masculine. "That."
Shinji sighed. "Makes me look like a sissy, doesn't it?" Rei nodded.
"Misato thinks we'll do better if we dress more alike. She has us
doing everything together."
"If she wanted you to dress more like Asuka, she should have you in
a padded bra."
The redhead, who had stopped to give a quick summary to Hikari as

well, turned up at Rei's comment. "If anyone needed padding, it
would be you, Second Child."
Rei stared daggers at the redhead. Shinji looked down to his hand,
which Rei was clenching with enough force to cause him pain. "Rei."
Shinji hoped to calm the girl down before she erupted. He had no
such luck.
"You just don't know when you're ahead, Sohryu." Rei started
walking over towards Asuka, her steps aggressive and menacing.
Asuka slipped back into a combat stance. Her right foot was
perpendicular to her left, and one of her arms was in front of her
torso, while the other rose up to her face. "You don't want to do this."
Shinji sprinted and got in Rei's path, but she pushed him aside and
scrambled past. "You're wrong, Asuka."
"What's the meaning of this?" A voice called out angrily from the
doorway. Everyone looked to see Misato Katsuragi, who was
sporting a purple tank top and cut-off denim shorts. She looked
angrily at the two girls. "This is just the kind of problem that is
dragging this team down. Don't you girls have any shame?"
"It's her fault…" Asuka began, but Misato quickly cut her off.
"I don't care. I'm sick of this, and I'm not going to listen to excuses.
Now get in this apartment!" The two girls shuffled in, followed by
Shinji, and then Hikari. Misato's demeanor changed when she saw
the girl, and she smiled cheerfully. "Hello, Ms. Hiroki. Thanks for
coming over. I appreciate you keeping Asuka caught up on her
studies."
Hikari was nervous, but there was something about Misato's warm
attitude towards her that put her at ease. This was the woman she
had met twice before, not the screaming authoritarian she had just
seen a moment ago. "Hello, Ms. Katsuragi." Misato began waving
her hand, and Hikari corrected herself before Misato told her to. "I
mean, Misato. I have lessons for Asuka, but it would seem I need to
start bringing them for Shinji as well."
"You really are a sweetheart." Misato told her as she closed the door
behind them.
Scene Shift
Kozo hissed as if he had just touched something hot. "He wants
what?"
Yui's voice answered on the other end. "The next pilot candidate and
the contact experiment data for Gendo Ikari and Kyoko Zeppelin
Sohryu."
"We'll have to recheck the records to be sure there are no trace

references of Gendo using a sample from Lillith to go into Unit-01.
Also, we'll need to alter a few data tables to convince him that Unit-
01 is a clone of Adam. Actually, this could work in our favor." Kozo
would have never spoken in terms so frank over a normal line. He
knew that Yui had a scrambler on her own phone that modulated
ciphers to match with the secure lines in Nerv. The technology was
far ahead of current decoding capabilities, and used an algorithm the
two had created themselves. If the phone fell into wrong hands, it
could be detonated remotely, and the chip inside would be melted
into scrap. As far as Kozo was concerned, it was more secure than
speaking face to face.
"You didn't talk to him. I have my reservations about twisting his

plans to our ends. He has more information than he should. What's
worse, this means any member of Seele could potentially have the
same facts at their disposal. We may be on the brink of losing
control."
Kozo pondered that for a moment. "We must ensure that Mr.
Christian is held in a state of mistrust by Seele. This will divide
Seele's attention between him and us, which means we will be under
less scrutiny. That's all we can do to contain this situation at this
time."
"So, about the last Angel battle…"
"I assume you've gotten intelligence off a U.N feed. The pilots did not
perform up to standard, and we called in a U.N. strike. It will be five
more days until the target is active again, according to the Magi's
projections."
"Those projections are notoriously misleading when dealing with the
Angels. So, what is our plan when the battle resumes?"
"Unit-00 will be unable to fight, as its arm needs more time to be

reattached. So we are concentrating on Shinji and Asuka. Misato has
decided that the two should spend as much time as possible training
with one another, so that they can act more concertedly in their next
combat sortie."
"That's not a bad idea. How much time are they spending training
with each other?"
Kozo cleared his throat. "They are currently cohabiting at the

residence of Major Katsuragi."
There was a long silence, before Yui finally erupted with an angry
"WHAT?"
"Yui, we only have five more days. Something drastic was called for.
Misato is keeping the two under watch to make sure the progress
goes smoothly, as well as ensuring nothing inappropriate occurs."
"Kozo, Major Katsuragi is a drunken, slovenly whore. And the third

child is an overdeveloped girl who is eager to prove just how grown
up she is. 'That' is the pair of women you let my teenage son, who is
just entering puberty, move in with. Feel free to interrupt me on any
of this when I am wrong."
"We needed a radical change in our pilot team's ability to cooperate.

This is a solution that could overcome that problem. In the last
operation, our pilots did not work together, and ended up hurting one
another. Where three Eva units failed, two could succeed. But it is
going to require a fundamental shift in how our pilots behave. Misato
is watching them, and nothing unseemly will happen."
"I don't really have a choice, do I? I tell you one thing, Commander
Fuyutsuki, this may well be my last trip abroad. I am not at all
satisfied with how things are being handled in my absence."
"I didn't think you would be, Yui. Just come home safe. You will not
be removed from danger until you are back at Nerv. Shout at me all
you wish when you get here, but don't let this distract you and cause
you to make a mistake. Be careful. Can you do that?"
Some of the anger was gone from Yui's voice, and she answered.
"Yes. I think I can."
Scene Shift
Misato put on some music, which sounded suspiciously Latin. She

had mats placed out on the floor, with numbered steps.
"What is this?" Shinji said, knowing the answer but curious as to how
it applied to him.
"Do either of you know how to Tango?" Asuka and Shinji shook their
heads. "Of course we aren't going to learn the whole dance, but
there's enough for you to get started on."
Rei spoke up from her place on the floor, where she and Hikari were
playing with Pen-Pen. "Are you going to train them to dance with the
Angel?"
"The shortcoming of the pilots in the last battle was their lack of team
effort. You've got to get into a rhythm with one another, and learn to
trust each other."
"Maybe if someone didn't try to kill me every time she got into her
Eva."
"Rei…" Misato said warningly. She turned, and looked at Asuka

before she could speak. The withering glare she gave was enough to
quiet the German's retort. Shinji, not being directly exposed to the
fierce look, did not show such good sense.
"I don't see what I did wrong. I just didn't make it down the hill soon
enough."
"Shinji, you will learn to do this together with Asuka. We'll incorporate
Rei after this battle. You are all going to become skilled at working
with each other. If you don't, we will find alternatives to your piloting
the Eva units."
"What! You can't…" Asuka began to protest, but Misato cut her short.
"Yes, we can. The future of the human race is at stake. I won't

jeopardize it with selfish antics from the current pilot pool."
Shinji went first, moving clumsily over steps on the floor. His feet
dragged and he almost tripped, which solicited a few giggles from
Asuka and Hikari. Asuka went next, and went through the moves
gracefully, if not flawlessly.
"Wow. Are you sure you've never done this before?" Misato asked.
"I've always been a fast learner." Asuka stated proudly, if not

haughtily.
"All right. Now, together."
Shinji looked just a little too pleased with the prospect, as far as Rei
was concerned. She did not like the idea of him doing something as
energetic and sensuous as this dance with the redheaded girl.
Shinji and Asuka clasped hands, and began to dance around. After a
few false starts, they started getting a feel for where they were going,
and, more importantly, where the other person thought they should
be going. The two were doing well, with Asuka only complaining
once that Shinji had bumped her toe. Suddenly, Asuka pulled away
in a quick motion, and slapped Shinji. Shinji held his cheek, stunned.
Rei was quickly on her feet, ready to attack the German girl.
"What do you think you're doing?" Misato called out.
"His hand was all over my butt. I am not letting this perverted baka
touch me like that."
"I was grabbing the top of her waist." Shinji whined indignantly,
rubbing his face.
"You just messed up… again." Rei said threateningly.
"What, are you jealous? Wished he'd grab you like that?"
"Rei, sit down. Asuka, apologize. Shinji, watch your hands."
Hikari and Pen-Pen followed the conversation; their heads darting

from one speaker to another like spectators at a tennis match.
Scene Shift
Makoto was buried deep in his reading. He was examining the latest
issue of a manga he enjoyed. He heard the announcement for his
stop, and pulled himself away from the story. As he got up to leave
the train, he noticed Maya Ibuki was going to the door as well. He
smiled tiredly.
"Laundromat?"
Maya nodded. "Laundromat."
The two walked amiably to retrieve their laundry. After they had
made it to the cash register to pick up their clothes, Maya looked
around. "I can't believe Aoba isn't with you."
"He had something to do tonight. He and a few others like to play

together at a café. He hasn't had a lot of time lately, just like the rest
of us." Makoto looked tired. "Well, I can't complain too much, we still
get to sleep at home."
"What does Aoba play?" Maya asked curiously.
"The guitar. He really is quite good."
Maya was about to say something else, but looked away

embarrassed as Makoto's bundle was brought out. Skirts and
familiar shirts dominated the top of the pile.
"The Major asked me to pick up her laundry for her. The children
have her busy."
Maya looked back, trying to hide her discomfiture and possible

misconception. "So she's… babysitting now?"
"She's trying to make the children work together." Makoto looked to a

clock, and then back to Maya. "You know, if you wanted to hear Aoba
play, I'm sure it'd make him happy. There's nothing like flaunting a
talent in front of your coworkers."
Maya looked uncertain. She was trying to talk herself into saying
yes, but when she spoke, she hadn't succeeded. "No. I have an
early day tomorrow. I really shouldn't. But tell him that I would like to
know the next time he plays."
Makoto nodded. A bundle of clothes were set out for Maya. Makoto
and she wished each other a good night, and were off to their
separate residences.
Scene Shift
Shinji tried to sleep, but all he could do was stare up at the ceiling,
wide-awake. His hormones called out to him, and it took all of his will
to resist their insistent song. The problem was that he was living the
fantasy of the average teenage boy, or at least the beginnings of it.
He was in a house with two gorgeous women. One was an exotic,
beautiful redhead from a foreign land. The other was an attractive
woman in an authoritative position. Both were running around the
house in what he thought was skimpy attire, showing as much skin
as decency would allow. Low cut tank tops and shorts that stopped
closer to the waste than the knee.
The worst was Misato's constant bending over, which let her low cut
neckline hang down, almost daring Shinji to look. He had to fight his
wandering eyes every time to keep from openly ogling the sight.
Even though he knew it was wishful thinking, he got the odd feeling
that the Major was doing it on purpose. It was certainly something he
wasn't used to back home.
He should have been enjoying himself. And he was, but he was also
nervous. He had never been around women like this before, at least
not in so informal a setting. And either of them would likely take his
head off if he demonstrated lecherous thoughts. Still…
Shinji's head rolled slightly to the side. The trio was sleeping on the
floor. Asuka was resting on one side of Misato, and Shinji the other.
All Shinji could see was Misato, but that was enough. Her purple hair
shined from the light coming in from the window. He was aware of
her very feminine curves under the covers. Her back was to him, and
he thought it was safe to look.
"Shinji. What are you doing?" Misato asked tiredly.
"Nothing!" Shinji rolled over quickly, and brought his knees closer to
his chest, almost in a fetal position. His back was now to Misato's.
"Baka hentai." Asuka muttered disgustedly from the other side of the
Major.
Scene Shift
Rei and Hikari walked together from the school to Misato's

apartment. They had opportunities to talk during the day, and had
warmed to each other's presence considerably. Asuka had let Hikari
know a lot of the details of the recent battles, surprisingly enough
with Misato's permission. Consequently, Rei actually had someone
she could talk about work to, which was especially nice since Shinji
wasn't home.
Rei was making her displeasure known about Asuka. "And in the
next battle, she jumped on the roofs of two buildings. Two! She has
no respect for the collateral damage that an Eva Unit can cause.
Those aren't just random structures there for her benefit."
Hikari looked down. It wasn't her natural inclination to argue with
people's opinions. This might seem to clash with the almost
authoritative attitude she had in the classroom, but trying to get
people to behave orderly and disagreeing with someone were totally
different things. And she could see why Rei might have reason to
dislike Asuka. "Asuka told me that she had to jump on those
buildings to get traction. She could have never pulled off what she
called her 'Uber-strike' if she didn't have it. She said the attack would
have killed a normal Angel, so you have to wonder if she has a
point."
"Are you taking her side?" Rei looked off. "Of course you are."
"I'm playing devil's advocate."
"I'll say." Rei laughed. "Even if I grant that, she chopped off my Eva's
arm. I feel whatever Unit-00 feels, so it's like she sliced off my own
arm. Saying that it hurt is an understatement. And she has me out of
commission because of that."
"I'm sure she didn't mean it. Asuka doesn't seem like the type of
person to take a cheap shot. She would want you to know if she
were going to do something to you." Hikari shrugged. "I guess. I
haven't known her long, but that is how it seems to me."
Rei shrugged. "Actually, that does sound right. I still hate her though.
And she has the audacity to try and beat up on Shinji. He won't hit a
girl, so she can get away with giving him a lot of abuse." Rei looked
at Hikari, and saw the look on the freckled-girl's face. "Go ahead,
devil's advocate."
"Well… Shinji's hand was drifting low."
"Shinji was not grabbing her rear. God, that's even disgusting to think
about. He's a gentleman."
Hikari nodded. "I've always thought so too. He seems like a really

nice guy. I sort of hope he and Asuka get together."
Rei stopped, and looked at Hikari shocked. "He is way too good for
her. Purge those nasty thoughts from your mind, Mr. Hiroki."
"Don't you want Shinji to find someone?"
Rei nodded. "Of course. It just has to be someone nice. Not some
foreign demon girl that will treat him bad. If it were someone like… I
don't know… like you, it would be fine."
Rei perked up as she noticed several of the vehicles around the

apartment building, missing Hikari's embarrassed blush. Section Two
had standard issue automobiles, and by her count there were three
of them here. She looked around, hoping to catch a glimpse of
Tukagi Ikita. She hadn't seen him since she had been on the U.S.S
'Over the Rainbow' and she had wanted to desperately. She was
disappointed when she didn't notice him with the two agents she
could locate at the base of the building.
Rei and Hikari made their way to Misato's loft, and were ushered in
by Misato. Inside, they saw Shinji and Asuka squaring off against two
grown men. Both sported black slacks and white shirts. Two black
jackets were slung over a chair.
One of the men turned to see who had come in. Shinji rushed him
then, and Asuka darted to the man's right. Shinji tried to knock the
man over, but just succeeded in making the man shift a little. Asuka
came in from the side, and pushed the man while he was off
balance. The man fell. Shinji was turning to the next one, when he
realized that he was being thrown to the ground. The world spun
around, and he found his back had hit the mat on the floor with
enough force to knock the wind out of him. Asuka came over to try
and get the man off of Shinji, but found the assailant she had
knocked over had grabbed her foot. He used his other arm to sweep
her off her feet, and rose as she hit the ground.
Asuka, still lying on her back, kicked the mat in anger. "THIS
SUCKS!"
Shinji had been struggling for breath, which he had gotten back in
some small amount. "I thought… we had them… that time."
"Okay guys, take a break." The two section two agents walked out
the door, leaving the apartment to Misato, her pet, and the four
teenagers. She turned to Shinji and Asuka. "You did better then. The
two of you were cooperating that time. Your opponents were
physically overpowering, but I needed for you to fight people with
accelerated skill levels. In an Eva, that would have been your fight."
Misato looked up cheerfully to her guests. "We've got company. Let's

visit."
Shinji rolled his eyes when he saw that Rei's attention keep shifting
to the door where the Section Two agents had went outside. When
she turned her attention back to him, he let her off the hook. "He's
not here, Rei."
Rei blushed, and turned her gaze to the floor.
Scene Shift
The next pair of days went by quickly, even though Shinji and Asuka
began to seriously grate on each other's nerves. Still, progress was
being made. The two started to get the best of a variety of Section
Two bodyguards. Misato taught them how to waltz. The worst
exercise by a large margin was the rhythm pads Misato brought in,
which were some demented form of solitary twister. Both had to
touch squares on their respective mats in harmony, which was much
more difficult that a person might suppose. Asuka continually blamed
Shinji for their failure. Her accusations were often accompanied by
outbursts of anger, such as throwing her headphones at him, or even
once kicking him in the groin. Shinji had kicked the girl in the shin for
that, and Misato had been forced to intercede before the
confrontation escalated.
Misato decided to discontinue visits. In her opinion, Rei represented

a destabilizing force. And Misato wanted Shinji and Asuka to make
some sort of breakthrough. On the last day before the battle, Misato
had been sure to leave a German cookbook where Shinji could find
it. She made an excuse to be out for the beginning of the night,
leaving the two to their own devices.
'Don't let me down,' she thought, her mind going to Shinji in

particular, but to Asuka as well. 'Make this all worth the trouble.'
Scene Shift
Asuka was in her room, savoring some time away from her new
roommates. She was studying a translation text, trying to get a better
grip on the Kanji. Her headphones were playing some music from
her homeland that she had downloaded. The track list finally ended,
leaving silence. Or what should have been silence. The sound of a
cello drifted in from the other room. She got up to investigate, and
found Shinji playing the instrument. She waited for him to finish, and
clapped her hands when he did several minutes later.
Shinji's face reddened, and his eyes met hers shyly. "I'm sorry. I tried
to check in, and let you know I was going to play. You had your
music on, and were lost in what you were doing. I didn't want to
disturb you. When I couldn't get an answer from you, I didn't think
this would."
"You shouldn't be so meek and apologetic, Shinji. It's not manly."

Asuka softened her rebuke with a smile. "Besides, I thought you
played okay. You're not bad."
Shinji nodded, and looked down again. That tendency was

something that could get on Asuka's nerves very quickly, but for the
moment she had not yet erupted into chastisement and anger. The
boy continued. "I found one of Misato's books in the hall. According
to the writing on the inside of the cover, it was a souvenir from her
stay in Germany. It described how to prepare German dishes. I
remembered you saying something about liking kraut." Shinji's
natural tendency to pronounce the vowels of the word separately, as
if it was a Japanese expression, made the term almost indiscernible.
Asuka looked to the table, where the book was lying open, and
smiled. "You know you're going to make a mess of it."
Shinji lit up, a gleam in his eye now. "It sounds like you doubt my
culinary abilities."
Asuka smirked. "You Japanese try to put soy sauce on everything.

It'll taste so salty that no one will be able to eat it."
"I take that as both a personal insult and a challenge."
So it was that Shinji spent the next pair of hours in the kitchen,
cooking and sweating. Asuka was restricted from entering the room.
She spent the time pretending to watch the television. In truth,
listening to pans drop and the quiet cursing that would follow that, or
words of disgust due to some unclear entry in the cooking
instructions, was amusement enough. When the noise became
quieter, and the odor stronger, Asuka knew it was about time.
"Come, Herr Sohryu."
Asuka looked at Shinji levelly. "Stupid baka. That's not even…"

Asuka paused in her berating, getting another whiff of the food.
"Never mind."
Shinji watched her expectantly as she went to the table, sat down,
and got her first bite. She chewed on it slowly, and was careful to
keep her face neutral. It was hard not to smile as she tortured the
boy by purposely taking her time. Finally, she decided to let him off
the hook, and swallowed. "It's not bad. It barely tastes like what it's
supposed to, mind you, but you could've done worse. Where did you
find the ingredients anyway? All I've been able to find in Japan along
the lines of meat is fish, fish, and squid. With this much pork for
variety." Asuka held her fingers up, with about an inch space
between them.
"Misato already had them in the fridge. I thought about not using
them, but figured however bad a job I might do with it, Misato would
do worse. Chances are she would have put it all in a pot and poured
instant ramen over the top of it."
Both laughed at the thought. The dinner was filled with Asuka talking
about Germany, first starting with the food she missed, but then onto
different things. She missed the fact that when someone spoke, she
didn't have to concentrate to make sure she heard the words
correctly. Or the fact that etiquette was evident in the right
proportions. The Japanese, Asuka felt, were too nice when one on
one. In public, they seemed to forget all about the idea of
congeniality.
"I had no idea you were having problems understanding the

language. I would have talked slower."
Asuka seemed indignant. "I don't. I just don't like the attention it
takes. When one speaks their native tongue, the meaning of the
words comes automatically."
They moved to the living room, and took up their usual spots. Shinji
was lying on his stomach, watching the television. Asuka was on her
back, her leg up on the couch. She stretched one up in the air, and
noticed the way Shinji's gaze flicked to it for just a moment before
coming back to her. "Do you know what I miss most of all though?"
Asuka reopened the conversation.
Shinji shook his head.
"Furniture. A sofa is nice, but this country could really do with some
more beds."
Shinji shrugged, and the two watched television for a while. Asuka
sprung up suddenly. She looked at Shinji accusingly. "What did we
forget to do tonight?"
"I don't know."

The redhead started wagging her finger at the boy in an almost
scolding manner. "We forgot our pilot training."
"I thought you were sick of it."
"I am, but some parts are more tolerable than others. For instance, I
really like fighting the bodyguards. But since we don't have any
spares handy, I suppose that a dance wouldn't hurt anything."
Shinji nodded, and got up. Asuka had already drug the radio out, and
had found a CD she liked. She put it in, and an instrumental came
on. She made one last adjustment to the volume, and then faced
Shinji with one arm raised to the side.
Shinji stepped in, clasping her hand in his, and bringing his hand
around to the small of her back. The song played, and the two glided
around the living room. When it was over, a slower song came on,
and Asuka smiled. "I'm a little tired from all this training. I think a slow
dance might be better, to make sure we're not too fatigued for
tomorrow."
Shinji nodded, and picked up the easy steps of the dance from
Asuka. It was a simple two-step, and ended up making the two move
around in a circle. Shinji enjoyed the feel of Asuka pressing on his
body. He spent the whole time studying her face, and looking in her
eyes. He dug through his brain for anything else he might have seen
on television or the movies that was appropriate for the moment. She
returned the attention, and he was acutely aware of how close their
faces were. They went through the majority of the dance without a
glance away. Shinji's hand slipped down a little, and he almost
missed a step as he pulled the hand back up in a panicky way.
Asuka still had her eye on the boy, whose look of frightened
expectation became one of shock when he felt the girl's hands on his
backside. Seeing the mischievous glint in the girl's eyes, and feeling
more than a little emboldened, he leaned his face in closer to hers.
Asuka closed her eyes.
An insistent knock at the door interrupted anything the two might
have done.
Asuka muttered something that might have been 'sheiss' and walked
to the radio, turning it off. Shinji straightened out his clothes, and un-
tucked his shirt. He was going to answer the door, but seeing that
Asuka was on her way to answer it, he decided instead to sit on the
couch.
He heard Asuka declare in surprise. "Sub-commander Ikari.

Welcome."
Scene Shift
Two gargantuan forms stood serenely on a beach. One looked

almost horned from a distance, but upon closer inspection the
protrusion spotted a grip, like that of a knife handle. The other still
entity had a small piece of cylindrical shaft protruding from the front
of its chest. This was all that was left of the handle of a spear after
an N2 explosion had rendered the Angels inert. It still had a point
barely coming out of its back. The majority of the still-lodged
spearhead was stuck inside of the creature.
Slowly, the knife began to come out of the head of the first one. It fell
free, and the wound where it had been sealed itself quickly. At the
exact same instance, the beings looked up. Air was displaced under
the duo, and they began to float towards Tokyo-3.
Scene Shift
At headquarters, the bridge at Nerv was filled with controlled panic

and activity.
"The Angels have reactivated three hours ahead of Magi

projections."
Misato looked to the screens, which showed Uni-01 and Unit-02

releasing their constraints. "Good thing we were already ahead of
schedule." In truth, Misato had kept the Evas prepped for the last
two days. Asuka and Shinji were on standby in the base today, and
were ready for launch in minutes.
"Do you two know what to do?" Misato called out over the
communication link to the pilots.
"Improvise." Asuka said the word with glee.
Misato nodded. "Don't forget about the barriers we have around the
sortie site. You can activate them quickly. And don't forget your
training."
"Dog pile one of them the first chance we get." Shinji smiled.
Misato watched the launch with a little trepidation. She still had some
misgivings about Asuka's ability to work in tandem. The German was
prone to running out and taking things on herself. She hoped the last
five days had changed that unfortunate tendency, or at least muted
it.
The Evas made it to the surface at close to the same time. Unit-01
was able to get to an umbilical station, but Unit-02 came under fire
from the Angelic beings immediately. Asuka jumped back to a barrier,
and raised it. Energy blasts slammed into the metal and left scorch
marks, but otherwise there was no effect. Unit-02 pulled out its prog
knife, and Asuka shouted to the bridge. "Activate the launch rails in
my vicinity.
Misato looked to Aoba Shigeru, and nodded. "Do it."
Rails came out of the ground as an opening appeared behind Unit-

02. Asuka could see the Angels coming for her over the top of the
wall she had raised, and jumped back onto the rails. "Bring Unit-02
down to routing point 2."
"Asuka, what the Hell are you doing?" Shinji called out in alarm.
"Watch and learn, First Child."
Unit-01 had secured an automatic rifle while the Angels had been
concentrating on the red android. Shinji jumped on the closest Angel,
and was able to knock it to the ground. He saw the tip of the
spearhead in its back, and unloaded his ammunition into the wound.
Bits of hide flew off, and Shinji was pleased to see his shots were
having more effect than in the first battle.
The other half of the duo knocked Unit-01 off its comrade. It swiped
with the small claw of its hand and tore a gouge of armor from the
side of Unit-01. Shinji unloaded a few more shots into his chosen
victim's back, and ducked another strike from his new foe. He
jumped back, his progress followed closely by more energy bolts.
The concentric, octagonal lines of the A.T. Field appeared in front of
Unit-01, and the shots bounced off.
The Angel began advancing on Unit-01. About two-thirds of the way

over, the ground suddenly opened beneath the Angel.
"Release the clamps ten foot below ground level," Asuka shouted.
Her Eva had been rerouted to ascend at any nearby separate port,
having waited below ground at a juncture for the launch routes.
Shinji had finally lured the Angel over one such egress.
The timing was perfect. The Angel had no time to react as Unit-02
went soaring towards it from below. The progressive knife that Asuka
had kept at the ready sliced into the monstrosity, starting just left of
the crouch and going deep into the Angel's trunk.
"Asuka, don't cut it in two again!" Shinji called out.
"Idiot, I know that."
The Angel floated back to it fallen compatriot, which was now upright
again. The two forms flowed into each other and made the original
construct that the children had first encountered. The only difference
was the damage around its body, which while not as severe as any
the children had caused to the being's component parts, was still
noticeable.
"You've got it on the ropes. Remember, only piercing or blunt

damage." Misato instructed.
"Yeah, yeah. People don't let you forget anything around here."
Asuka griped.
"And try and get the Angel away from the city before destroying its
S2 organ."
Shinji opened fire again on the Angel as Asuka found an umbilical

connection. Her battery timer displayed the 88:88:88 that indicated
external electrical power was now being used.
"Ready?" Shinji called out.
"I'm always ready. Let's make this Angel look stupid."
"Okay. You're the pusher then."
Unit-01 ran to a nearby building, and stopped suddenly. Its feet dug
first in the pavement, and then through it. As the android's muscles
strained, it was able to alter the massive inertia of its path. Instead, it
dove back, to the flank of the Angel. The being turned to attack the
Eva and Unit-02 ran forward. As Unit-01's path crossed behind the
Angel's legs, Unit-02 crashed into the being. The move resulted in
the Angel being knocked off balance and towards the nearest
boundary of the city. The force of Unit-02's impact ensured the
distance the Angel traveled took it clear of Tokyo-3.
On the bridge, Misato smiled. She had seen that move before,
usually on playgrounds, as one child would squat behind another
and a third would push. She had encountered it most recently while
watching the children fight their bodyguards.
Asuka detached her umbilical line again, and saw that the battery
recharge had only amounted to a few extra seconds. "We've got to
make this quick. I only have forty-five seconds of power left."
"It's still down. Let's take it out with a kick to the S2 organ."
The two Evas leapt into the air, and both managed to land a foot on
the red circular object in the Angel's chest. The Angel went sliding
beneath the two. Shinji knew they had destroyed it when partway
into the slide an explosion erupted from beneath his Eva's foot. It
flung the two Androids into the air, and crashing into the hill nearby.
On the bridge, Makoto called out. "Target is silent."
Misato looked back up to the command deck, where Commander

Fuyutsuki and Sub-commander Ikari were watching. Yui still looked
dour, but the news of a victory was able to cut into her mood
somewhat. "The operation is a success."
Cyber Undead once again deserves credit for proofreading this story.
He's a good guy.
Chapter 14
Asuka was walking along the busy street, giggling madly with Hikari
in a heart-felt manner that seemed to by the specialty of teenage
girls.
"This trip is going to be great. I love scuba diving."
Hikari nodded her agreement. "I'm just glad to be getting out of

Tokyo-3. We never get to go on trips."
"And there are a few boys I wouldn't mind seeing in swimming

trunks."
Hikari looked scandalous, but still kept a jovial attitude. "Like who?"
"Well, there's Fujita. And I think Kiyoshi would make a particularly

tasty specimen."
Hikari nodded. "And don't forget Shinji and Touji."
Asuka looked at Hikari suspiciously. "Why did Touji's name come to

your mind?"
Hikari looked away, embarrassed by Asuka's attention to her remark.

"I don't know. I just think he would."
Asuka shrugged. "I guess. He seems like a bit of a dimwit to me. But
of course, that's not what we were talking about."
"I don't think he's dumb."
Asuka perked an eyebrow, and smiled. "I think Miss Hiroki is a little
defensive. Could it be she's… boy-crazy?" Asuka accented the
comment by lightly tickling the back of Hikari's neck, which made the
freckled girl cringe.
"Hey!"
Asuka nodded her head sagely. "That's a positive on the test. The
patient has a 'thing' for the lug."
Hikari looked back at Asuka. Her gaze was filled with equal parts of
indignation, embarrassment, and disapproval. "I don't like for you to
tease me, Asuka."
Asuka put an arm around the girl in good-spirited camaraderie. "I

guess I won't then. But seriously, Touji?"
"What about Shinji? He's nice, and you two have been spending a lot
of time together."
Asuka waved a hand. "That's part of the job. I think he's agreeable,
but he's a little runty. He wouldn't look as good in a pair of swim
trunks." Asuka let loose a dream-filled sigh. "If only you had met Kaji.
That was a real man! He had broad shoulders, and a few days
growth of beard stubble. His body was just perfect, and he was so
suave and sophisticated."
"How old was he?"
"He was in his twenties."
Hikari wore a slight look of disapproval. "That's getting on in years,

Asuka. He's almost a geezer."
Asuka put her hands on her hips. "I finished University a year ago.
I'm a pilot in the military, and one that drives the most specialized
and vital piece of machinery on the planet. I would say I'm grown up
enough." Asuka looked up at a shop. "Oh, let's go in here."
Hikari saw the swimsuits on the female mannequins in the window,

and her cheeks reddened. "I have a swimsuit, Asuka. Those look…
racy."
"It'll be my treat. I have a lot of money left over from my paycheck

and moving expenses. This is a drop in the bucket." Asuka noted
Hikari's reluctance, and leaned in conspiratorially. "It'll help you look
pretty for any special boys."
Hikari's blush returned in full force, but she allowed the German girl
to lead her in.
Scene Shift
Kozo was trying to take his current scolding with good grace. Still,
Yui would not be satisfied until she had chewed his ass off and spit it
on the floor. Had anyone asked him an hour before if something
could make him lose his calm demeanor, he would have told that
person that it was doubtful. Yui had done a sufficient job of educating
him.
"… And you should have seen the guilty looks on their faces." Yui
was saying, her anger continuing to build up. There seemed to be no
end of it, and it defied all the laws of friction and inertia. Instead of
slowing down, it kept burning brighter and brighter. "They couldn't
have looked anymore blameworthy if they tried. Who leaves a
teenage girl and boy alone, let alone demands they sleep together."
"Misato was keeping a close eye on them, Yui, especially around

bed time."
"Misato was nowhere to be found. And she didn't show up until well
past ten o'clock. I'll have you know that woman didn't even call and
check on them. Were you two trying to get my son laid, Fuyutsuki?
Because you could have just drove him over to Tokyo-2, and
checked him into a hotel with one of those girls from the red ads.
Actually, I have to say I'm surprised you didn't. It was foolish to allow
the possibility of… well, Shinji and Asuka getting together. Do you
know how bad it would be if they should have to fight together while
being confused by passionate thoughts? They'll end up dead
because of bad judgment during a battle. Stupid is not even
sufficient to describe the mental deficiency that afflicted you to think
that was a good idea. I can understand it from Misato; in fact, I
expect such things from her. But you, Kozo?"
"Would it matter if I pointed out that the strategy worked, and the two
defeated the Angel? I doubt it, but I'm curious." Kozo let one hand
drift up to his forehead, and lightly rubbed two of his fingers in circles
on one of his temples.
Yui glared at him evilly. "The training could have been done
differently. I'm tired of you using that excuse for a crutch to limp
through this mess. Wasn't it obvious when Rei was restricted from
visiting Shinji what was going on? You are not a stupid man, current
evidence to the contrary, so I have to assume you saw this coming
together and approved it!"
Kozo placed a hand down on the desk forcefully. Yui, having never
seen such aggressive action from the Commander, was stunned a
moment. Kozo seemed surprised by the move himself, but was able
to recover faster than his Sub-Commander.
"I'm sorry that we ran a risk of Shinji and Asuka becoming intimately
involved. I take the full burden of guilt for that. Misato was doing
what she thought best, and did it with my sanction. But let's be
honest: this anger and hostility is due only in part to that incident."
Yui blinked, and then narrowed her eyes. "Kozo, I really hope you
are not going to put a head trip on me. If you think I'm mad now, just
try that."
"The only time you get truly mad is when your children are in danger.
But there are other things at work. We haven't been close lately. I
miss it, but you wanted your space, and I've done everything I can to
grant it. In fact, I believe I may have been too accommodating. Now
you want to drive the rift further, and this is an excuse to do it."
Yui was about to protest. "I don't…" The comment trailed off as she
set her anger aside and tried to view the accusation with an impartial
eye. "You did not do the job I wished in watching over my children.
But maybe, and I really want to emphasize the word maybe, what
you say has truth to it."
Yui finally sat down, and like that, the anger seemed to drain from
her. She looked up at Kozo. He noticed with a mixture of approval
and disappointment that her eyes were still dry. A few months before,
such conversations as these would have brought her to tears, but
now her mental resilience had adapted to the stress of watching Rei
and Shinji go into battle. Also in the mix was globe trotting, searching
for artifacts, making dark deals, and managing projects that were at
best amoral. He was glad, because the trials that they would put Rei
and her son through might break her if she couldn't step away a little.
But the woman's tenderness was one the things Kozo most loved
about her. He hated to see it disappearing.
"Gendo was your first love. I don't think anyone gets over his or her
earliest romantic relationship. Such people always have a special
place in the heart. In addition, there's the fact that you both had a
child together, and that he sacrificed himself to keep you from
entering the Eva. I understand that after everything, you still want
him to have a place to return to. And I know how you could see me
as someone who convinced you into betraying him." Kozo rose from
his desk, and walked to the woman as he continued talking. "I don't
know what to do to make this right. I was going to take the hit and be
the bad guy, if it would give you some peace of mind. But I can't bear
you seeing me in that light. It's selfish of me, and if I had any nobility
of character, I would have kept my mouth shut and let you hate me. I
just… can't."
He ended his journey over to her, and let himself rest on his knees.
He grabbed her hand into both of his, and looked in her eyes.
"Kozo…"
"I've cloned a girl, and pushed her off on the woman I loved, knowing
full well that woman would form an attachment with her. I also knew
millennia old mandates deemed this girl would die. I have captured
and pierced the progenitor of the human race. I keep her perpetually
wounded with the most powerful weapon on earth, a guaranteed
painful process, so that I can have an enhancement for my pilots. I
routinely lie, twist fate to my will, and send children to battle in my
stead, knowing that nowhere in the prophecies is there a guarantee
of their survival." Kozo let one hand cup her chin. "Yui, if you ask me
to be the villain, if that is what you need to make things easier, then I
will be. Heaven knows I have earned such a designation. I stand in
the path of the will of God, and slay his heralds as they approach. It
does not get much more evil than that."
Yui stroked his gray hair. "If there is anything bad in your nature, it is
because I placed it there. I've asked a lot of you, Kozo. Sometimes I
forget that. You were just a humanitarian doctor working for nothing
after Second Impact. Everything else is because of Gendo and I
asked it of you."
Yui began to rise, and Kozo went to follow her up. He grimaced a
little in pain partway through the process, and Yui helped him the
rest of the way into a standing position. "You're getting a little old for
such melodramatic postures."
"Now you tell me." Kozo smiled, and stroked her cheek. "Let's just
think about things for now. I'm not sure running with our passions is
the wisest thing to do, be they negative or positive. Gendo is most
likely coming back. You have to decide what that means. You've had
space, but I think you've been avoiding pondering the repercussions
from the events that are unfolding. It may be that we need to stay
apart, to make sure our sentiments do not cause us to make a bad
move at this point of the scenario. More is at stake than our
happiness, and after all this time it would be a pity to drop the ball
now."
"Such detachment can't be good for the soul."
"It is said misery can build character. You'll find that all things have
an inherent opportunity to nurture the spirit."
"Kozo, you are a man wise beyond your years."
Kozo chuckled. "You have obviously forgotten how many years I

have to draw upon."
Yui kissed him on the cheek, and turned to leave. As she neared the
door, her head swiveled back, and she wore a suspicious look. "If I'm
not mistaken, you did just do a head trip on me."
Kozo shrugged. "I talked about what needed to be said."
Yui smirked, and closed the door.
Scene Shift
Asuka slammed her hands down on the table. "What!"
"You won't be going on the trip." Misato made the comment from
behind an upraised can of beer.
"Why not!"
Misato let lose a long-suffering sigh. "Because you are a pilot, and
therefore on standby. It's part of your job to stay within the vicinity of
the Eva you'll be manning."
"What idiot came up with that policy?"
Misato pointed a finger at herself. "This idiot."
Asuka was not a person prone to backtracking. Her anger at being

denied this trip only ensured she wouldn't let up. "You've got Shinji
and Rei to take care of things here. I don't see why you can't let the
wonder twins cover while I take this trip."
"We could do that. Of course, we would have to reconfigure Unit-02
for Rei."
Asuka's face turned red. She looked as if she would say something
for a moment, but instead closed her mouth and went stomping to
her room. She closed her sliding door hard, which merely resulted in
the wooden panel bouncing back open partway. She slid it shut and
held it, then went to her bed and turned on her radio.
"So I take it you're staying." Misato called cheerily at the door.
In response, the volume of the radio increased.
Misato looked down at Pen-pen, who had taken a spot on the floor
beside her. "We need to give her a while to cool off. I guess while
we're doing that, I could run you a hot bath."
The penguin, displaying a clear understanding of what his owner

was saying, started waddling from side to side in what Misato
thought of as his 'happy dance.'
Scene Shift
Maya had just returned from retrieving some hard copies for Dr.
Akagi from the Eva cages. Upon her arrival, she found the woman at
her desk. Maya walked into the room, silent as ever, and heard
Naoko murmur to herself. Not wanting to disturb a great mind at
work, she silently slipped to an unobtrusive position nearby.
"… Doing better than the fucking cats!" Naoko muttered, her fingers
still strumming the keyboard. Then the doctor started cackling. Maya
instantly regretted the fact that she had been so quiet. The
technician immediately resolved to start knocking when coming
around Naoko.
Maya cleared her throat softly, but wherever Naoko's mind had
settled itself, it was not predisposed to being pried from the place.
Maya, with just a few more decibels, made the same noise. Naoko's
head snapped up, and took in Maya. "Ms. Ibuki."
Maya smiled sweetly, if not nervously, and held several disks and
written reports in front of her. "Here's the information you asked for."
Naoko looked at Maya, seeing something there she had rather not.
"You were very efficient. I asked for these only ten minutes ago."
Maya wasn't sure that the statement was sarcasm or praise. She
shuffled her feet nervously. "I did them as fast as I could."
Naoko sighed. "I suppose so." Naoko noted the nervous look on her
assistant's face. "I was talking to myself again, I take it."
Maya turned her head aside, but nodded an affirmative. "You were
talking about cats."
"I have… nervous habits. I'm still the person that I was, Maya." The
doctor grabbed Maya's hand, and patted it lightly. Maya was
immediately set at ease, as the gesture reminded her of something
her grandmother would do, before Second Impact had taken her.
Naoko looked at her and smiled. "If I had known to do things like
that," her slight inclination of the head indicated where she had
Maya's hand, "maybe I wouldn't have lost my daughter. It weighs
heavily on me sometimes."
"What happened…" Maya paused uncomfortably. "Permission to

speak freely, ma'am."
"Always, Maya."
"Whatever disagreement you and your daughter had, she was the
one at fault."
Naoko let her hand drift to the folders and discs Maya had brought
back. "The grape vine has cast me as the victim now? I feel
honored. Or perhaps you have taken second-hand information and
added your own bias to it." Naoko noticed Maya's slight flinch. "That
was unfair. I appreciate what you are trying to say, Ms. Ibuki. But I
tell you, what guilt others attribute to me, it is not enough." Naoko
flipped open a report, and started inputting data. "Care to know how
the program is going?"
"I'm not sure what the program is, ma'am."
"I'm attempting to check the data we have collected on the Angels for
overall patterns. Also, since the Angels appear to be adapting to our
counterattacks, I am trying to discern the course of their change, to
see what the next Angel's configuration may bring."
"Any success, ma'am?"
Naoko looked to the door, which was closed. She turned back to
Maya. "What I am going to tell you is a secret that requires the
utmost discretion. I'm not sure if knowing it is to your benefit. I doubt
the Commander and Sub-Commander would want this to be
common knowledge, or even suspects that their staff has
contemplated the nature of the attacks. The only reason I mention it
to you is because I need a confidante, and there is no one on this
Earth I trust more than you."
Maya nodded. "Thank you. I… should I hear this, ma'am?"
Naoko shook her head, and hit a key on the keyboard. The screen
on her computer went dark. "No Maya, you shouldn't. It was selfish
of me to start this. It would put a burden on you that you didn't need."
Maya reached over Dr. Akagi, and tapped a sequence of keys. The
monitor came back up. "I want to know, ma'am. I'll… I'll help you."
Naoko looked into Maya's eyes, searching. "Are you sure?" Maya
nodded in reply. Naoko turned back to the screen. "Here is an
extrapolation from the Magi of the Angels' combat tactics and
trends."
Maya looked at the data and charts on the screens. Her studious
look turned into a frown as she scrolled down, taking in the statistics
and projections. She turned to the doctor, puzzled. "Does this mean
that the Angels want us to win?"
Naoko shrugged. "I'm not sure. It certainly means that even though
the Angels are accelerating their offensive capacity, they are not
capitalizing on it."
One glaring piece of information had skewed the Magi's estimation

of the Angels: the ability to project an AT Field. According to the
Magi, all of the Angels should have been able to create an AT Field
on whim. Yet only the third and fifth Angels had used that capacity to
any noticeable effect. Earlier in the deliberation between the three
computers, the idea had been tossed around that newer Angels had
abandoned the use of AT Fields, in the most part because the tactic
had been proven unsuccessful before. Ultimately, the Magi had
thrown that out two to one because the recent Angel attack
demonstrated that the Angels could still project Absolute Terror
Fields, and that these were effective enough to turn the tide of the
battle. It was decided that the most recent Angel, Israphel, had
suffered a diminishment in AT Field capacity because it could
separate itself. Maya wondered why that would color the Magi's
decision.
The only time that the AT Fields were being used were strictly as
reactionary means to make for a more even fight. During Shinji's
debut battle, Unit-01 had attacked with such ferocity that the only
way the Angel could stall it was by creating the barrier. Ramiel, the
diamond-like fortress that had tried to drill to headquarters, emitted it
to better effect. If any of the other Angels had use the force fields as
effectively as Ramiel, then Nerv could very well be no more.
Maya looked down to the analysis of tactics as a whole in the Angel

attacks. "This one was easy to pick up. The Angels come, establish a
superior stance on the battlefield and send the Evas back to lick their
wounds…" Maya paused to look at Naoko.
Naoko smiled. "I've programmed the Magi to occasionally be
inventive with layman phrases. It helps when they monitor
communications for things that might be of interest to Nerv."
Maya nodded, and struggled to find what she had been saying. "We
lick our wounds, rally, and defeat them in a second attack." Maya
looked at the screen, and smiled as she continued reading. "It's
almost formulaic." Her gaze drifted back up to the doctor. "You're
teaching the Magi to use emoticons?"
Naoko smiled. "They are experimenting with different writing styles.

Don't worry; they're not going to become cute with it. I'll purge it from
the system if need be before that happens. What's important to
notice is that the Angels are, in general, giving up the advantage
inherent in being the aggressor and instead settling on a quasi-state
that tries to take advantage of being both attacker and defender."
"Meaning, the Angels want the benefits of both?"
"Meaning the Angels are giving us a chance to respond. Even with

the scramble time reduced down to six minutes, the Angels could
have made serious headway into headquarters several times.
Instead, they parked and waited on the Evas. The most recent Angel
did not get the chance to utilize the tactic, but most of the others
behave in this manner."
Maya pointed at a chart on Gagiel, the Angel that had attack Unit-02
during transit. "Do the Magi seriously doubt that this is an Angel?"
Naoko nodded. "To date, the Angels have been coming for
headquarters. The fights with the Evas have been incidental. The
attack on the Pacific fleet deviated from that so strongly that the
Magi have tried all kinds of possibilities to explain it away." Naoko
pointed at one.
Maya smirked. "Mutated terrestrial life form and faulty wave pattern
sensors?" The shorthaired tech looked back to Naoko. "Do the
computers believe it was Godzilla?"
Naoko laughed. "Like I said, you can almost feel them reaching. If
the next Angel had attacked somewhere other than Nerv, the Angels'
attack locale could have been dealt with better. The most likely
explanation is that the Angels updated their attack strategy to target
an Eva unit. Assuming that the Angels are trying to create a fairly
equal confrontation with us, Unit-02 could be seen as unbalancing.
An important thing that suggests this is that after the mass
production model made it here, we experienced our first sortie with
multiple assailants."
Maya frowned. "So, it's going to get worse."
"That's the only thing the Magi can agree on with a high probability.
That, and how much worse it gets is related to our capacity to
respond. Still, knowledge like this, if leaked, could make people react
with less than their full abilities would allow. If we do not meet the
Angels with anything other than our maximum effort, it might result in
a loss. I'm not sure what the Angels' thinking is on the matter, and
don't have any means to find out."
"These battles are unusual. Do the Angels have a sense of honor,

Doctor?" Maya's studious face was tinged with alarm as she
considered something. "What if we violate that honor accidentally?"
Naoko turned off the computer. "I can only speculate, Maya. But
these feel like tests to me. The Angels seem to be challenging us at
their own expense." Naoko got up and stretched. "I'm going to ask
you to go back to your office. Think about what we've said. After a
night's sleep, we'll talk about this further."
Maya nodded. She turned to leave, and skittishly turned back to Dr.
Akagi. "I appreciate you trusting me with this, Dr. Akagi. I won't let
you down."
"I'm just glad I have someone like you around, Maya."
Maya left the office, and Naoko looked back at her computer display.
There was one thing Naoko had kept back. When Gagiel had
attacked the Pacific Fleet, there was an unknown factor. That
unidentified something had caused the Americans to arrest Kaji
Ryoji.
It was a mystery item that the Commander and Sub-Commander

knew about.
Why were the Angels trying to reach Adam?
Scene Shift
Rei hummed happily as she chopped up a roll of sushi, and put it

into a compartment in her lunchbox. Yui was on her way out the door
when she noted the girl's cheerfulness.
"Someone is awfully glad to be cooking." Rei looked up in surprise,

believing her aunt had already left for work.
"It's 8 o'clock. You're late."
"I could say the same for you, young lady."
Rei shook her head. "The class is flying to Okinawa today. I can't go,
so…" Noticing the look of scorn on Yui's face, Rei added, "What?"
"Shinji's grades were bad this time, and in most of the subjects that
he passed, your own suffered. This is a fact that seems highly
unusual. Someone would think that you children would get together
and make a decent report card between yourselves. Today, I want
you two to tutor each other: no malls, no swimming, no TV, and no
games until you do."
There was a telephone ring, and Yui walked over to answer it. She
listened briefly, and told whoever was on the other end that Shinji
wasn't in. She let the caller know that he had gone to the pool, and
wished them a good day. Rei looked curious as Yui put the phone
back down.
"Someone for Shinji?" Rei queried, asking the obvious question.

"The Third Child was looking for him." Yui didn't sound particularly
enthused, but the look that crossed Rei's face was downright hateful.
"I want you to go to the pool, and study with him. He's doing his work
before he goes swimming. It'll only be an hour or two's worth. Can
you?"
Rei nodded. "I wouldn't want to leave him alone with that German
hussy anyway. She'll just end up screwing up his head."
Yui would have rather not seen Asuka and Shinji spending any time
together herself. Of course, it was natural for boys to want to spend
time with girls at Shinji's age, and Asuka was pretty. Yui just loathed
the idea of the two un-chaperoned.
"So, who's the bento box for, Rei?"
Rei's cheeks reddened. "Just someone nice."
"Your class is gone, and as far as I know only Shinji and Asuka
stayed behind on the trip." Yui smiled teasingly. "Is it for me?"
Rei shook her head, but didn't answer. Yui laughed. "Okay, you can
have your secret. Just be careful. I love you, niece."
"I love you too." Rei called back as Yui made her way out. Rei heard
the door open and close, signaling her aunt's departure. She went
back to work on the lunch and, with the thought of Shinji and Asuka
being alone intruding occasionally on her happy mindset, she was
able to prepare her food quickly.
Rei packed a swimsuit, and put it in a bag over her shoulder.

Carrying the bento box, she walked into the morning air. She
squinted at the change from fluorescent lighting to the bright
sunlight, and searched around. Seeing the car she was looking for a
block down, she went walking up to it.
The Section Two men were in the car, but, due to the window tint,
Rei couldn't be sure which one was which. She politely tapped on
the driver's side window, which rolled down. It was not the man she
wanted to see, but in the passenger seat was the visage that had
been filling her dreams lately. Had she not etched his face into her
memory, the wrappings and arm sling would have given him away.
"Mr. Ikita. I made some extra lunch, and thought perhaps you and
your partner might like some." Rei's face, which had been slightly red
before, became almost crimson. Her pale skin did little to hide a
blush. She held the box into the window, allowing the man to grab it
over the driver. Then she noticed the sling was on his left arm. "I'm
sorry. I can come around to the other side."
Tukagi reached out with his opposite hand, and grabbed the box
easily. "You didn't have to do this, Ms. Ikari."
"Rei." The girl blushed further in embarrassment. Of course he knew

what her name really was, how could she think he was that stupid.
He smiled.
"Okay then, Rei. We appreciate this, but don't put yourself through
too much trouble on our accounts."
"It wasn't any trouble." Rei let the words drift off sweetly. She was
unsure of what to do next, and decided to leave before she made
herself look foolish. Well, more foolish anyway. "I hope you have a
good day." As an afterthought Rei added, "Both of you."
"We will. You too, and be careful as well."
Rei practically skipped away from the automobile towards the

direction of school.
I'm here to testify: Cyber Undead is a living god in the realm of

proofreaders.
Chapter 15
Shinji was busily typing away on a keyboard that he had set up near
the school's indoor swimming pool. The class was vacant, as
everyone else had been sent to Okinawa. He and Rei had planned
on doing some swimming, but his mom had been insistent that they
get in some schoolwork first. He decided to start early while his
cousin was making lunch for her crush. By ten, the weather would be
right for a dip. He was already in his trunks, as there wasn't much
chill in the morning air. There rarely was.
"What are you working on?" The feminine voice sounded close and
definitely like Asuka's. That was a surprise; he hadn't expected to
see the girl. When he had talked to her the night before, she was
four shades of pissed off (as compared to her usual three) because
she was missing the diving trip. The two were still in contact, even
though he wasn't living with her and Misato anymore. Asuka and Rei
still didn't like being around each other, so he had to split his time
between the two. Since Asuka spent a lot of time around Hikari,
which seemed to be one of the few girls Rei was friendly with, he
stayed around his cousin more than the redhead. Still, he looked
forward to visiting with the German.
He finished a problem, and looked up to the newcomer. His eyes

practically bulged when he saw her swimsuit. "Physics…" Shinji was
surprised he had managed to mutter that much. The redhead was
wearing a two-piece with red and white stripes, and it wasn't
particularly conservative. It took almost all of his willpower to tear his
eyes away from her chest. 'If I stare at her breasts, I'll seem like a
pervert.' The thought raced into his mind, and he knew with total
certainty that it was true. But the darn things just kept filling his field
of vision.
"Let's see… thermal expansion. Oh, that's kids stuff. I had this when
I was ten."
"When?"
"I graduated college last year."
Shinji managed to finally make his eyes drift to Asuka's face. He was
disappointed to see that after all of his effort, she was looking at the
computer screen. It had been especially hard to look up since the
redhead had bent over into him, practically inviting him to get a peek.
His gaze went back to the preferred scenery as he continued talking.
"But you are having problems with your grades."
Asuka sighed. "It's because I don't know the Kanji yet. If I could
understand the questions, I could ace this school's tests."
Shinji was duly impressed. "That's… extraordinary."
Asuka read the problem he was working on. "Okay, thermal

expansion. To put it in layman's terms, when something gets hot, it
expands, and when it becomes cold, it contracts."
Shinji nodded. "That does sound easy enough. I wish this book
would say it so simply."
Asuka turned to the side, and held her hands up to her chest. "Let's
see if we can help you get it. Now, if I started warming my breasts
with my hands, would they expand, or contract." Asuka waited a
moment, and turned back to see Shinji with an intense look on his
face. She gave the boy about ten seconds, and finally spoke up
again. "Shinji?"
He looked up. "I have no idea of what we were talking about. I'm just
waiting to see if you do anything."
"Good grief, Shinji." He turned to see his cousin had managed to slip
in. Shinji and Asuka had been so intent on their lesson that it had
been easy for Rei to walk up unnoticed. "Some foreign girl that goes
around rubbing her chest in front of boys is bound to have some
nasty diseases. She'll have AIDS, or herpes, or something."
"I'll have you know I am a woman of virtue, Rei Ikari. And it's
because I choose to be, and not because I'm a sad loser who no one
is trying to date, like some girls I know."
"I know you didn't mean me."
"Ladies, please don't fight." Shinji started to get up, and then,
thinking better of it, tried to pass of the action as him adjusting in his
chair. Asuka looked amused. "Let's just get through our studies so
we can go swimming."
"I don't need to study. I just need to be allowed to have a translation

text handy during tests." Asuka turned, and Shinji took in the back of
her form. There wasn't a part on this girl that he didn't like. Asuka
turned her head to them. "Go, and do your studies like obedient
children. I'm going to practice my scuba diving."
Rei watched Asuka leave, and muttered, "Good riddance." She

turned to see Shinji's glazed over look. She had come to identify it as
a sign that he was having lecherous thoughts. She hit him on the
arm, and he turned to her. "Shinji, do I have to remind you of how
gross she is."
"You keep telling me, but I have a difficult time believing it."
"It would be like me getting the hots for Suzahara."
Shinji shuddered before turning back to his screen. "Point taken."

"Shinji, lookie lookie: a back flip entry." Shinji turned up to see Asuka
beside the pool. She rolled back into a dive. He sighed longingly,
and, noticing his cousin's stare, went back to his studies.
Scene Shift
Misato and Makoto were in the lab, overseeing the sensor pod's
descent into an open magma flow. Misato had just decided to send
the probe deeper, well past its safety level.
One of the laboratory workers looked nervously over at the Major.

"At this depth, the probe will break."
Misato didn't take her eyes off the screen. "If it's destroyed, Nerv will
pay for the damages." Misato let her attention go back to Makoto.
"Continue the operation."
The probe got closer to the unknown target. As soon as she got a
tone, she ordered Makoto to begin analysis. Within seconds, the
sensor pod had collapsed under the pressure.
"Did we get it?"
Makoto nodded. "Barely. Confirmed wave pattern blue. It's an Angel."
Misato rose up. "This facility is now officially under Nerv's

jurisdiction. All material is classified, and no one is to talk about the
events from the last six hours. Communication with the outside world
will be suspended for the duration of this operation. There will be no
phone calls or emails for the immediate future."
Misato left the room and went to a hall where she could have some
privacy. She dialed up a number for a phone line to the Control
Room at Nerv. Aoba Shigeru picked up on the other end, and Misato
didn't waste any time. "Get me into contact with Commander
Fuyutsuki. I need him to issue an A-17."
Scene Shift
The Evas were brought quickly over to the Mt. Asamayama
Seismological Monitoring Station. Asuka was designated as the
primary pilot for the operation. Unit-02 was equipped with Type-D
equipment, which was designed to withstand harsh environmental
duress. Sub-Commander Yui Ikari and Commander Kozo Fuyutsuki
placated the Committee as best they could, which had serious
reservations about the A-17, which was an order for an offensive
attack.
At the mobile headquarters that had been hastily established, Naoko

was waiting for Maya to bring Major Katsuragi over to them.
"I'm sort of busy now, Doctor Akagi." Misato was walking hurriedly up
to the Project-E Chairperson, and did not seem inclined to casual
conversation.
"I brought along something you might find helpful." Naoko indicated
a pair of coolant tubes on a screen. On the screen diagram, the
pipes ran into the large bars the made up the magnetic containment
cage that was going to be used in the operation.
"What's this?"
"I've been analyzing Angel combat tactics as of late, with the Magi's
help. I was planning on sharing some of the data with you later
today, but as you know, there have been other duties that needed
attending to. Suffice it to say that if we can count on any kind of luck,
it will be bad luck. The Angels have a penchant for rebuffing our
initial attacks."
"So the coolant tubes?"
"If we are to make a successful capture, we should have a means of

containing the Angel beyond the magnetic field. Even in this
chrysalis stage, we have no indication that this Angel could not
generate an AT Field, or morph into a form more suited for attack.
We can use Bakelite on the surface to suspend activity once the
Angel has been extracted, but during the dive it'll be of no use. The
temperature is too extreme for the Bakelite to cool. The only
encasement option we have outside of the magnetic cage is the
magma itself. If we could cool it quickly enough, we can transform
the lava into porous rock."
Misato looked incredulous. "In molten lava? Wouldn't the

temperature outside the cage cause the encasement of rock to melt
immediately back into its liquid form."
Naoko nodded. "Which is why we have to continually recycle the

liquid helium we plan on using. My main concern is that rock will
form around the spray nozzles," Naoko indicated four nozzles at the
top corners of the capture apparatus, all pointing to the inside of the
cage, "but the extreme temperature will work in our favor there.
Whenever the temperature becomes too warm, the blockage will
melt, and we can re-solidify the interior around the Angel. Of course,
we've never had to worry about solidified rock gumming up the
works before, so who knows if it'll pan out that way."
"Sounds iffy."
"I think we would do better to have this than go on without it. Of

course, you are the Operations Director. I'll only put this in place with
your permission."
Misato nodded. "Will this arrangement result in a significant loss of

structural integrity with the bars of the capture assembly?"
Naoko nodded. "It can't be helped. But the construct counted on the
strength of the magnetic casing more than it did on the integrity of
the projection assembly."
Misato considered this for a moment. "Do it."
Scene Shift
Shinji looked overhead at the circling aircraft from his position in

Unit-01. "What's that?"
"I was wondering about that as well." Rei chimed in from Unit-00.
She flexed her shoulder again, checking to ensure that the repairs to
Unit-00's reattached joint were adequate. So far she hadn't found
any discernable flaws. She was still wary, because the repairs had
seemed to happen so swiftly. She consoled herself with the fact that
Asuka wouldn't be close by to sabotage her during this operation.
Maya chimed in, giving Naoko time to oversee the hookup of coolant
lines instead of chitchatting with the pilots. "The U.N. Air Force will
be watching overhead for the duration of this maneuver.
Asuka seemed slightly relieved to hear that. "So, we're getting help.
Not that we need it, but that's nice."
Maya sounded sheepish in her reply. "No, they're here to ensure that
the Angel does not break containment. If we don't succeed, they'll
bomb the area with an N2 strike."
"This job sucks!"
Shinji got on the communication link after Asuka. "Who would order
such a thing?"
Maya was looking for something to take her off the comm. link now.
She didn't like the idea of instigating a talk that was critical of a
superior. "Commander Fuyutsuki."
"We should be using his blood for coolant." Rei let her opinion of the
man inflect in her comments, as if the words weren't enough.
Scene Shift
Asuka made her descent in Unit-02. The operation hit a serious snag
when it was discovered that the convection current of the magma
was flowing faster than initially estimated, and had caused the
embryonic Angel to descend further. Straining the Type-D equipment
almost past the breaking point, Misato ordered Unit-02 down further.
With the correction to her visibility allowed by her CT monitor, Asuka
was able to establish the presence of the Angel. The capture went
off without a hitch, and tension bled from the crew as Unit-02 made
its trip up.
Misato was on the comm. with her pilots. "Asuka, are you okay?"
"Of course. We have nothing to fear but fear itself. I just want to get
out of this plug suit. It's like a sauna in here."
"Fatties always have trouble with the heat." Rei played on the Third
Child's earlier protests about the fashion sense of an expanding plug
suit.
"You're not contributing, Rei." Misato let disapproval drip into her
warning.
"I apologize, Major."
"After this operation is over, we'll go to a nice hot springs. There's

one nearby."
"What's this?" Asuka asked in alarm. "This Angel is going nuts."
Misato was quick on the draw. "Activate the cage coolant. We've got
to stop this Angel from changing its current form."
Nearby, Aoba hit a button. The coolant, which had been slowly
circulating through the lines to keep them from being melted by the
magma, flooded into the interior of the containment cage. As the
Angel's hands tried to break through the magnetic field that held it,
rock formed around it. On the bottom side of the cage, the rock could
be seen to be less solid as glowing orange peaked through cracks of
grayish-black, much like a cooling volcanic flow.
"Triple the rate of ascent." Misato's commands were urgent. "We

have to get Unit-02 topside now."
Even as he carried out Misato's commands, Makoto called out. "The

coolant lines were not designed to withstand that sort of stress. The
friction and drag caused by flowing lava will be tremendous."
"We only have three hundred meters to go. If we lose a line, slow
down."
"Both nozzles have jammed. Liquid helium is back to a process of

re-circulation."
Misato turned to Naoko. "Can we reel the Angel up by the coolant

lines on the cage?"
"Either the lines or the cage bar itself would snap under that sort of
pressure. Remember, we made this on the fly."
Misato listened intently as Maya read of the increments of ascent.

The numbers rattled quickly. At fifty meters from surface contact,
Makoto called out, "We've lost cables three and five. We have to
slow down."
Almost at the same instant, Aoba was chiming in more bad news.
"The cooled magma has reheated. The Angel is about to break
through."
"Ascend at highest possible rate of speed," Misato called back.

"We've almost made it top side."
The crane that wound all of the coolant lines that ran to Unit-02's
Type-D equipment strained. There was no question of whether the
winch would give out. It was only a matter of when.
For once, luck was with the Nerv crew. Just as Unit-02 emerged from
the lava, the reel that had been winding so intently locked up.
Of course, to call it good fortune would have been to ignore other

events happening at the same time.
"The Angel has broken out. It is still in the lava."

"Oh no you don't." Asuka cried out. The Angel, which had been
swimming away, was suddenly seized by the claw from the
environmental assembly of Unit-02. Asuka grabbed the Angel by the
tail, and, with a shout of strained effort, flung the being out of the
lava. The creature, which was still small relative to the Eva, went
flying out of the crater, and onto a lip nearby.
"Unit-02 has snapped the other three coolant lines. The drag caused
by propelling the Angel was too much."
"Get the Angel, Rei." Shinji called out. Unit-00 scrambled for the
monstrosity, which was continuing to grow and flopping like a fish on
the ground. Unit-01 jumped over the edge of the crater. Shinji saw
with dismay that Asuka's Eva had already sunk into the lava. Shinji
had calculated the jump perfectly, and was able to grab onto a tie
that spanned across the five coolant lines that had so recently been
hauling Unit-02 up. There was a tie every fifty meters to keep the
tubes from crossing up. He reached into the magma with a scream
of pain, and grabbed for Unit-02.
He felt the fingers of Unit-01 scrape briefly against metal. Then,

despite how hard he tried, he couldn't feel anything except for raw,
empty heat.
Rei began dragging the Angel away from the edge of the basin, and
closer to the trucks that contained Bakelite. The Angel had grown
fast, impossibly so, and was now bigger than the android that
wrestled with it. It flopped its tail, which was where Unit-00 had its
grip, and managed to heave the Eva into the air and then back on
the ground with a hard impact. Rei grunted, but managed to keep
her grip. The Angel turned around, displaying that it had either no
backbone or one that was extremely flexible, and swiped at the blue
android's arm. Clawed hands dug through armor and into the Eva's
flesh, and caused the vise-like hold to finally be released. The Angel
began dragging its way back to the lava, but Rei tackled the monster
again, this time on its upper body. The Angel wiggled violently, and
succeeded in turning around in the grapple to face its attacker. It
opened its mouth, and bit down hard into Unit-00. In the plug, Rei's
plug suit became covered with a dotted red line on her own body
where the teeth were burying into Unit-00.
Unit-01 twisted upside down, locking a foot above the tie that it had
been using for an anchor. Shinji flipped the golem upside down with
dexterous ease, trying to move as quickly as possible. The result of
the action was that Unit-01 was immersed into the lava, from the
inverted head up to its thighs. The purple android reached down, and
was able to grab Unit-02. Shinji encountered a problem, though, as
he tried to bring them both back to the surface. The muscles in the
Eva's leg weren't strong enough to do the job. He tried to
concentrate, and searched with Unit-01's other foot for the spot on
the line were its anchor foot was wedged in. He found it hard to
focus because of the physical strain and pain. It felt as if parts of his
body were burning off.
On the bridge, Misato called out. "All spray trucks, converge on Unit-
00's position. Encase the Angel and the Eva both if you have to. We
have to stop this Angel before it gets back into the lava pool." Misato
turned over to Naoko. "What can we do about Shinji?"
Naoko had been more worried about Rei. Her sync ratio had
suddenly spiked. It was much higher than she wanted it to be. She
was suddenly overcome with more worries about the Second Child
instigating a Third Impact. But she spared a quick glance to the
monitor that reported Shinji and Unit-01's status. "His sync ratio is
erratic. He's in too much pain. Unit-01 will never be able to lift the
other Eva at this rate. If we artificially induce a drop in sync ratio or a
full disconnection, he could lose his grip on Unit-02."
"Dammit!" Misato now had to weigh the issue of when she should cut
her losses. If Unit-01 were unable to haul Unit-02 back up, she might
have to write off Unit-02.
And Asuka.
"Dammit, dammit, dammit." Misato set aside the tears that

threatened to well up. There would be time for that later.
Rei felt a spray of fluid surrounding Unit-00. The wounds began to
flow freely as the Angel twisted its head back and forth, like a dog
tearing into meat. And then, the lone eye of Unit-00 was only able to
pick up an amber-tinted haze from the world around her.
"Baka, let go!" Asuka cried over the link to Unit-01. "I can see Unit-
01's flesh burning off. Your armor is flowing into the magma. Don't
cause us both to die."
"Shut up, Asuka!" The harsh tone was not enough to hide the
undercurrent of agony that the boy was feeling. Shinji was finding it
hard to concentrate. But she was right. He couldn't hold up to this
much longer. Already his sympathetic vision with Unit-01 had been
reduced to one eye. Whether this was because liquefied armor had
flowed the Eva's eye, or the eye had been burned from its socket, he
couldn't say. Even as he observed this, his vision went dark in the
other eye.
Some say inspiration derives from desperation. Shinji would later be

able to attest to how true it was in his case.
"Asuka! Expand your AT Field to Unit-01's right."
"I can't through this equipment."
The pain in Shinji's voice caused a wavering in his comments over

the audio. "Then discard it. We're dead anyway if you don't. Do it,
NOW!"
In the superheated haze of the magma, the gray suit came off. The
only part that remained was the right arm, which Unit-01 had in its
grip. "Expanding AT Field!"
Unit-02 raised an arm to its left. Octagonal lines formed close to

Unit-02, and pushed out slightly. At the same instant Unit-01 mirrored
the action, but in the opposite direction. The slight distention that the
AT Field made as it initially flowed from their respective sources
created a hole in the magma. The fields went down to fifty meters,
and managed to extend to both sides of the depression in the basin.
The molten earth flowed off the two Evas. With a quick glance down,
Asuka saw that at the bottom of where their AT Fields had
generated, the lava was rising up to them again.
"Climb me."
Asuka bit back a retort, and did as Shinji asked. She maneuvered
carefully, keeping Unit-02's arm extended and hopefully generating
her force field while she used the other for clambering up. She
grabbed onto the purple android's waist, and pulled her Eva up. Unit-
02 made its way up the torso as she gripped an ankle and pulled her
android towards the coolant lines. She felt her footing slipped, and
Shinji screamed over the link. She grimaced when she saw that what
she had been slipping on was a chunk of scorched flesh on Unit-01's
stomach that she had dislodged, revealing the pink and purple
innards of the golem. Unit-02 made it to the next tie on the five
cables. She reached down, and, in her desperation to grab Unit-01,
lost her concentration on her AT Field. The magma came pouring
back in. She reached down, and gripped the leg of the Eva unit
below her. With mighty heave, Unit-02 tossed the other android out
of the crater. The magma sloshed in from both sides, and though a
few drops sprayed up onto Unit-02, Shinji was clear of the
substance.
Scene Shift
Naoko was back in her office, comfortable in her chair. It wouldn't

last long, so she relished the sensation. Soon she would have to go
out to the Matsushiro Research site, and begin the process of
prepping for the Angelic specimen, as well as determining a secure
route by which to transport the Lancea Longinus to the site. The
location was close to the Seismic center, where the Angel had been
encased in Bakelite, along with the Prototype Eva. Moving the
specimen and Unit-00 was going to be a logistics nightmare as it
was; She didn't see any need for trying to haul the gigantic creatures
across the country side any further than she had to. And she
absolutely had to use the Spear of Destiny. To avert the danger of
the Angel breaking free and attacking, it needed to be reverted back
to its chrysalis form. And to do that, they would have to use the
lance.
That was not an action that needed to be carried out in the open,
and in full view of the public eye.
She ran another calculation through the Magi. She hoped that this
wasn't a mistake. This shouldn't trigger a Third Impact, but such
arrogance from the Katsuragi team had resulted in the Second
Impact fifteen years prior.
As she waited for the Magi's assessment, she looked at other data
from the battle. There was plenty of bad news there to hold her over.
Rei had achieved a sync ratio of 83 percent. It was evident too, as

the girl had begun manifesting sympathetic stigmata across her body
during the battle. Rei had been transported to Nerv's medical
facilities. Given that the wounds were mentally induced, all that really
remained was to wait for them to heal. Shinji had insisted that he
should return back to Tokyo-3 with his cousin. Upon finding out that
she suffered no serious injury and would be unconscious for some
time, and being exhausted himself, he was convinced to stay where
he was and enjoy a soak in the hot springs before coming back.
There was another problem. It would be some time before Unit-01

was operational again. When it had been thrown from the lava pit, its
armor had cooled and melded in places. That left the Android fused
into a fetal position, and hard to repair. The Eva was a tangled
jumble that would have to be welded apart. That would take time,
and serious necrosis could be expected on the tissue during the
interim. They would have to loot parts from the Germans again. The
Chinese had not come far along in their development of an Eva, but
she expected that Nerv would find them as difficult to budge as the
Americans when they asked for spare Eva parts. On the good side,
the damage was so extensive that the malformed experimental by-
products from the initial creation attempts of the Eva could be used
as replacements. The failed attempts would be good for a pair of
arms at any rate. The half-formed Evas existed merely as a sort of
morbid showcase now. They needed to be put to good use.
Naoko heard the tone that announced that the Magi's assessment
was complete, and went over the report. She sighed as she left her
chair, knowing that rest was now a prospect that could be placed in
the far distant future.
Scene Shift
Shinji sit against the side of the hot springs, his eyes closed. His
muscles could have been made of rubber, there was such an
absence of tension.
"I didn't know bathing could be this nice." Shinji mumbled absently to
himself.
"Shinji, can you hear me?"
"Ah, yes, Major Katsuragi."
"Be a dear and toss the body shampoo over to us."
"Ours ran out." Asuka added to Misato's comment, her voice

uncharacteristically sweet.
"Okay." Shinji walked over to the dividing fence, and heaved back
the bottle. "Here it comes." He launched the bottle over the partition.
There was a sound of flesh being slapped, and Asuka cried out,
"OWW."
"Sorry."
"He hit me in my most private part."
"Oh, let me see."
"Misato, that's ticklish."

"Wow, Asuka. Your skin is so soft."
"Oh, don't touch me there."
"Ah, but it will make you feel better."
Shinji listened intently, and felt a slight trickle of blood on his upper
lip. Her rubbed it, and his finger came away red.
He heard something overhead, and looked up. Misato and Asuka

had climbed up the fence together, their tops fully exposed. Both
were staring down at him impishly.
"He certainly is developed for a boy his age." Misato winked over at
Asuka.
"I suppose." The redhead answered the woman beside her in a tone
that was almost bored.
Shinji stood with his mouth in an open 'O' for a moment, before he
realized what it was the females were saying. He looked down, and
let out a yelp as he put both of his hands in the water to cover
himself. "Thermal expansion. How embarrassing."
Asuka began to laugh at his comment. She giggled so hard that she
lost her grip on her perch, and fell back with a splash on the other
side. "Ow! I think I got a splinter."
Misato winked at the boy, and lowered herself so that the fence
covered any view of her feminine assets. "You did well today, Shinji.
You acted like a man, and a hero to boot." She favored the boy with
a last wink, and descended back to the women's side.
Shinji stood for a moment, before going back to his previous spot.
He couldn't find the state of relaxation he had known minutes before,
but all the same, he kept a smile plastered to his face for the rest of
the bath.
Scene Shift
Misato sat, soaking in the sun. She looked over to see Asuka staring
back at her. More specifically, the girl gazed at the mark that was on
her chest.
"A memento from Second Impact." Misato turned to her charge.
"What?"
"The scar."
Asuka nodded, and looked away, lost in thought. "You know about
me, don't you? I mean, my past."
Misato nodded. "It's part of my job. The information in your dossier

was fully disclosed to me."
Asuka nodded, and returned to her quiet contemplations.
"I'm not the best one for advice on this, Asuka. My father wasn't
someone I was close to. He put his work over his family. Everyone
thought he was brave and self-sacrificing, but I thought he was a
coward. And then, when Second Impact occurred, he saved me, at
the expense of his own life. He was a man I hated, but when it
counted, he was there. It can be confusing to love and hate the
same person."
Asuka, almost in a whisper, responded, "Yeah."
"You can't let it eat at you, Asuka. It's just something that happens.
Do right by the people who are around you now, and try to forget the
bad things. That's all I know to tell you."
The redhead nodded, and gazed out morosely at the sunset.

Suddenly, she turned back to her guardian. "I could wash your back.
If we carried on the proper conversation, I think we could give Shinji
another nosebleed."
Misato smiled. "Sounds like fun."

Scene Shift
In his office, Kozo was brought out of his reports by the sound of air
depressing from the hydraulics that controlled his door. His gaze
took in the men he had been expecting. A pair of Section Two agents
were flanking a man with a noticeable amount of beard stubble. The
dark-haired man smiled crookedly. The smile showed two missing
teeth. Further signs of the man's recent misfortune could be made
out all along his countenance: a blackened eye that was turning from
purple to yellow, scrapes along a cheek, and a split lip were easily
evident.
"Mr. Ryoji." Kozo turned his gaze to the security detail. "You may
leave us."
The men nodded in unison, and left the room. As soon as the door
had closed again, Kaji piped up. "So good to see you again,
Commander Fuyutsuki."
"Yes, I imagine it is. You've caused quite a bit of trouble, Kaji."
Kaji indicated his face with a slight gesture. "I wished I could feel
bad, but I assure you I've been paying for my errors."
"Did they send you with any messages?"
"Yes. They want to know if or when they can expect the Fourth
Child."
Kozo slid a report across the desk. "The Marduk Report has just
located another pilot. Details will be released shortly."
He looked at the photograph taped to the file. It was a sandy-haired

child, in glasses, with a cheerful grin. Kaji felt bad for the boy.
He wondered how happy the boy would be, when he became

involved in high-level affairs, and shouldered the responsibilities of
saving the world. His heart went out to this Kensuke Aida, whoever
he was.
Cyber Undead once again deserves credit for proofreading this story.
He may not catch 'everything' but he does catch a lot more than I
did.
Chapter 16
Yui and Naoko sat across from one another in the former's office.
The room was clean and neat, if not a little cluttered. It was obvious
that she had a thing for pictures, as a lot of wall space and desk
space were devoted to various photographs. Prominent among the
photographs were Shinji and Rei, though a few featured Yui with
various friends and coworkers. A line of diplomas beside the window
accredited the woman's path to higher education.
Naoko placed a manila folder on the desk. "Is this really the best
choice we could make?"
Yui frowned slightly. What Naoko was actually asking was 'Are you
this stupid?'
"The Americans will get the next Eva pilot. Unit-03 and 04 are ready
to begin activation tests within the month. They will ask for a Child,
and we will be hard pressed to deny that request."
"We have three Evangelion Units and three pilots. If one of our pilots
were put out of active duty for any reason, it is the same as
immobilizing an Eva unit. At any time Asuka, Shinji, or Rei could
suffer from battle stress or mental instability because of the pressure
associated with fighting the Angels, and be sidelined. Not to mention
that they are still in the grips of adolescence. How long will it be
before they start rebelling against authority figures? It's a natural, not
to mention well-documented, fact of maturation that they enter such
a stage in their social development. And this doesn't take into
account the fact that any one of them could suffer from an incident
unrelated to their work here. One of them could easily break an arm
or become sick."
"I know, Naoko. I'm sure Misato will come to Fuyutsuki or me with
the same complaints before long. As it stands now, we only have one
active Eva. Unit-01 is approaching the Henflick limit by current
estimates, and even though it has been determined that it is still
salvageable, it will be some time before it becomes ready for active
service. Unit-00 is stuck to the last Angel, and until we have safely
dislodged it, we can't do anything with that one either. So, by the
Committee's estimation, we have one Eva and three pilots. The U.S.
will most likely have another active unit before we do. And since they
can configure their core data and fine tune it to the new pilot while
we can do nothing to Unit-00 or 01's core, it will seem sensible to let
the Americans go ahead."
"We are allowing them into the race. That shouldn't be acceptable.
They have the resources to fund an Eva program, and this will cause
acceleration in the other countries to develop their own projects. The
end result will be that Project E is decentralized."
"It can't be helped. To act differently would cast suspicion on us.

Besides, Kensuke Aida is the best potential pilot we could send to
them. According to his tests, he is ill suited for piloting, though he is
capable of establishing synchronization with an Eva unit. He has
physical limitations, most noticeable his poor eyesight. LCL will not
react well to contact lenses, and his vision within a liquid through a
pair of glasses will cause obscured visibility. Having to adjust
between his normal vision, his augmented vision with eyewear, and
whatever occipital sensory data he receives from the Eva should
serve as a noticeable deterrent to his performance as a pilot. And
this doesn't even factor in the problems that will be created by a
language barrier. The Fourth Child has limited English-speaking
skills. It's bound to cause confusion, and a noticeable delay in
reaction time."
Naoko considered this. "Wouldn't it seem to the Americans then that
we are trying to sabotage them?"
"Perhaps. But have you talked to the child yet? His enthusiasm is
boundless, and he possesses a wide pool of knowledge to draw
upon in military matters. Incidentally, don't leave the boy alone with a
computer terminal. He has a budding talent for hacking. Young Aida
has been going on excursions for a while now to train himself for
military service. His attitude and personality in general may be
enough to convince anyone that we are sending a competent
candidate for use with one of the American units."
"I still can't help but feel that this is opening Pandora's box."
"We opened Pandora's box a long time ago, Naoko. This action is
merely to make us appear docile. If we did not comply, the
Committee would be more likely to intervene. We have to give up a
small advantage in order to secure a greater one."
Naoko smirked. "That sounds like something Kozo might say. You
two have been scheming together for too long."
There was a momentary silence between the two women. That

comment had come as close to an accusation as Naoko had
bothered to voice. Yui immediately wondered if the woman had
gotten data that made it clear that Naoko was not privy to Kozo and
Yui's ultimate plans. Being the controller of the Magi, it was hard to
keep information from the woman. It was dangerous to give the
woman intelligence, but it was also dangerous to keep Naoko out of
the loop. Yui made a note to discuss with Kozo the possibility of
letting the doctor have another snippet of the truth to placate her
worries.
Yui decided that the conversational pause was stretching out a little
too long. "We were going to lose our pilot monopoly soon when the
dummy plugs came online. It was only a matter of time. We spotted
the Americans an extra month or two that we didn't think they would
have. We can afford that."
Naoko rose, and smoothed out her skirt. She donned her lab coat
again as she continued speaking. "I hope so. Well, I have an Angel
to pack up, and two Eva units to fix. And that's after I run tests on all
the pilots. Thank you for this talk, Sub-Commander Ikari."
Yui smiled pleasantly, if not sincerely. "It was no problem, Doctor

Akagi. I know this probably wasn't what you were eager to hear, but I
hope you understand why these choices had to be made in this
way."
Naoko nodded. "Of course. Enjoy the rest of your morning."
Scene Shift
Rei rolled her eyes as she approached the entrance to Nerv HQ.
Shinji gave her a long-suffering smile, as the two of them took in the
ceaseless exuberance of the boy behind them.
"Oh wow, a Centron F-38 card swipe security system. Nerv doesn't
use anything but the best. It would be difficult to get into this place if
you weren't on the staff."
Shinji looked back to Kensuke. The boy was beaming. The three had
walked to Headquarters after school, though Kensuke had insisted
he get to stop by the bathroom first. The boy had straightened his
school uniform and washed himself up. His hair had been combed
with Pythagorean precision, with nary a stray lock to be found. Shinji
didn't think Kensuke had ever dressed up this well on any other
occasion he could recall.
Rei swiped a card to go in, and Shinji turned to Kensuke. "Did you
get a…" Shinji stopped when he saw the boy's camcorder was on
and filming him. "Put that away."
Kensuke shook his head. "I want to record my initiation into the
ranks of Nerv. This is a day I'll cherish for the rest of my existence. I
can't believe I'm actually going to be a pilot!"
Rei turned back, and snatched the camera into her palm.
"Hey."
"Did it occur to you that Nerv is a top secret military installation? Do

you think such a place would want you to film its interior?"
Kensuke paused, which in itself was a blessing. He had been a non-

stop bubble of energy for the entire walk from school to Nerv. "I
guess not. I'll keep it off, just give it back to me."
Shinji laughed mockingly at that. "Sure, we trust you."
Rei tucked the video camera into the bag at her side. "I'm not letting
you touch this thing until you've had a bottle of Ritalin."
"As I was saying, did you get a security card yet?"
Kensuke looked back to Shinji. "Umm, no, I didn't. I've only been
here once, and that was when the beautiful Major Misato Katsuragi
had me sign some forms. Then that old Doctor woman ran a physical
on me."
Shinji nodded, and swiped his card. "Come along."
A sentry nodded to Shinji and Rei as they stepped up to the next

checkpoint. He asked Kensuke for his I.D. and got on the phone. He
turned back to the children. "Doctor Akagi asks that Mr. Ikari bring
the Fourth Children with him to the changing rooms. A Plug Suit has
been provided for him there. Please change and meet with her in
Lab C."
Shinji nodded, and he and Rei pulled Kensuke along, who was busy
studying the guard's rifle. The boy adjusted his glasses and looked in
shock at Rei. "What are you doing?"
Rei was behind the two boys now, and had been going through
memory files on the camcorder. "Hey Shinji, I think I figured out who
has been selling those pictures of Asuka to the school body." Rei
narrowed her eyes as she saw one. "Here's a nice one of her in the
girl's changing room with half of our female class. I will not kill you
now Aida, but only because I can't see myself in this picture."
Shinji tried to peek at the digital screen Rei was looking at, but
couldn't get an angle. Giving up, he wheeled on Kensuke, who was
waving his hands in front of himself and shaking his head. "Those
are Touji's doing. I didn't take any of those pictures."
"And yet, they are on your video camera. You didn't erase them,
even if you are telling the truth."
Kensuke looked back pleadingly. "Would you erase them?"
Shinji didn't have a very good answer to that. Luckily, his cousin did.
The two boys had paused, and she walked up to them and then
past. As she passed Kensuke, she punched him in the side. "Yes, he
would."
"Oww!"
"We mustn't damage him before the tests, Rei. Miss Naoko will get
angry with us."
Rei shrugged.
The pilots made their way to the changing room. Rei began to step
behind the curtain partition between the boy's and girl's side, and
paused. "Shinji, we know he's a Peeping Tom. Keep a close eye on
him."
Shinji nodded. When Rei had gone around the curtain, Shinji looked
back to Kensuke. "I hope you aren't going to be a nuisance. She'll kill
you if you do it."
Kensuke nodded solemnly. "I know. She's a scary girl. So, which
locker is mine?"
Shinji wasn't sure himself. "I think it might be this one here." One
locker was slightly ajar. When they opened it, they found a black and
purple plug suit hanging in it. "Go ahead and put it on." Shinji turned
around to get dressed in his own outfit.
A moment later, Shinji turned around to find Kensuke holding up his

arms. He was examining the loose material of the garment. "How did
you make yours do that?"
"Do what?"
"Fit."
Shinji indicated the button at his wrist. Kensuke pressed the

corresponding button on his own wrist, and the vacuum activated to
make a skintight fit. Through his glasses, Kensuke's eyes bulged.
Then he smiled. "That felt neat."
"Is he done getting off on his plug suit?" Rei called.
"There's a stain, so I think he's finished."
Rei came walking in from her side of the room smiling. "You know, it
wouldn't surprise me."
Kensuke looked resentful. "I'm still here."
"We know."
"You two take too much for granted. Don't you realize how truly great
this is? Can you imagine the level of technology that went into
designing this suit? This is the uniform of the pilots who go out and
save the human race from alien invaders. You should be more proud
of what you do. It is a sacred…"
"He rants like Aunt Yui." Rei opened the door to the outside hallway.
Shinji was in agreement. "If you are going to expose us to an

appreciation speech, at least do it while you're walking." The Ikaris
went out the door, and Kensuke hurried to catch up.
Scene Shift
Kaji Ryoji was sitting in the stall of a public restroom. Which might
have been unremarkable, save for the fact that he still had his pants
on, and was merely waiting for someone to come. The door opened
to the restaurant outside, and he heard someone turn on the sink.
Then he listened to the newcomer go into the stall beside him.
From the other side of the flimsy wall came a gruff voice. "This
change in climate is making me crazy."
"It is said that those the gods would destroy, they first make mad."
"Mr. Ryoji, I trust you are not at this eatery alone?"
"My security contingent is in the dining area. Undoubtedly one will

come to check on me soon. We need to be quick."
A hand with an envelope appeared under the wooden stall. Kaji

reached down and retrieved it, careful not to touch the floor.
"Inside you will find instructions. Your freedom comes with a price.
The ageless man wants you to know you are expected to make good
on your part of the deal which resulted in your release from captivity."
"I feel like I am being double-charged for that favor. The Americans
and Nerv have me running errands for them as well."
"That is one of the downsides to being an agent for every possible

party. Live with it."
"Oh, those were my plans for the immediate future."
The deep-voiced man paused. After a moment, he continued. "Our

common patron also wanted you to know that if you did this, you
would find another piece of the puzzle."
"Good old Keel." The man on the other side of the wall tried to shush
Kaji with a noise. Kaji continued, heedless of the sound. "He always
knows which carrot to dangle. I have just one question."
"Oh? So long as it is discrete."
"Why in the world would you make our meeting here?"
"It is hard to escape the eyes of Nerv, especially in this town. This is
one of the few places I think might be away from their diligent
observation."
"There's wisdom to that. However, if we have another get-together, I

would like to choose the locale."
The man laughed. "We'll see."
Kaji got out, and washed his hands. It became obvious that the man
was going to wait for Kaji to leave before abandoning his stall.
Kaji sighed. He hated not knowing a name. But not even letting him
catch a glimpse of the person he had spoken with was overly
miserly. But he understood.
Keel Lorenz was being careful.
Scene Shift
Asuka could feel the LCL surrounding her. If she had opened her
eyes, she would have seen her auburn locks drifting at the side of
her head.
She kept her eyes close, and concentrated on the Eva. It was a
robot that she needed to tame. Like a horse, she had already broken
it in, and was becoming used to its finer nuances. Mastery was not
enough, though. It needed to behave as she willed it to. She was the
best, and she had to become better. When the next Angel came,
there would only be her Unit-02 to stop it. She had to be perfect.
And she would be. This was her puppet, her doll, and she would
make it dance.
In her mind, she saw a small replica of Unit-02 on a set of strings

she held. She wiggled her fingers, and the Eva would react perfectly.
It jumped with the grace of a ballerina, and made complicated moves
with its arms. One of the strings tangled around the Eva's neck, and
it seemed to draw up on that string. It hung, like a corpse on the
gallows.
Or like a washed-out mother.
"Asuka, what are you thinking about in there?" Naoko's voice came
in over the audio feed to the plug.
"Nothing."
"Well, concentrate on the Eva. Your sync ratio was looking good, but
then something made it deviate."
Asuka nodded, and tried to slip into a state of relaxation again. She
drove thoughts of her past from her mind. She was self-sufficient,
intelligent, beautiful, and charming. She had no need of those who
would abandon her. She didn't need anyone.
She would make this doll dance.
Scene Shift
Naoko sipped her coffee, and looked back to a digital readout.

"Looks like she's returned back to normal."
Misato looked up through the glass and into the Eva cage at the red
golem. "Good. She's my only pilot now. It's a lot to ask of her, but
she's got to carry the whole load for a while."
Naoko picked up a phone, and hit several buttons. After a ring a

female's voice answered. "Lab C."
"Maya, are the other pilots ready yet?"
"They reported to the Lab a few moments ago. I am prepping for

their insertion into the simulation plugs now, ma'am."
"Thanks. I'll be down shortly. Wait until I arrive before we begin

injecting LCL and compiling data."
"Yes, Dr. Akagi."
Naoko hung up the phone, and turned back to Misato. "We have the
readings we need here. I need to get the other children started so
that I can return to the Matsushiro Research Facility."
Misato looked sympathetically at the doctor. "You're going to run

yourself ragged if you aren't careful."
Naoko ignored the comment, and activated her microphone. "That's

good for now, Asuka. Eject the plug and go get cleaned up."
Scene Shift
Ritsuko Akagi stood in a darkened room. She assumed the wait she
was going through was some sort of head game on the part of her
contact. Old men were so obstinate with their need for a pecking
order. She straightened her lab coat, and put her hands back in her
pockets. There was more than a slight chill in the air. It was a
concession made to the sophisticated electronics that would be
needed to project the hologram communication. The equipment had
a tendency to heat up.
There was a warble as the projector suddenly came on. In front of

her, a blackened monolith appeared. On it was written Seele-01
(Sound Only).
"Dr. Akagi. I am glad to see I am not too late."
Ritsuko checked her watch. By her timepiece, this man was closing
in on forty-five minutes after the time he had agreed to contact her.
"To the point: our control over the organization known as Nerv is, at
best, tenuous. Commander Fuyutsuki is trying to cover up this fact,
but we have seen tendencies that he is pursuing his own agenda.
Recently, he captured a live Angel against the Committee's
warnings. Such a thing can upset the unfolding of age-old mandates.
We do not wish to see this happen."
Ritsuko cleared her throat, hoping to cover her nervousness. "What

is it you would like me to do?"
"I am satisfied that you are working under your own agenda, as
opposed to being a spy for Nerv. This was a concern among several
members for some time as to where your true loyalties lay"
Ritsuko thought about the last few weeks with disdain. She had been
subjected to questioning while under the influence of truth serum, put
through psychological evaluations, and most likely had an extensive
background check and surveillance run on her. She had suspected
that she was about to be allowed into the Inner Circle.
She was glad to see she had been right.
"I hope they are past on any doubt concerning me."
"How soon can you have your project operational?"
"For combat?"
The monolith hovered, with no sound coming from it. She took that
as an affirmative.
"We can engage in field maneuvers with no difficulty. But fighting an

Angel is still beyond our capabilities. There was one thing that Nerv
believed in, and it still holds true: without the capacity to generate an
A.T. Field, it is almost impossible to bring down an Angel."
There was a pause. Ritsuko wondered if she was going to get an

answer, just an instant before she received it. "I will see to it that the
components you require are put into your possession. In return, I
need your project to move ahead with the utmost haste. We do not
have much time."
"I promise that, if you provide me with the means, I will find a way."
"If this is so, you may very well be overseeing Nerv within a few
months. Do not fail us, Dr. Akagi."
The monolith vanished. Ritsuko looked around the room, frowning at

the equipment. All of this gear was to project a black monolith with
white writing?
She turned and walked out. She needed to get ready. If Keel was
promising parts, then they were as good as delivered.
Scene Shift
As Naoko entered the room, Kensuke snapped to attention and

saluted. Rei rolled her eyes again, and Shinji stifled a laugh.
Heedless of the two, the sandy-haired boy practically shouted. "Pilot
Kensuke Aida ready for duty, sir… er, ma'am."
Naoko favored the boy with a slight grin. "At ease." Kensuke crossed
his hands behind his back and assumed a stance with his feet
slightly apart, but otherwise showed no evidence that he was at
ease.
"Since none of you have your Eva units, we have instead

downloaded your data into remote plugs. Shinji and Rei, your next
such test will probably occur in the Pribno Box. Kensuke's data will
be forwarded to the Americans to help in the startup process."
Shinji looked over at Kensuke. "You're going to the U.S.?"
Kensuke didn't deviate his gaze from straight ahead as he

answered. "I am scheduled to leave within the week."
Rei let out a relieved sigh, and then returned to attention when she
noticed all of the room was looking at her.
"Okay children, follow the hallway to the doors at the end. Shinji will
report to RP01, Rei to RP02, and Kensuke to RP04. This is not your
first time being in the plug, is it, Pilot Aida?"
Kensuke looked over at Rei guiltily. "No, ma'am."
"So the LCL shouldn't be the surprise for you that it was for our other
pilots. Still, we'll talk you through the process."
"Thank you, ma'am."
"Report to your plugs for the tests."
"Yes, ma'am." The children managed to sound the affirmation of

Naoko's orders in unison. They made their way down the hall. Before
the door had closed, the people in the lab could hear Shinji mutter
"Brownnoser."
Scene Shift
Naoko and Maya watched the displays together. Maya looked to her
mentor questioningly.
"These readings on the Fourth Child are lackluster, ma'am. He is

only attaining about half the start up synchronization rate of Rei, who
was our previous lowest scorer in this area."
Naoko nodded. Score one for Yui Ikari. "13 percent is still
acceptable, even if it isn't optimal or promising. I'm going to clear him
for transfer."
Maya nodded, and looked to a data screen on the side of Kensuke's

readings that indicated personal information. "I assume his father is
going to relocate as well."
Naoko nodded. "It'll help Kensuke with the transition. It wouldn't be
right to drop the boy off in a country where he barely spoke the
language without one friendly face."
Maya pointed to Rei's readings. "She's really improved."
Naoko frowned at that. "Reconfigure the signal so that this

parameter is narrower." Naoko pointed to a blue bar on the computer
monitor.
Maya looked to the doctor puzzled, but carried out her orders. On
the screen that showed Rei's face, the girl seemed to strain harder.
On the graph, her sync ratio dropped 22 points, from 61 to 39
percent.
Naoko patted Maya's shoulder. "That's good."
"Are we attempting to sabotage Rei's piloting ability, ma'am?"
Naoko scrambled in her thoughts for a moment. She would rather

Maya didn't know what the real reason was, but the tech needed a
valid explanation of what she had just seen. Then she had an idea.
"In the last battle, the injuries Unit-00 received manifested on Rei. I
believe that her body is overly sympathetic to the stimuli provided by
the Eva. If we don't keep her synchronization rate down, a
confrontation with an Angel might kill her."
Maya nodded, and Naoko was relieved that the woman accepted the
explanation at face value.
It was hard to keep a secret and mislead those you trusted, but
Naoko knew it was for the best.
Scene Shift
The three children were entering the change room. Kensuke, away
from his superiors, had regained his initial excitement.
"Do you know what that LCL smells like to me?" The freckled boy
was saying.
"Blood." Rei ventured a guess in a flat monotone.
Shinji paused, as if sudden realization had seized him. "Hey, it

does."
A fourth voice chimed in from behind one of the boys' lockers. "I don't
know. I think we should have the peeper make a comparison."
Kensuke had to scramble quickly to catch the camcorder that was

launched at his chest. He juggled it a few times, and followed it
down. He was able to get it under control before it hit the floor.
Asuka stared down on him with a look that promised murder.
"Oh shit." Shinji took a step away, fearing the scene that would
unfold now that the Third Child had discovered the pictures that
Kensuke had been taking.
"You. You are the one who has been selling glossies of me around
school." Asuka raised her fist again, the action promising
punishment.
"It's not what it looks like." Kensuke paused as the German held up a
wallet. She opened it and pulled out several bills.
"4,000 yen is all you have. Surely I made more cash than that."
"Well, I spent about half of it on a new memory card, and got an

upgrade… hey, what are you doing?"
"That was an admission of guilt. What you have been doing is

blatant exploitation, and without any consent from the subject you
have photographed. And it wasn't just me: how do you think the
ladies in our class will feel once they find out you were
photographing the girls' locker room." Asuka closed the empty wallet,
and threw it on the floor.
"Not all of it. I have to eat."
Asuka looked at the boy levelly. She pulled a 500-yen bill out of the
pile, and threw it on the ground in front of him. "I'm keeping the rest
as a modeling fee, as well as the chip with these pictures on it. If I
see that camcorder out around me again, or find out that more
pictures have been sold, I will smite you down, Fourth Child. And I'll
break that camcorder into a thousand pieces."
Kensuke looked at Asuka accusingly. "That memory card is worth a

lot of money. I'll erase it, just return it."
"If you were trustworthy, we wouldn't be having this conversation."
"She's got you there." Shinji threw in.
"I need that back." Kensuke lunged for the memory chip Asuka had
in her hand. He grabbed it, just before the German pushed him
away.
Asuka grimaced, and kicked Kensuke in the groin. He collapsed on

the floor in pain. She walked up to him, and pulled the chip from his
hand. "You really should have just left well enough alone, Aida. Think
about that the next time you want to be a lecher with a camera. I
might let you have your attachment back, after a magnet has been
run over it several times." Asuka made her way to the door, before
turning back around to face Shinji. "Call me tonight."
"Umm… yeah. I will."
Rei watched the redheaded girl disappear from the room. She turned
back to Shinji. "You know, I almost liked her for a minute there."
Shinji kneeled down, and tried to help Kensuke up. "That had to
hurt."
Kensuke was still clutching between his legs. "I think I'm going to be
sick." He looked up at the door where Asuka had just left. "She is a
foreign devil with no soul."
Shinji smiled, his own thoughts considerably brighter as he

contemplated Asuka. "She isn't someone you want to make mad.
Here, let me help you sit up."
Kensuke sat up slowly. He took his time letting the pain lessen.
Finally, he looked at Shinji. "Did I do okay today?"
Shinji looked puzzled. "What do you mean?"
"My first day, did I do okay? With the plug test, and all of that."
Shinji clapped the boy on the back, which started a pair of coughs
from Kensuke. "You did fine. Everyone was real impressed, I could
tell. And Asuka didn't kick me in my package until almost two weeks
after I met her. You're ahead of schedule."
Kensuke looked at Shinji. "You know what? You're okay, Ikari."
"If you're done with the male bonding, hurry up and change so I can
leave." Shinji could make out Rei's silhouette behind the curtain, and
saw that she was in her school uniform again. "We really need to get
the girls a separate door to the hall. This is kind of ridiculous."
With a final look to one another, Shinji and Kensuke went to their
separate lockers and began changing.
Cyber Undead proofread this story. Any lack of spelling and

grammatical errors is due in large part to his efforts.
My appreciation is also extended to Big D, who looked over some of

the finer points of the plot.
My heartfelt thanks go out to both of you.
Chapter 17
Shinji waved a final farewell at the train that was pulling away, and
looked back to the people with him. Touji was standing beside the
class rep and Asuka. Rei was over to the side, her hands clasped in
front of her. He pitied the look on Touji's face.
"Kensuke will be fine. I know he hated leaving behind his friends, but
I don't know anyone who could be as excited as he is." Shinji turned
from Touji to Asuka. "Thanks for giving him back his memory stick."
"I did it because he can't do any more damage here."
"It meant a lot to him, though."
Touji turned as if to leave, and the class rep walked up beside him.
Shinji noticed Asuka had come over to him as well.
"Shinji, walk me home." Asuka whispered with her hand placed to

the side of her mouth to keep the words from traveling in the
direction of Hiroki and Suzahara.
Shinji turned and cast a glance towards Rei. She came over to the
duo. "What is it?"
"I umm… well… I was going to walk Asuka back to her apartment."
Rei looked at Asuka with no enthusiasm. She turned back to Shinji.

"That's fine. I had something I wanted to do."
While Shinji and Rei were talking, Hikari came trotting back to Asuka
and the two had their own quiet conversation. Shinji wasn't sure of
what exact words of their dialogue consisted of, but he could figure
out what the sparkling look in Hikari's eyes meant. He spoke to Rei
again. "Are you sure? I don't mind you coming along."
"Oh, I'm sure. I don't want to be around while you get all dopey over
that girl, and I really have other things I need to do."
Shinji nodded, and gave Rei a hug. "Be safe, cousin. If you have any
problems…"
"I'll call you on the cell phone."
Asuka was waiting on the two of them now, her arms crossed and
her foot tapping anxiously. Rei favored the German with a last dark
look over Shinji's shoulder, before backing away. "Wish me luck." Rei
smiled a little as she made the request.
Shinji blinked. "Good luck." The statement came dangerously close

to sounding like a question, but it was good enough for Rei, who
turned and almost skipped off.
Shinji walked up to Asuka, who held her book bag out almost
absently. "Let me get that for you, Asuka."
Asuka smiled benignly. "Of course, if you want to." He took the
satchel from her hand, his finger brushing up against hers for just the
briefest instant. For Shinji, it was electrical. Asuka turned and began
walking, and Shinji matched her pace easily.
"So… Hikari and Touji?"

Asuka looked over to the blue-eyed boy with an annoyed look on her
face. "Don't remind me. I don't know what's wrong with her. It's like
she fell for him while he was using the pity card before he played it."
"What?"
Asuka favored the First Child with a sly look. "Surely you boys talk
about this."
Shinji shrugged. "If we do, I've missed some of the meetings."
"Some girls have a natural nurturing instinct, I guess from where

they're pining to have children and sit around the house and cook for
their husbands." Asuka's tone let her express what she thought
about that sort of mindset. "And any pain or suffering of any sort in
others is liable to set off a Florence Nightingale reaction that can be
exploited."
"Oww! My ankle!" Shinji placed the school bags on the ground and
started rubbing his foot.
Asuka smirked. "You're fast on the uptake, Ikari. Of course, you're

assuming I'm one of those boring housewife types. I'm not, so you
can drop the act. I think that guys that try to milk sympathy are
pathetic."
Shinji looked like he was about to say something, but instead closed
his mouth abruptly. The two began walking on, Shinji with a slight
limp and Asuka laughing at his efforts in her mind.
"So, how are you making out with the Major as a roommate?"
"She's a slob, and she has disgusting table manners. Plus, dinner is
absolutely horrible."
Shinji laughed. "Sounds about how I remember it."
Asuka looked sourly at his laugh, but went on. "You should have
seen how she tried to decide chores. She would play paper, rock,
scissors, and cheat! I caught her doing it close to when we started
though, so I was able to keep it pretty even. I placed a divider
between our hands, and I would pick it up quick after we had made
our choice. It kept her from changing her decision, or letting her hand
fall slower to see what I had first."
"That was pretty smart."
Asuka looked to her apartment building, which they were

approaching at a noticeable pace. "Of course."
Another silence threatened to invade, before Shinji spoke up. "Are

you two the only people living in that building?"
Asuka laughed. "Yeah, how weird is that? Misato said it was

because Section Two wanted to keep better security on us, and it
was close to Nerv HQ. I think it's bizarre. I don't even know why we
have to clean our apartment. It seems like once we were done with
one, we could move to the next one."
Asuka noticed that as Shinji relaxed into their conversation, his limp
became more prevalent. "You weren't kidding back there."
"What's that?"
"Your ankle really was hurt."
"It's not bad."
Asuka went to take her bag back from Shinji, but the boy kept a firm
grip on it. "We've made it this far. An elevator ride with this little load
isn't going to be a problem."
Asuka nodded, and the two rode up to their apartment in silence.

When they made it to the door, Asuka opened it and pulled Shinji in.
"What the…"
"We're going to look at that injury and make sure it's alright, Mister
Ikari. You can take a seat in the living room." Asuka guided Shinji to
the sofa, and gave him a slight shove into it. His head flopped onto
the back. Clothes were scattered about the apartment, and Asuka
started picking them up with disgust. "She's such a slob."
A voice called out from the bathroom, "She can hear you very
plainly."
Shinji noticed Asuka pick up a bra and pair of panties in the hallway,
in addition to the skirt and uniform she had already retrieved. Did
Misato come stripping through the apartment as soon as she entered
it? That made for a pleasant visual.
"Now let's see." Asuka raised Shinji's foot up and examined the
ankle. She touched it, and once because of the pressure she
applied, he flinched, but otherwise he took her ministrations well
enough. Asuka finally looked back up at him. "I guess you are okay.
You just twisted it."
There was a laugh from the hall. Misato stood there, her hair
wrapped in one bath towel and her body wrapped with another. "Way
to go, stud. You've got her waiting on you hand and foot."
Asuka let Shinji's foot fall with little regard, and stood up pointing at
Misato. "We've got company. Go put some clothes on, right now."
"Oh, I don't think he minds, do you, Shinji?"
"Umm…"
"Get out!" Asuka said forcefully at the woman, who grinned impishly.
"Fine, I'll go change. You two behave."
Asuka watched Misato go, and turned back to Shinji. "She can be so
annoying."
Shinji nodded. "It looks like she's giving you a hard time."
Asuka nodded. "If only she could do something useful, like cleaning
or cooking or anything. It's no wonder she's still single. When you
were around, you could make a decent meal at least."
Shinji was silent for a moment. Asuka looked to see what was wrong,
and the boy looked like he was psyching himself up.
"If you like, you could come over to our house sometime and have
dinner with us. I'm sure mom won't mind."
Asuka had to give the First Child credit. He managed to sound

casual with the request. But she could see the telltale signs of
nervousness: sweat, dilated pupils, purposely slowed breathing, and
tension. "I suppose I could. When did you have in mind?"
She could almost hear him exhale. "How about we have it at the end
of the week? Would Saturday be good?"
Asuka nodded, and pulled the boy's sock back on. "Do you need any
ice for that?"
"No, I think it's fine now, thanks. I know that checking this stuff out
isn't really something which interests you."
Asuka walked Shinji to the door. As he went to leave, she stopped

him and leaned in. She kissed him on the cheek. After she pulled
away, he stood there, a little stunned. She closed the door, and
turned around with an air of contentment. "That should leave him
wrapped around my finger."
"I didn't see him fawning over your feet." Misato called from the hall.
"So, you're going to have dinner with the Ikaris."
"It's not your concern, Misato. And eavesdropping is wrong."
Misato smiled as she entered the living room. "But it's very fun. And
it's a big step, a boy bringing you home to meet his mother.
Especially when his mother is the Sub-Commander of Nerv."
Asuka shrugged. "I don't have to impress her anyway. I'm just going
for the food."
"So, are you and Shinji an item?"
Asuka frowned. "We haven't ever gone out on a date."
"So go out sometime."
"I am a woman. I do not ask boys to date me. I will not stoop so low
as to ever do such a thing. If he wants to go out, he'll have to ask
me."
Scene Shift
Shinji entered into the house, whistling a happy tune. He was glad
things had gone as well as they did. He considered himself a fairly
articulate guy, but when he was around Asuka, or Misato for that
manner, he was reduced to stuttering, and straining to follow the flow
of conversation. When he spoke with Rei or his mom, he could say
witty stuff as well as the next person. He had to get over being
nervous.
He stopped by Rei's room as he heard a noise coming from within.

He strained, struggling to identify the sound. It sounded like… crying.
"Rei?" Shinji called out, knocking lightly on the door. She didn't
answer, so he cracked open the entry to her room. He saw her azure
hair by the dimming illumination of the evening light streaming in
through the window, but not much else of her. The overhead light
was off. She was hugging a stuffed animal, and had several of her
Beanie Babies scattered on the floor around her. Her covers were
pulled up over most of her body.
"Go away, Shinji."
Shinji came over and sat down beside her, lifting her chin up. He
pulled a few tissues from a nearby box, and gave them to her.
"The security guy?" Shinji looked to a nearby notebook, where Rei
had written what her last name would be if they married, or what his
name would be if he changed it like Shinji's dad had done. Tukagi
Ikari and Rei Ikita. "Ikita?"
Rei blew her nose, and looked at her cousin levelly. "Don't. I don't
want an 'I told you so' speech right now, and if you give me one, I'll
never forgive you."
Shinji smiled, and leaned back against the wall, mimicking Rei's
posture, and turned to her. "I wouldn't do that. Not right now,
anyway." Rei hit him in the shoulder, but there was little force behind
it. "Alright, no jokes. I'm sorry it didn't go the way you wanted, Rei."
Rei held out her hand, examining it in the dim glow of dusk. "It's
because I'm a freak."
"Is that what he said?"
"No, but it's the truth. I'm as pale as liquid paper, and my hair looks
like I'm trying to be a punk star."
Shinji waved a dismissive hand. "You've got a condition. It doesn't

look bad."
"You're not an unbiased observer, Shinji. I look like some sort of

misshapen oni-girl."
"Kensuke thought you were cute."
Rei stared at her cousin a moment, a slim suggestion of a smile

starting on her face. "Are you trying to make me feel better? I mean,
come on, Aida thinking I'm pretty is supposed to help?"
Shinji shook his head, hoping to throw in a joke and get her spirits up
now. "No, but at least you don't look like him."
Rei put her head back down. "It would probably be better if I did. Just
go away for now, Shinji. I want to mope for a while."
Shinji got up and left the room. Rei sighed and put her head down.
She lifted it back up a few moments later as the light switch was cut
on. She saw Shinji with a few books and two bowls of ice cream.
"You don't think I'm ugly enough without being fat as well?"
"Give it a rest, Rei. You know you're not ugly." Seeing her about to
interrupt, he talked a little louder. "I'll bet he said it was because you
were too young, didn't he?"
Rei lowered her head. Shinji went on. "And it doesn't seem possible
to you that the explanation he gave might be the actual reason."
Rei grabbed a bowl of ice cream, and put some in her mouth. "I'm
going to be like one of those humongous people in the world records
book. There will be a picture of me going down the street on a
moped on the 2020 back cover. I'll look like a beach ball on a
crayon." Rei scooped another bite of ice cream, and swallowed it
quickly. "I'm going to be the sumo girl."
"And I can take pride in the fact that I started you down that path."
Shinji opened a book, and started his homework. "Let me know
when you're done wallowing in self-pity; I'm going to go ahead with
my studies." He felt something soft hit his head, and reached back to
retrieve one of Rei's Beanie Babies from where it had impacted on
his skull. "The plastic eyes on these things hurt you know."
"Good."
Scene Shift
Aoba strummed happily on his guitar, adding a nice acoustic

accompaniment to the lead singer, Yasashiku. The band was doing a
decent rendition of one of the many nineties pop songs in their
repertoire, and the crowd seemed agreeable enough to a little
interpretation. It was needed to make some of the songs work for
two instruments. He looked to Haru for a brief instance, who was
focused on his drums. As the set ended, Yasashiku announced that
the band would be taking a brief break before starting another set.
Aoba walked over to his friends, Makoto Hyuga and Maya Ibuki, who
were sitting at a table in the middle of the café. Makoto applauded
openly, and Maya did a little golf clap beside him. Makoto sported a
pair of Khaki pants and a striped shirt, while Maya was in blue jeans
and a yellow tee shirt. Aoba looked to the side, where the other two
band members had followed him down.
"Yasashiku and Haru, meet Makoto and Maya." Aoba made sure to
indicate each person with his hand as he spoke their names. Makoto
had already seen the two men before, but still offered a handshake
to each. Yasashiku was a man of medium height, with blonde
highlights in short cropped hair. He sported a thick pair of glasses
that looked like they could stop bullets. Haru looked pretty plain, with
neatly trimmed black hair, in a pair of blue jeans and black shirt.
Maya studied the latter intently. "I've seen you around the Cage, I
think."
Haru nodded. "I'm in there on occasion. I'm more of a go-for than

anything else."
Yasashiku looked up, and then back to the group. "Not to be rude,
but lady love just came through the door. It was a pleasure to meet
you, Maya, and you as well, Makoto." The singer left and made his
way to a pretty brunette who had just entered.
Aoba smirked at his friend's departure. "He's got it bad."
Haru agreed with him. "We should really start looking for a new lead
singer. That one will be married inside of a year."
All four were sitting around the table now. Maya leaned in to the
conversation to be better heard. "So, how did you all meet?"
"Haru and I went to University together. As you know, Nerv has a
tendency to draft from certain institutes. We just lucked up and made
the same branch."
"And we met Yasashiku here. He's with Public Relations."
Makoto raised a glass. "To NeoTokyo-3, the city that Nerv built."
They lifted their various drinks, and let their containers clink against
each other.
Aoba looked over to Maya. "So, what did you think?"
Maya began to speak, but Haru interrupted her. "And be brutally

honest. We have thick hides."
"Well… I think you guys were good."
Aoba grinned. "You're not just being nice?"
Maya shook her head. "No, I liked it."
And then, the lights went out. There were sounds of shock and then
disapproving murmurs from the other patrons around them. Maya
spoke up again. "This shouldn't be able to happen."
Makoto spoke up. "Don't worry. The power will be switched to

standby soon."
Scene Shift
Naoko looked down on the passing countryside in the dark. The

ground flowed by rapidly as the VTOL sped towards its goal. In the
distance, she could make out her destination, due to the total lack of
illumination coming from it. She spared a last look to the Matsushiro
Research facility. She needed to turn in before long anyway. She
was becoming too fatigued to maintain any mental alertness. And
she would need to be sharp for tomorrow. That was when she had
planned to use the Lance on the Angel, and reduce it to a more
manageable state. That fact made the present circumstance
suspicious.
There was no way to lose the main power and the three backup
circuits at the same time. It just couldn't happen. Which meant that it
had been done as an act of sabotage.
All of this activity did not bode well on the night before she was to
perform her riskiest operation to date.
Naoko leaned up to the cockpit. "Double the security detail at the

Matsushiro site."
The co-pilot turned his head back. "Yes, ma'am."
Dr. Akagi leaned back. She hoped that Kozo had the good sense to
keep all power siphoned to the Magi and Central Dogma.
Her already taxed mind had another problem added to it by a chance

glance at the countryside east of Tokyo-3. She saw, with
questionable clarity, something massive and sleek move. She looked
to the pilot, who was speaking over the radio. Her suspicions were
confirmed as she made out his dialogue.
An angel was attacking.
Scene Shift
Misato brought her Renault screeching around the corner and

towards the vehicular escalator. She stopped the vehicle in front of
the gate that barred her entry into the garage of Nerv Headquarters.
After the power had went out, Asuka had made an offhand comment
about how this would be the worst time for an Angel to attack. That
statement had worked on the Major's paranoia until she had decided
to err on the side of caution.
"Crud. I forgot the doors that go down to the command bridge from
here are hydraulically sealed. I'm not sure where we're supposed to
get into this building."
Asuka rolled her eyes, and cupped her hands to her mouth. She
leaned her head out the window. "PRETTY GIRLS IN NEED OF
SOME ASSISTANCE!"
There was quiet for a moment, and then they could make out
approaching footfalls on the concrete. Misato looked at Asuka
accusingly. "You just set the women's movement back ten years, you
know."
"This from the female who tries to flash every guy that comes into
the apartment."
Misato grinned as she made out a man coming around in the corner
in the tan outfit of Nerv security. "Someone is feeling defensive of her
Shinji."
"Shut up." Any further dialogue fell to the wayside as the sentry
approached the car, and Misato explained that the two of them
needed to be in HQ.
Scene Shift
Shinji heard Rei have a sharp intake of breath. He moved his candle
around to see her face. Shadows crept along it from underneath,
giving her a macabre appearance. "What is it?"
"I… I don't…"
Shinji pulled himself back up, and studied his cousin more closely.
"Rei, you look scared. I can't tell if it's the candle or if it's you. Just
tell me what's going on."
"I had one of the dreams, Shinji. While I was awake."
Shinji studied her. "What, one of the 'evil twin' dreams, or the 'going
to school in your underwear' dreams?"
Rei spared him an unhappy glare. "I really don't feel like it now."
"Okay, I promise, I'll cut out the bad jokes. So, what was it?"
"Me… her… it was floating around in amber. And I… she was

suddenly free of it. Like it had drained away. And I saw a face." Rei
checked to make sure Shinji was paying good attention. "I saw a
man with a ponytail. I think it was Kaji."
Shinji seemed to ponder that for a moment. "Who?"
"Kaji. I don't remember his whole name. He came over from

Germany with Asuka, and she carried on and on about him." The
look on Shinji's face showed that he didn't like that particular piece of
information. "He was leading the dream-me through somewhere in
Nerv. I didn't recognize the place, but I could make out the insignia
on the wall."
"What do you make of it?"
"I don't…" Rei trailed off, and she seemed to stare off into the
distance. "He's taking me through a hall now. He wants me to go into
the ventilation shaft."
Shinji shook Rei. She blinked, and then tears started to fall from her
eyes. "Oh no. I think I'm going crazy, Shinji. Maybe it's the pilot
stress and Tukagi dumping me: I don't know." She sobbed a little
before continuing. "Do people know when they are going insane?"
Shinji pulled her up, and led her into the kitchen, carrying the candle
in his other hand. "I don't think there's anything wrong with you, Rei."
He placed the candle down, and started shuffling through a drawer
beside the sink. He stopped, and pulled out a flashlight. "And I'm
willing to prove it. We're going to Nerv."
Scene Shift
Maya, Makoto, Aoba, and Haru were crammed into a small Toyota,
going as fast as possible. They had left the café at a leisurely pace
after it was announced the band would not be coming back for
another set, and that power appeared to be out for the rest of the
night. Then they had heard one of the VTOLs overhead, and the
announcement that an Angel was approaching.
"It's because we were having too much fun." Makoto offered up his
theory on why things seemed to be going wrong.
They made their way to a garage. Misato and the Third Child were
waiting beside a door that two men on sentry detail were cranking
with noticeable strain. The door was almost open now.
Makoto looked excitedly at the Major. "There's an Angel

approaching!"
Misato winked down at Asuka. "Murphy's Law holds true again.

Come on, we've got to get down to the Eva cages."
There were several more doors waiting for them along the way, and
what felt like an endless supply of stair steps. The group made their
way through as fast as they could, and were at Unit-02's cage within
fifteen minutes. It was a feat that required a marathon-style run on
their part. The men appeared to be exhausted, as they had received
the brunt of door opening duty.
Yui Ikari was waiting near the entrance to the Cage. Misato gave a
slight nod. "Sub-Commander."
"Get Asuka to the loading area. Our battery-operated radios aren't

strong enough to allow for communication with the entry plug, and
we wouldn't have any battle data or live updates to be of use
anyway. The Third Child is to use her own discretion in this
operation."
"Understood." Misato turned to leave, bringing Asuka with her.

"You three," Yui indicated the men, "go help with establishing the
crane system we'll be using to manually load the entry plug.
Commander Fuyutsuki is overseeing the activity."
"Yes, ma'am!"
The Sub-Commander turned next to Maya Ibuki. "You need to come

with me. We must be sure that the Magi and Central Dogma are
secured. And then we can look at rerouting power to possibly help
Asuka in the upcoming battle."
Scene Shift
"Up ahead, and to the left." Rei was trotting along beside her cousin
now, only half aware of the fact as she continued to see the world
through what felt like another's eyes. "We're close. They can hear
us."
Shinji slowed, looking more cautious, and studied his surroundings.

They were on a sidewalk, and several tall buildings stood around
them. The location was comparable to any other in the city. A few
trees could be found, but it was for the most part empty.
Rei froze. "They're staring straight at me. There are leaves."
From a darkened bush, a man stepped out. Rei knew at once that it
was Kaji. "Well, this is a little embarrassing."
Behind the hedge plant, a figure still knelt, watching. A Nerv blanket
was thrown over its head, making an impromptu hood. The individual
seemed to be slight, though with the covering it was hard to be
certain.
"Who is that?" Rei's eyes locked onto the person, and never
wavered.
"Ah, I see now why you two made your way here. This is a very
unwanted situation. I don't suppose that if I asked you children to
pretend you never saw me, you would comply."
Shinji answered by suddenly springing to action. He jumped at the

older man. Kaji stepped aside easily, instantly on guard. "I assume
that is a no." Shinji kicked back after his landing. Kaji had been
expecting the boy to feint high and moved back. It was not enough to
keep him from escaping Shinji's foot, which impacted on his right
shin painfully.
The figure stepped from the bushes, and Rei stared intensely at it. It
stood, gazing back at her, before carefully lifting its hands and pulling
back on its hood. She heard the sound of something that might have
been silenced gunfire, but she couldn't bring her attention off of the
sight that was about to be unveiled.
Kaji suddenly appeared in Rei's line of sight. "Forgive me, if you

can." Rei realized that the man was aiming a pistol with a silenced
muzzle at her. She spared a quick look, and saw Shinji sprawled
unnaturally on the ground. Then she heard the quiet discharge of the
barrel, and felt hot pain in her chest. She fell to the ground quickly,
and felt her strength fading fast. She looked back up, and saw Kaji
readjusting the blanket over the shadowy figure's head.
Her last sight was of red orbs, staring back at her from the depths of
that cowl. Rei was able to summon one last thought. 'I wonder if she
could see through my eyes the same way that I saw through hers.'
And then all was dark.
Scene Shift
The techs and maintenance crew tugged and strained against the
ropes and cables, trying to put in the entry plug. It made its slow
progress to the loading port at the base of the Eva's neck. After
several false starts, it finally found its way into the insertion point. A
diesel generator was fired up, and the automatic loading mechanism
twisted the plug all the way in. Across the cage, personnel began
chopping hydraulic cables that held safety locks in place. Orders
were conveyed back and forth with megaphones, with the Angel's
position and activity continually being updated. Unit-02 pushed
against the umbilical restraints, freeing itself for action.
Asuka let out a sigh of relief as she began to synchronize with the
Eva. The ride in the plug had been stressful, as it had swayed
uncomfortably several times. The LCL that was all around her was
supposed to keep her safe in case the whole apparatus failed. It
would act as a buffer to any impact damage. Still, the Third Child
was not eager to test the physics of the arrangement.
Outside, someone shouted the position of the Angel. The quickest

way to it was through a launch tube. The Angel had done them the
courtesy of waiting close to headquarters, so she didn't have far to
go.
Unit-02 scrambled through a shaft, working its progress on hands

and knees with as much speed as the maneuver would allow. Even
with the battery packs that someone had added to Unit-02's back,
the red Eva only had about five minutes of power left. There had also
been an automatic rifle close to the cage that she could retrieve. Still,
the Third Child preferred to get close to the Angel if at all possible.
Firepower rarely did anything to the invading monstrosities.
Asuka kicked the door open to a clearing ahead, which revealed a

tube to the surface. Unit-02 exited into the corridor. It made a slow
ascent to the surface, with hands and feet spanning to both sides of
the cylinder. The starlit sky overhead was suddenly darkened. Asuka
switched Unit-02's visual input to lowlight compensators, and she
could make out an inverted-dome shaped figure covered with
eyeballs over the top of the exit. From the central eye, fluid started to
leak. It sprayed around the cylindrical shaft she was climbing,
melting her Eva's armor as it hit and causing Unit-02's grip to
become tenuous at the sides.
'Acid!' Asuka thought bitterly before whatever grasp she had

maintained to the side of the shaft was melted away and Unit-02
plummeted. She reached out wildly, trying to find a hold on
something. The Eva's hand grabbed an opening, and Unit-02
slammed into the steel of the shaft as it pivoted around the hand's
grip. More acid leaked onto the Eva's head, and this encouraged
quick action from Asuka, who made haste in pulling herself into the
launch tunnel.
The German girl cursed quietly as she thought over her situation.
She had the automatic placed precariously on the Eva's body during
the climb, and the fall had caused it to plummet to the bottom of the
shaft. With the acid eventually ending up at that same place, there
was little hope that the rifle would stay useful for long. She had just
passed the three-and-a-half-minute mark on her battery reserves,
which meant there wasn't enough time to find another route and fight
the Angel. With a yell, Asuka reentered the shaft.
Unit-02 threw its hands up, creating an A.T. Field over its head even
as it fell. Acid pooled on top of the barrier. The push from the
Absolute Terror Field seemed to accelerate the Eva's descent, and,
even with the rockets firing, Unit-02 was barely able to slow down
the fall enough to keep from causing itself damage. Asuka grabbed
the rifle, which miraculously had just superficial damage to the grip.
The action caused her A.T. Field to collapse, and a pool of acid
coated her Eva. With a howl, she aimed up and sprayed the opening
overhead with gunfire. The acidic downpour stopped, and Asuka
could see clear sky again.
"Verdammt!" She began climbing again quickly. The Angel had

moved. This time Asuka placed the gun in Unit-02's teeth, and began
ascending as speedily as she could manage. Pain shot through her
digits as she gripped the metal of the tube. The Eva's fingers were
exposed, and looked oddly human. Gritting down, she dug hard into
the metal, making her own handholds through sheer strength so that
she could climb to the surface quicker. She lucked out by finding
places on the side of the vertical shaft where the metal coating was
still soft from exposure to the acid. Even with that amount of haste,
she saw that her reserves were down to almost one minute of power
before she exited the duct.
Asuka activated the A.T. Field again as she pulled with all the
strength she could muster and threw her Eva into the air. She had to
make a guess as to where the Angel would be.
That guess was wrong. She was blindsided, as a long black leg
stabbed into Unit-02's shoulder. The Eva was whipped and slammed
onto its back. Even through the inertial dampening provided by her
plug, it was enough to jar the pilot. Asuka tasted her own blood in her
mouth.
The Angel could now be seen as a spider-like figure, with four long
legs extending from a body that was shaped like a covered bowl.
The Angel slammed another pointed leg into the Eva's undamaged
shoulder, and straddled the unit with its body. Acid started to pour
again directly into the Android's face.
There was an explosion, and the ammo in the rifle that was still
clutched in Unit-02's jaw detonated. The concussion blasted the
Angel aside for a moment. The armor was shredded from the red
Eva's jaw, and ragged strips of flesh were shown beneath. Several
massive, pointed teeth littered the ground around the Eva's head.
Asuka could hardly see straight in her plug, her eyes full of tears
from the painful feedback that the synchronization was providing.
She kept her focus, as she saw that she only had sixteen seconds of
power left. Her whole body burned, but she could feel that the head
had taken most of the damage.
Taking advantage of the small instant that the Angel was stunned by
the blast, she pulled with all the might her Eva could muster against
the impalement of its right shoulder. There was a sickening tear of
flesh that could be heard through the cockpit walls, but more
importantly felt by the pilot. Then the arm was free, and traveling to
the shoulder harness on the opposite side. Almost too quick to
follow, the hand reached for a now exposed progressive knife. The
Angel pulled out the leg that held the Eva down, intent on re-pinning
the Android beneath it. The Eva was faster, and made a brutal swipe
for the body of the Angel. There were holes in the Angel's flesh,
clustered in the center and traveling out to the side where the Angel
had retreated from the earlier gunfire. Asuka used these as a guide
for her cut, and the blade of her knife bit deep and true.
She felt her Eva's arm jar as it got close to the central eye on the
bottom. She gritted her teeth, and pulled harder. There was a loud
crackling noise, and the Angel stopped everything it was doing.
Asuka attempted to roll her Eva aside, but only got partway through
the process before the battery reserves were fully depleted.
Scene Shift
Naoko observed the data pads Maya was providing her with. Luckily,
their laptops had battery reserves, and these were more than
enough to do the calculations that were required.
"Maya, do me a favor and have unnecessary personnel evacuate the

base. Also, fetch us some air tanks."
Ibuki nodded. "We're about to lose life support?"
"Within a half hour, breathing will become difficult in certain areas.

Open expanses will be safe, and we have no shortage of those. Still,
better safe than sorry."
Maya hurried away, and Naoko studied the readings she was getting
from the Magi over her computer. She leaned back against the metal
casing that housed Melchior. A shadow blocked the candlelight, and
Naoko looked up to see Commander Fuyutsuki.
"Sabotage?" The old man could not have been graver as he made
the word into a question.
"There was never any doubt of that. The question is, who. It is pretty
obvious why such a thing would happen."
Kozo looked grim. "By watching us restart, someone could figure out
a lot about the layout of headquarters."
"I would say that, by observing what we've done with our limited
supply of power, they already have some good indicators as to
where our priorities lie."
"Do we know who did this yet, Naoko?"
"I'm trying to find out."
Maya came running back in. She held a paper in her hand. Her look
was one of dread. She handed the text to Naoko. "This is urgent,
ma'am. It was just carried over from a team at the Matsushiro site."
Naoko read the message, and dropped it to the floor. Kozo picked it
up and examined it.
Unknown parties have ransacked the Matsushiro Research Facility.

Of the twenty-six Section Two agents on detail, nineteen suffered
fatalities. Seven agents are still unaccounted for. The remains of the
Third Angel, designated Sachiel, including the S2 organ, are
missing. Also, the Eighth Angel, designated Sandalphon, is missing
from the Bakelite casing it shared with Unit-00. A team of no less
than eight men in unmarked dark clothing assaulted the facility,
though logistical extrapolation would put the count closer to forty.
Kozo was brought from his perusal of the document by a loud crash.
He looked to a nearby wall, where electrical components lay
scattered around a laptop casing. He turned his gaze back to Dr.
Akagi, who stood with her body heaving and nostrils flaring with
labored breath. On her face was a strained sneer of contempt. She
seemed to notice that all eyes had turned towards her now. With a
visible effort, Naoko tried to calm herself. She turned to Maya.
"Ms. Ibuki, did you finish giving notice of the life support system
becoming strained?"
Maya nodded meekly. "Yes, ma'am."

"Please get a security detail of two agents to escort you to Central
Dogma. Make sure everything is in order."
Maya turned and scurried away.
Sub-Commander Yui Ikari came in from the door Maya was leaving,
and made her way to Commander Fuyutsuki. "I need to leave." Kozo
could tell that even though Yui's voice was calm, emotion threatened
to break out at any time. He could see the moisture trapped in her
eyes.
"Of course." He stepped aside, dragging Yui with him with a gentle a
hand on her elbow. Quietly, he continued. "What's wrong?"
"It's Shinji and Rei. Section Two can't find them."

Cyber Undead proofread this story. Any lack of spelling and

grammatical errors is due in large part to his efforts.
Cyber Undead shows up and screams hysterically : NO, IT'S

NOT! I ONLY FOUND TEN THINGS TO CORRECT! TEN! MY TIME
IS OVER! GUPPYLIPS NO LONGER NEEDS ME!
Cyber Undead weeps and sobs like there's no tomorrow.
My appreciation is also extended to Big D, who looked over some of

the finer points of the plot.
My heartfelt thanks go out to both of you.
Chapter 18
A bored radar operator was killing time by watching the nightly news
on a separate screen. There was sporadic coverage of the Angel
attack going on in Tokyo-3. The news agency was actually getting
some shots of the Angel, probably due to the fact that the normal
Nerv censorship was hampered by the power outage in Tokyo-3. He
almost missed the sudden blips on the radar screen as something
closed within the forty-kilometer mark. Luck was with him, as the
station had just turned over to a commercial break. He studied the
radar screen intently, waiting for another sweep to verify what he
thought he had seen. Sure enough, it was there. He picked up a
phone, and dialed a number. After a few rings, he was in touch with
his superior.
"Sir, I have three blips in Quadrant 37. They are moving slow, and
appear to be large in size."
There was a pause, before the tech answered again. "No sir, I do not
believe this is Angelic activity. If I had to take a guess, I would say
that it is a trio of aircraft. Given the size of the blips, I would guess
that they are maybe slow moving U.N. VTOLs, or perhaps
helicopters."
Another pause as the person at the other end responded. "Yes, sir. I
just didn't have any notification or scheduled air travel. I'll return to
post. Over and out."
Scene Shift
The Matsushiro site was a morbid setting. The sky was perpetually
gray throughout the morning, adding to the feeling of gloom that
seemed to cling to anyone who ventured too close to the area.
Commander Kozo Fuyutsuki could hear his labored breath in the

biohazard suit. He walked around the area, taking notice of the white
outlines that represented a corpse from one of his Section Two
agents. The whole division was going to have to be rebuilt after this
devastating loss. This had cost Nerv over a third of its capacity in
that department.
He approached a massive flatbed vehicle that was now empty. This

had been where the core from the first Angel had resided. To the
side and fifty meters away, Unit-00 was encased in Bakelite, though
only a few stray orange shards clung to the front of the android. He
made his way over, and stepped on soggy Earth. It occurred to Kozo
that it had not rained recently; so he bent down to examine the
ground closer. Glancing around quickly, Commander Fuyutsuki
dipped a gloved finger to the earth.
He turned to one of the many people who were in orange protective

suits. He tapped the side of his face shield, activating an audio link.
"Secure me a helicopter back to Nerv Headquarters." The person,
perhaps a woman, though it was difficult to discern through the face
shield, saluted, and took off at a trot. Kozo walked over to the main
investigator on site. She stood at attention when she noticed his
approach.
"Commander Fuyutsuki, sir."
"What do you have?"
"The stolen materials appear to have been airlifted, as we can find

no tracks of any sort."
"That's something. With all of the early warning systems against an

Angelic attack spread across the countryside, we should have some
report of the movement."
"As of yet, we have nothing, sir. Apparently, most of the stations were
tracking the Angel's movements to Tokyo-3. Because of the high
volume of air traffic to act as communication relays last night, we are
still sorting through to discern which aircraft might be the culprits.
With the news agencies being slow to work with us out of spite for
our censorship of the previous battles, it is hard to determine which
aircraft are theirs."
"Keep at it. Somebody saw something. I don't care if we have to

interview every person on duty that night. We have to find out who
did this."
"Yes, sir."
Someone approached and let Kozo know his transportation was

ready. He thanked them, before continuing with the investigator.
"Forward a forensic summary to my office. If you find anything of

interest, include it in the report."
The investigator nodded once. "Understood, sir."
Fuyutsuki waited until they were in the air before he took off his
biohazard suit. He removed his glove first, and placed it carefully on
a nearby seat. He then removed his helmet, and lifted the glove to
his nose. He smelled of the wet fingertip that he had drug across the
ground earlier.
It smelled like blood.
Kozo had a sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach, as he

believed that he knew what had happened to the missing seven
agents. He decided to keep to himself his suspicion that they were
all around the site, having been transformed into puddles of LCL.
How close had the human race come to ultimate disaster?
Kozo looked out the window, contemplating how easy it was for
everything to come undone. He now had something else to hunt for
on top of Nerv's stolen materials. If the Angel had been forced to
abandon its individuality through outside coercion, it was most likely
because of one thing. Someone had a copy of the Spear of Destiny.
The Commander was stirred out of his reverie upon learning of their
approach to Tokyo-3. He glanced out his window, ready to see the
damage caused by the battle with the latest Angel in daylight. Upon
looking at the sprawled form of Unit-02, he almost hissed in
sympathetic pain.
How had Asuka survived?
The cranial casing was gone. One of the behemoth's four eyes
bulged from its socket. Part of the lower jaw had been blown
completely off, and teeth littered the ground around it. There were
fewer teeth in the giant's mouth than scattered about the earth.
Where the face wasn't shredded into ragged ribbons, huge boil-like
clusters covered the skin.
The left shoulder had been pierced at some point, he knew from the
reports he had received earlier in the morning. A massive amount of
fluid pooled under the right upper torso. A ragged tear ran through
the right shoulder, and Fuyutsuki could see the socket joint
underneath. There were puddles around the Eva's exposed fingers,
where they had bled as well. The hands had fingernails that looked
oddly human. On several of the digits, these nails had peeled back
or been split and cracked somehow. All across Unit-02's body,
random clumps of armor had melted off, and the exposed skin
beneath sported nasty looking blisters.
Kozo's initial concern had been for the pilot. If she sported stigmata
in the manner that the Second Child had recently manifested, she
would be ruined. The ripped flesh on the shoulder would maim
anyone. Knowing that Asuka's damage was superficial and that her
health was intact, his mind immediately started calculating the repair
costs. There would be more fights with the Committee over the
budget.
These battles were very taxing on the Evas. He would have to see if
there was some way of sparing some of this damage in future
conflicts.
Scene Shift
Asuka brushed her hair, letting it fall over the front of her face. She
yawned, and felt her jaw pop again. It felt good, as if it had slipped
back into socket. She played with her auburn tresses again, and
frowned at the result in the mirror. Her fingers were red and slightly
swollen. They still hurt when she touched anything. But what really
pissed her off were the ugly red blotches that had sprung up on her
visage. Her face appeared to be covered in a rash, especially on the
right side.
She had tired of hearing Dr. Akagi telling her how lucky she was that
the feedback from the Eva hadn't been worse. For instance, she
could have dislocated or suffered an injury to her shoulder. Asuka
knew on some level that she was lucky to be getting off with some
bad dermatology. But still, looking at the ugly face she made in the
mirror, the Third Child would have preferred to deal with a reset joint.
The restroom was quiet for a moment as Asuka studied her image.
Finally, the girl left the sink, and made slow progress to the door.
There was a deodorizing piece sitting on a shelf close to the exit.
Asuka paused and studied it. She picked it up, and turned it in her
hand. Then, spinning around to add to the force of the throw, she
started to hurl it at one of the mirrors. She saw her anger-contorted
facer reflected in the mirror, and froze in the middle of the move. She
considered her image, and dropped the deodorizer into the floor.
Asuka dejectedly opened the bathroom door and left.
Scene Shift
A man with salt and pepper hair was staring stoically ahead. The
only indication that anything was going on around him was the slight
perspiration that could be seen along his hairline, and the
occasionally coloring of his cheeks. Before him, a woman, both older
and much slighter, was talking in a raised tone.
"I have to wonder if Section Two is delegating its least effective

assets to the security of the Children." Yui turned to look out the
window. "The witness that we questioned described two teenagers in
the dark with a flashlight! How hard could it be to follow them?" Yui
would not have been so harsh if she had not been informed that the
agents tasked with the job were fine. She was not unaware of the
difficulties and heartache that was going in the security division,
especially given the loss that had been suffered at the Matsushiro
site. But since it appeared that her children's detail had simply been
incompetent, she felt the need to let someone hear about it.
"I cannot apologize sufficiently for the negligence of the agents

assigned to Shinji and Rei Ikari. Their shame is my own. I have
devoted all possible assets to their recovery."
Yui looked at him darkly. "You will find them. Pray that they are
unharmed."
Scene Shift
Naoko and Maya looked up as Major Katsuragi knocked on the door.

Naoko beckoned her in. As soon as Misato had entered, Naoko
spoke. "Lock the door."
Misato turned the locking mechanism on the knob, and made her
way to the empty chair beside Maya and across the desk from Dr.
Akagi. "What have you got for me?"
Naoko favored Maya with a glance. "Lt. Ibuki, would you be a dear
and get us three coffees?"
Maya nodded her head, seeming more than a little eager to leave.
Dr. Akagi got up behind her, and made sure the door was locked
again after Maya went out it. This made Misato nervous. "This is
going to be bad, isn't it?" Naoko nodded in response. She walked
back to her computer, and pulled up a playback program on her
monitor. She swiveled the screen to give Misato a better view.
"Is it footage from the Matsushiro site?"
"No, it's not. These pictures are from within Nerv HQ."
The screen showed a room that was lit with a scarlet glow. A hospital
bed was in the middle of the space, with a folding white divider
behind it. On the bed was a girl, sporting a thin silhouette. She wore
a hospital gown and had several bandages along her body, most
noticeably on the head and left arm. Restraints were strapped across
her body, and her wrists were secured to the bed railing. Though it
was difficult to be certain with the odd light tint, Misato thought that
the girl's short hair was blue.
"Is that Rei?" Misato asked, dumbstruck. Had someone sent them a
video message? Were Shinji and Rei in a hostage situation? If that
were the case, it would make little sense for Naoko to say this
footage was from inside the base.
"That question is very tricky to answer, Major. Just watch for now."
A man walked onto the screen. He made his way to the form on the
bed, and started to remove the bindings. Misato thought she could
make out is features, and her breath escaped her. A ponytail, several
days of growth on the beard stubble, and a square jaw that she
would be able to identify anywhere told her what she needed to
know.
This was a video of Kaji Ryoji.
Misato checked the date again. It was set at 22:30 of the night
before.
"We have several cameras in that area. For reasons I won't go into
yet, this particular camera ran on an independent power source.
Eight C batteries are enough to keep it active for a week at a time.
Incidentally, it means this camera is separate from the rest of the
monitoring devices in our security grid. This is important, because
the rest of the cameras at this time showed nothing. I believe Mr.
Ryoji, or someone that was working with him, ran looped footage."
Misato watched as Kaji helped Rei to her feet. The girl was unsteady,
and Kaji braced her. Misato couldn't see his lips, but from the way
Kaji was bent down and the position of his head she assumed that
Kaji was speaking to her. Rei just stared ahead vacantly. Kaji shook
her a little once, but the vacant look still remained. Finally, he put a
blanket over the teenager and led her off screen.
Misato looked over at Naoko, a little stunned. "I thought Kaji was…"
Katsuragi stopped, realizing that she was about to make a mistake.
"I thought he had been reassigned."
Naoko smiled. "We're on the same side here, Major. You obviously
heard that Mr. Ryoji had been captured by the Americans as a
terrorist."
Misato did nothing for a moment, collecting her thoughts. She had
been scrambling to get intelligence on the whereabouts and
condition of Kaji. She had pulled in a few favors, but she had very
little besides the fact that he might be in the continental U.S. Even
that seemed wrong. At last, Misato nodded her head. "I guess that
was just a rumor."
Naoko looked back to the screen. "It wasn't. The Americans captured
him, and held him for interrogation for some time. There are three
important questions surrounding Mr. Ryoji: Why did the Americans
take Kaji, why did they release him, and what is he doing here?"
Misato felt her anger threaten to rise again, and attempted to set it
aside again. She had vowed to attempt to free him from whatever
prison he was in. She had three Evas at her disposal, and would
eventually find an excuse to get herself off base so she could do
something to help him. And here was evidence of Kaji, apparently
fine, betraying Nerv and kidnapping Rei.
"So, Kaji is the one who kidnapped The First and Second Child."
Misato's hand balled into a fist, and she slammed it onto the desk.
"How could he do that?" Her voice rose with her rage.
Naoko cast a glance at the door, and then turned back to Major
Katsuragi. "As far as I know, Shinji and Rei aren't involved in this
incident. I understand how you must feel, but we need to be quiet.
We are talking about things that would be frowned upon by our
superiors."
Misato stood up, her mouth open as if she were going to yell. She
shut it quickly, and composed herself. In a quieter voice she finally
said. "Commander Fuyutsuki and Sub-commander Ikari know about
this? Why are they keeping it quiet?"
Naoko gestured to the air. "I'm not sure how much those two know.
We have had a major disaster here. Not only were we sabotaged,
but we also suffered a kidnapping in HQ, and a large-scale heist of
what were our most precious materials, outside of the Evas and
Magi systems. If the full scope of what happened here were to leak
out to the public, there would be panic. The people would lose faith
in Nerv's ability to operate."
"So we're covering up the fact and letting unknown perpetrators run
free. They have an Angel and two pilots!" Misato's face darkened.
"We have to find Kaji."
Naoko held up a hand. "I agree. However, we need to clarify some

things first." There was a knock at the door. Naoko hit a button on
her keyboard, and her monitor switched to its normal desktop view.
"Come in." Maya entered, carrying a cardboard tray that had three
out of four cup holders containing coffee and a few muffins in an
opening in the middle. She smiled sheepishly, until she saw the look
on Misato's face. Becoming serious, she turned and closed the door
behind her, locking it again before bringing the tray to the desk.
"Thank you, Maya. There is something you need to know, Misato.

We are not being given the full truth by our superiors."
"In their defense, we don't have to know everything to fight the

Angels." Misato stared a second at the computer screen on Naoko's
desk, as if she could still see the video on it. "But I agree, we do
need to know more to keep events like last night from happening. At
the very least we should be made aware of all of our enemies."
"Lt. Ibuki and I have been making observations for some time, based
on the actions of our enemy and what tidbits get filtered down to us.
You have been left in the dark on important matters Misato, and that
is something I am going to change, against direct orders."
Maya merely nodded her silent assent. This was not good enough
for Naoko though. "You don't have to be here. There is still enough
room for you to claim deniability were this to come to disciplinary
actions, Maya."
Misato turned to regard Ibuki as well. "I don't want you to get in
trouble on my account."
The technician shook her head, and looked to Dr. Akagi. "I'm with
you, ma'am."
Naoko nodded. "All right. Misato, just let me talk, and we'll save the
questions till I've had a chance to explain things. I believe we'll start
with the truth about Rei."
Misato leaned forward, and listened carefully.
Scene Shift
The light in the lab was especially bright, considering the

fluorescents that the senior tech was used to. With over two hundred
foot of earth between him and the sun, he had expected to work on a
pasty skin tone to sickeningly yellowish halogen lights.
He glanced at the embryo on the screen in front of his lab station.
Several sensors had been placed on the inside of the storage device
that now housed the specimen. It had been removed from the
cryogenic case that had been used to transport it, and moved to a
more secure locale. Thermal sensors showed that the body of the
embryo had slight warmth it had not possessed upon arrival. Over
the last week, the thing had grown one and a quarter inches.
Dropping the temperature another ten degrees the day before
seemed to have stunted the growth spurt some, but not enough.
He needed to get the growth down to nil before they attempted to

extract samples. The embryo was at best an unstable specimen.
This thing had caused Second Impact the last time its ego-borderline
had been threatened. A scraping shouldn't cause anything that
extreme, but a haphazard approach by the Katsuragi expedition had
caused the deaths of billions. He would not have that on his head,
even if his superiors were rushing him to get on with his work.
He retrieved a manifest to double check the materials currently in the

isolation chamber with the specimen. He wanted to be sure that the
extreme cold did not cause any components to loose their structural
integrity. This had to be done with a maximum of care.
And then he would drop the temperature, and if satisfied, begin the
protocol for removing a sample.
As his hand reached out to tap a key on the computer in front of him,
he noticed that is was shaking violently. He placed it on the table,
and was aware of the sweat rolling off his brow, even in this cool
environment.
Scene Shift
Misato parked her car in front of the restaurant, and turned off the
engine. She had a lot to digest.
Rei was a clone of Yui and the Angels? There were multiple clones
of her? Nerv had Adam in Terminal Dogma? The Angels were
throwing their fights! And the Commander and Sub-Commander
were operating under their own agendas.
She didn't know what to make of all of this. But the more Naoko and
Maya had discussed things, the more she became convinced that
they were right. The Angels had curtailed their abilities to make a
balanced fight. This latest Angel was proof of that. What sort of
chance did an Angel that dripped acids from underneath its torso
have against three functioning Evas with full electrical power backing
them up? Maya had been correct in saying that, from a strategic
point-of-view, it was a weakened version of the Fifth Angel.
It left two options: either the angels had some talent for gauging the
strength of their opponents, or someone from Nerv's side was
somehow augmenting the battles, whether by sabotage or supplying
information to the enemy.
The presence of Kaji during the latest battle tended to suggest the
latter. Misato's mouth formed a firm line as she thought about Kaji
cutting the power for the latest battle. That bastard at the very least
had been working in tandem with the Angels. At the worst, he was
somehow on their side.
Misato beat a fist against the outside of the steering wheel. She did
not want Kaji to be the enemy. She didn't like the way she had to
shift gears and go from being his savior to his adversary.
Misato checked herself in the mirror, and ran her fingers through her
hair. She had to get under control. Naoko had been right about one
thing: the biggest danger of the three women finding out the truth on
their own was in their tipping their hand. It was going to be difficult to
keep what she did know and what she should know separate. Misato
being seen as frustrated was totally believable right now, as
everyone at headquarters was feeling that. She was fine, but didn't
need to overindulge in her anger.
Misato got out of the car, and made her way to the restaurant. She
wasn't hungry anymore, but she would make an attempt to get some
food down.
Scene Shift
Kozo sat behind his desk, his head in his hands. He cradled his
brow, and let his thumbs run over his temples in circular motions. He
let that go on for a minute before he turned his eyes back to Yui. She
was pacing like a caged animal, taking several steps before
whipping back around, keeping close to the desk. He had asked her
to stay away from the search attempt for Shinji and Rei, knowing her
presence would only serve to stress the operatives looking for the
Children.
She hadn't taken the suggestion well, but was able to recognize on
some level that Kozo was right. Besides, this latest turn of events
warranted some discussion.
"I believe they have a Lance." Kozo finally spoke up again.
Yui stopped, and looked at Fuyutsuki questioningly. "What?"
"When I went to the Matsushiro site, I found several samples of LCL.

I didn't alert the forensics team, as it would have been hard to
explain. They'll probably gather some anyway, believing they may
have blood samples from the attackers. Who knows: considering the
most likely source, there may be trace amounts of the initial person's
DNA in each puddle."
"How did they get the Lance? It's still in Terminal Dogma."
"There are copies. Throughout the ages various people have tried to
make their own 'Spear of Destiny' by assembling powerful relics as
components. Usually, it'll be something like a saints bone wrapped
into the handle. Sometimes the combination is powerful enough that
you have to wonder if the attempt might be successful. For instance,
I know of one attempt that involved inlaying the wooden shaft of the
spear with a splinter from the true cross, and lacing the spearhead
with a barb from the crown of thorns."
"Surely this is something we can follow up."
"Perhaps. If we are fortunate, the Church may have an account of

such items leaving their possessions. It's not a very good chance,
since so much was lost during the turmoil of the Second Impact, but
it's worth investigating."
Yui finally sat down, though her leg still bounced a little as she tried
to think. "Has Naoko found anything?"
"No. She showed me the footage from the security cameras before
the blackout. Nothing was recorded that would suggest who our
perpetrator was. We believe that a person was able to hack into the
grid and run a loop. Naoko is performing a system diagnostic to try
and locate any suspicious entries, but we are talking about the Magi.
Any thorough search through the massive amounts of information…"
"Will take forever." Yui finished. Her head dropped, and her features
became angry. "Whoever it was, I'll kill them."
The phone rang at the desk. Kozo answered, and as Yui looked on
in interest, Kozo spoke. "I see… What is their condition?… Good.
Room 1465 you say… Very well. I thank you for your quick response
and attention." A slam of the office door brought Kozo's attention
away from the phone, and he could see where Yui had made a hasty
exit.
Scene Shift
Asuka yawned as she reached for her cell phone. She cracked one
eye and winced, immediately closing it again to keep the brightness
of the afternoon sun out. She pressed the answer button and
mumbled something that might have been "Hup?"
She couldn't make out the exact words of the voice on the other end,
but she could tell the person was excited. Slowly, she realized it was
Misato. She cracked on eye and looked at the digital clock beside
her bed, careful to hold up her hand in case a stray sunbeam came
to blind her again. It proclaimed the time as being 12:31 P.M. "I've
been asleep for three hours Misato. Can this wait?"
Misato yelled at her from the other end of the phone, and whatever
part of her brain that had been holding on to sleep finally
surrendered. "Sheiss. What did you say again?"
"I said they found Shinji. And Rei was with him as well."
"So? Have they been missing?"
"Yes. We thought they were abducted. Didn't you know?"
"No, I just showered, went to the med lab for a checkup, which took
forever with the power out, and came back to the apartment to sleep.
Just as well, it sounds like the wonder twins were fine."
"I guess so. But they were both shot."
"WHAT? Someone shot Shinji? Who?"
"We don't know yet, and neither one has regained consciousness."
Asuka threw her covers off, and started to make her way the
bathroom. "Are they at Nerv's Medical Wing?"
"Yes."
"I'll be right down." Asuka hit the disconnect button on her phone,
and tossed it back into her room. She kicked off clothes as she went
through the hall, and stopped in front of the mirror. She studied her
face again, and with a sneer of contempt got out the hairbrush.
Scene Shift
Aoba watched as techs went down the hall in a hurried pace towards
the lunchroom. Today was a big day for skittering and unhappy
looks. Everyone was taking the loss of the Section Two agents hard.
Information on the raid was supposed to be kept to a certain level
within the Nerv hierarchy, and confidential to the rest, but it only took
one loose mouth around the water cooler to make the gossip spread
and, from the body language and mannerisms of the people he had
met, news had gotten around.
It was a sort of morbid camaraderie that he could have done without.

They were all united with the same horror and dread after last night.
Someone had stolen an Angel. Someone had killed Nerv agents to
do it. There was a common thread that ran among most of the
personnel at Nerv, a sense of pride that let them hold their heads
high, even as they sent out children to fight monsters of biblical
proportions. And it was this: each one of them was securing the
survival of the human race. The well being of mankind was being
hefted onto every set of shoulders in that building, and it was the
right thing to do. But it was hard to keep that hero complex going
when it was discovered that mankind, at least a small part of it, did
not seem to want their help.
At some level, Aoba believed people were inherently good. They

might get wore down by the gears of the machine and their sense of
right and wrong twisted by experiences. But aside from the
occasional asshole that had some sort of chemical imbalance or
childhood trauma, people, by and large, didn't suck.
At least, not until they started joining up with the enemies of mankind
and murdering its defenders.
"Thinking deep thoughts, Shigeru." Makoto walked up him. Aoba

nodded, and Makoto looked ahead. "Don't dwell on it. Let's just do
our part to find the rotten finks who sabotaged us."
Aoba nodded again. "I'm about to go off duty myself. You should
consider doing the same. We've just pulled almost a double shift,
and that was after a full day of work yesterday."
Makoto shook his head. "I'm waiting around for Misato or Maya."
Aoba shook his head. "Don't tell me you're going to try and take
advantage of this crisis with a few vulnerable women. I don't know
whether to be ashamed of you or admire you."
Makoto waved his hands. "Nothing like that. Well, not with Maya
anyway, I still think she's a good fit for you."
Aoba shook his head. "Have we got to go over this again? It's a bad
idea."
"Anyway, those women seem to have access to all the good tidbits of
knowledge, and they'll talk to me. Maya works close with Dr. Akagi
and, from all appearances, gets to sit in on the meetings with the big
wigs. Misato gets to know stuff based on her rank, and she might
feel obligated to let me know some things, considering I've been
doing her laundry for her."
"Now might not be the best time to snoop, Makoto. There's never a
good time to pry, but to do it now is just stupid."
Makoto patted his friend on the back as he prepared to leave. "Don't

worry, I'm not going to get crazy. I just want a little hearsay, or at
least an idea of who did this to Nerv." Makoto veered towards the
cafeteria, while Aoba made his way towards the time clocks. "You
okay to drive?"
Aoba nodded. "Yeah, it's not far. I'll be fine." With a quick wave, Aoba
was gone.
Scene Shift
Rei wasn't sure how she had gotten there, but she was on a train.
She could hear the wheels rolling along the tracks outside. There
was the sound of a railroad crossing sign being activated, but it
sounded disjointed to her somehow. The noise was warbled and off-
tune. She was sitting in a seat in a mostly vacant car. The
illumination had a red tint to it that made the car seem menacing and
surreal. There were windows along both sides of the car, and though
it seemed to be dark past those panes of glass, Rei did not want to
look past them. Something out there frightened her, but if she did not
see it, it made it less substantial, as if existence was merely fueled
by her awareness of it.
Across from her, a mirror image of herself smiled vacantly. It shuffled

in its seat.
Rei jerked back in horror. "Stay away from me."
The girl who wore her features added a humorless laugh to

accompany her vacant smile.
"I mean it."
Rei felt sick. She worried that she might vomit, but what had first felt
like nausea gave way to weakness. For a moment she thought her
body might be incapable of movement. Even as Rei's strength
ebbed, the girl across from her seemed to gain control of herself. A
spark of intelligence was behind her eyes now. There were no more
smiles and no more laughs.
Rei leaned forward, her elbows resting on her knees, her frame
slumping forward. She had to strain to keep her head from falling
over, and her eyelids felt as if they had been weighted down by lead.
"Who are you?"
The girl seemed to consider this. When she answered, her voice was
like Rei's, but devoid of emotion. There was no passion, no stress,
and no intent evident in it. "I am you, but I am me."
"That helped." Rei sighed. "Where are we?"
"I do not know. I do not know more than you know."
Rei nodded. "I get it. I got drugged, and now I'm having some sort of
hallucination or bad trip."
"I am unsure as to whether this is the case. Conscious thought is

mercurial to me. I am not sure that I am real." The girl who looked
like Rei raised her head, and her eyes narrowed a small bit.
"Perhaps I cannot be me while you still exist as yourself. Perhaps
what little bit of me there is would be erased if you perished? I do not
know. But I think so long as you are you, I can not be me."
Rei let her glance drift to one of the windows for a moment, and she
thought she saw movement. She quickly turned her eyes back to the
other girl. "I'm too tired for this silly riddle crap: if you're threatening
me just say it plainly." When the girl did not answer, Rei looked up
and down to compartment. "So, where is this going? In the common
tongue, if you don't mind."
"I am uncertain. I believe we are on the path to God."
"Oh well, I guess that's what I get for asking. I suppose that stop
would be about fifteen kilometers past Kyoto?"
The other girl looked at Rei now, and got up from her seat. She
walked over to Rei now. "I do not think I like you. You make me
whole and incomplete at the same time." She took a calm step
towards the other side of the car. Though the move held no menace
in it, Rei thought it was one of the scariest things she had ever seen.
Rei closed her eyes. It was tempting just to let them stay that way.
"Just go away. I don't know what the Hell is happening now, but my
life is plenty screwed up without this. Leave me alone." Rei opened
her eyes, and she was in the car by herself. She looked up to the
window, and saw the other girl's face again. The same vacant smile
was on her face, and it floated there a moment, before disappearing
into the mercurial darkness. Rei got up, feeling her strength returning
to her, and stared out the window. She could see men out there now.
She recognized their uniforms at a glance: Section Two Agents in
sentry dress. She could count five, and knew there was more. They
would float in and out of her field of vision, so it was hard to tell how
many there were for sure. Suddenly she saw her own face plastered
against the glass, the right cheek and forehead pressing to form
white circles above and below her right eye. The face laughed.
Scene Shift
"Rei!" Rei blinked, and her field of vision was filled with her aunt's
face. The woman loomed over her, and Rei decided to sit up. She
groaned at the pain that erupted from her chest. She felt hands
gently push her down. "Hold still, dear. Don't try to move."
Rei relaxed back into the bed. "What happened?"
"We don't know. An elderly couple found you and Shinji in their
apartment. The two had evacuated the place and went to stay with
their son for the night after leaving the shelters. They didn't come
back until after lunch today."
Rei opened her eyes, looking around the hospital room. "Shinji?"
"He's sleeping like a baby. You were always the light sleeper of the
bunch."
Rei had a light grin on her face that immediately disappeared when
she looked down at her body. There were still scabs around the top
of her shoulder from the battle with Sandalphon. In addition to that,
there was a large bandage just to the left of her sternum. She
touched it with a finger, and immediately jerked back her hand.
"Don't go picking at it." Yui's scolding was partly playful, but tinged
with a mother's authoritarian tone. "You've got a nasty puncture, with
bruising around the wound."
"Don't worry, I'll leave it alone. What happened?"
"I was hoping you could tell me. Do you know who did this to Shinji
and you?"
Rei struggled through her thoughts. As something dredged itself up

from her memory, Rei's mood became dour.
"What is it, Rei?"
Rei looked at Yui, seeming to study her for a moment. "Aunt Yui, do I
have a twin?"
Rei tried to read Yui's body language, looking for any sign that would
let her know if she was hiding something. And she saw it. Her aunt
hesitated, and there was a surprised expression that was quickly
covered up. After a moment, she finally spoke. "Why would you think
that?"
"I think I met her. While the power was out, Shinji and I went chasing
after things I saw through her."
There was a groan from beside the two. "What the Hell?"
Yui turned around, the intent expression changing to joy at Shinji's

awakening. "Honey, you're awake."
There was a light rap at the door. Yui took one look at her children,
making sure they were decent. She suspected that someone on the
nursing staff that was monitoring vital signs had detected a shift as
the two teens had gained consciousness. Seeing that everything
was presentable, she called out for the person to enter. She was
surprised to see Asuka on the other side.
Asuka made a slight bow as she entered. "Sub-Commander Ikari."

As she rose back up, the German was careful to keep her hair
draped over the side of her face, hiding one of her eyes.
Yui smiled. "Pilot Sohryu. Please come in, the children are just
waking up." Yui was glad for the distraction, which gave her a
chance to collect her thoughts concerning Rei before talking to her.
Asuka walked past Yui, who had a seat between the two beds, to sit
at a chair on the other side of Shinji.
Shinji let a hand lift up to Asuka's banes. "Trying to look mysterious?"

He mumbled.
Asuka jerked back, putting a little more distance between them.

"Don't."
Shinji nodded, before turning back to his mother. "What happened?

The last thing I remember was being shot by that Ryoji guy."
Yui turned to gaze at her son intently. "Who shot you?"
"The guy that brought Asuka over. Ryoji… umm… was it Kaji?" Shinji
looked over to his cousin for affirmation, and Rei nodded. "Yeah, Kaji
had someone huddled up in a blanket and when Rei and I caught
him he shot…"
Shinji was interrupted by a loud slap to his face. Asuka stood over
Shinji, her hand still in the air from where she had used it. "You lying
little bastard! Kaji did not…"
Yui had hit a call button, and was advancing on the Third Child
quickly. "You're going to have to leave now, Asuka Langley Sohryu."
Asuka turned to rush past Yui, but the Sub-Commander caught her
by the arm. Asuka shrug out of the grip and turned quickly on the
woman. "I'm not staying to hear these lies. You can have each other
and rot!" Asuka let her gaze slide over all of them, before turning to
rush out the door. A pair of surprised nurses moved aside as she
went storming past.
Rei watched it all, sorry for her cousin, but a little relieved that Asuka
had shown her true colors to Shinji. Now maybe he could see what it
was he had been courting. That little display should be enough to get
him to look past how pretty Asuka was. But when Rei turned back to
Shinji, who Yui was now hovering over and tending to, she couldn't
feel any satisfaction. The look of hurt on Shinji's face, and the tears
standing up in his eyes, was enough to make Rei believe she was a
monster for ever having thought what had just happened might be a
good thing. He caught her glance, and turned quickly away,
ashamed of the tears that were threatening to spill.
Rei regarded Yui again. The two of them were going to have a talk.
And it would be soon. But Rei, who had shared practically everything
in her life with Shinji, didn't know if she wanted him around for that.
She had just been spurned by her love interest, Tukagi Ikita, and he
hadn't even shown the slightest bit of interest. She knew it was the
most awful feeling she had ever felt. How much worse must it be for
Shinji, who was being led on by some exotic, foreign beauty? He
didn't talk to her about it much, but Rei knew that Shinji had believed
there was a special relationship between him and Asuka. He must
feel horrible.
Shinji's plate was full: there was no need to burden him with any
other troubles. But Rei would find out who that person was that had
been with Kaji. And she would find it out soon.
Disclaimer : Surely you don't think someone with the penname of
Guppy Lips owns the Eva franchise.
Prereader credit goes to Cyber Undead. I can't thank him enough.
Chapter 19
Rei kicked off her shoes at the door, and adjusted her book bag. She
cupped a hand to her mouth and called out, "I'm home." She looked
towards the entryway to the hall, waiting for a response, but none
came. It could be that Shinji was elsewhere. Rei hoped that Shinji
had pulled himself out of his depression enough to go out into the
world.
Rei became a little concerned when he didn't answer. She dropped

her bag on the table with a nonchalant toss and went at a brisk pace
to his room. She didn't let her fear materialize on an upper level of
her mind, instead just moving quickly with the knowledge that she
wanted to check on him. But somewhere deeper in her psyche, she
was concerned over how depressed her cousin had been lately.
She knocked on his door. When she didn't get an answer, she
hurriedly opened it. Shinji was lying on his bed, facing away from the
hall. He had his SDAT loosely cradled in one hand, and his earplugs
were in. He didn't do anything to acknowledge her presence. As Rei
watched, he shifted, moving his head slightly on his pillow.
"You're going to have to get out of this thing where you wallow in
self-pity. It's not healthy." Rei waited a moment, but all that followed
was silence. "Fine, I'll let you have another hour or two of feeling
bad, but then I'm dragging you out of this room and into reality again.
I'm having difficulties too, but I don't get to lay out of school because
of it." Rei thought about adding a tidbit about how Shinji was always
willing to take any excuse to dodge his scholarly duties, but it felt too
much like kicking him while he was down. Sighing, she closed the
door.
Rei walked to her room, and started changing out of her school
clothes. Her mind fell to Tukagi again for the hundredth time that day,
and for the hundredth time she chased that train of thought out. And
as with all the other occurrences, the flitting image of the Section
Two agent managed to sap whatever good cheer might have been
brewing within her.
Fast on it was the other image that had managed to plague her
throughout the previous days: a set of red eyes, peering at her from
beneath a hood.
Rei slipped into some jogging pants and a loose sweatshirt. She
planned on getting through with her homework, and then she was
going to go out and do some sort of activity. Even if it was just
jogging, she needed to do something, and so did Shinji.
A light rap came on her door. Rei expected it to be Shinji, and was
surprised to hear a woman's voice instead. "Rei?"
"Hey, Aunt Yui. I've just finished changing. Come in."
The door slid pen. Rei was a little surprised to see Yui in blue jeans
and a T-shirt. Usually, if she happened to see her aunt at all this time
of day, it was in her Nerv uniform. "Been home for a while?"
Yui nodded, and closed the door behind her. "I just heard you come
in. I wanted to come home early and be with Shinji and you. I've
been working too much lately, and not spending enough time with
my children. Right now, Shinji needs me."
Rei nodded. "Yeah, he's taking it pretty badly."
Yui put a hand on Rei's shoulder. "I know you've had a hard time
too."
Rei was about to concur, before realization struck her. Yui had found
out about Tukagi. That was bad. Her aunt might do something that
would endanger his job and it would all be Rei's fault. But of course,
Yui might just be referring to the Angel attacks and the ordeal with
Mr. Ryoji. The guessing game was over soon enough when Yui
continued to speak. "I did some checking up as to why your security
detail didn't keep track of you better on the night of the power
outage. It seems one of the guards was swapping out with another
agent. He felt his presence might be… uncomfortable for you. Then
the power failed, and you and Shinji slipped out during the shuffling."
"It's not his fault! I was going after Mr. Ikita, but he never led me on
or anything like that! I'm totally to blame. Don't do anything bad to
him!"
Yui put her hands on Rei's shoulders, and drew her into a hug.
"Relax, Rei. I for one agree with Agent Ikita's actions, though he
should have sought reassignment after you kissed him, instead of
waiting this long." Rei tensed, but Yui stroked her hair, and the girl
relaxed. "I can be a little more forgiving now that you and Shinji are
back, safe and sound."
Rei sniffled a little, and realized she was crying. She pulled back
from Yui, and went to a tissue box that was half-empty, thanks to the
recent events. She pulled a few out and wiped at her face. "I just… it
hurt."
"I know it did, dear. But he was right: he's not someone you can
date." Yui pulled Rei to the mirror with her. "You know what I see
there. I see a beautiful girl, who is blossoming into a stunning
woman. Men will fall over themselves to get your attention. You're
smart, witty, and have a winning personality. I'm proud of who you
are, Rei."
"I see a freak with pasty skin, weird hair, and red eyes. You know, I
used to think I was the only person with red irises." Yui's warm
motherly glow shifted then, and the look that was on her face went
from encouraging to solemn. Rei turned around to face the woman.
"I need to know the truth: do I have a twin sister or something like
that? Who did Mr. Ryoji have with him that night?"
Yui sighed, and began walking to the door. "You're right, Rei. You
deserve to know the facts. Give me just a moment. I'll be back." Yui
left the room, and Rei felt a cold knot forming in her stomach. She
had been hoping for her aunt to tell her she was wrong. She knew
that would be a lie, but Rei could use a pleasant falsehood right
about now. One disaster at a time would be manageable, but she
was getting bombarded with them. She sat on the bed, and waited
for Yui to return.
Her aunt came back with some sort of weird device in her hand. It
had a black, square base, with several switches and LED lights that
were dark. On top of the stand sat a silver sphere with dimples all
around it. Yui placed it on the nightstand beside the bed, and flicked
a button. Two of the red lights on the base came on.
"What's that?"
"A precaution. Shinji's dad taught me how to use something like this.
It's handy when you need to talk about sensitive information."
Rei felt her anxiety grow, and her heart raced at an accelerated
pace. "Is it that bad? Should I get Shinji?"
Yui considered this for a moment, but shook her head. "Shinji's not
ready for this yet. I'll have to have this talk with him soon, but it can
wait a little longer. But to keep putting you off isn't right."
"He could walk in on us anyway."
"It's not likely. I left him his books, and told him he needed to catch
up on his studies. There is no surer way I know of keeping him away
than that. He wants to avoid me anyway. I tried to pull him out of his
funk today, but he's bound and determined to stay in a dark mood
over Asuka. He won't be coming around us." Rei looked dubious.
"Trust me, Rei: I know my son."
Rei nodded, and waited. Yui gathered her thoughts, before finally
speaking. "The religious information I've let slip to you while I've
raised you is a little unorthodox for a typical Japanese family. I've
only allowed bits and pieces, basic ideas really, to filter to the two of
you. I didn't want strange ideologies confusing either of you."
Rei nodded. "I didn't know it at first, but we've talked to other kids.
They've never even heard of a lot of the things you told us."
"I needed for the two of you to have a proper context to work from.
Most of the things I've told to you are off the beaten path, even by
typical Western standards. Few people know about the Kabalistic
tradition in any detail, or the apocrypha texts for the Torah. I didn't
know about any of it myself until Gendo came into my life. He was
the real expert on those things." Yui looked out Rei's window, but it
was obvious that the woman wasn't seeing anything in her current
field of vision. "I was up to my neck in the worst sort of conspiracy,
and didn't even know it. Gendo opened my eyes to what was going
on."
Yui seemed to come back, and checked the weird object with the
LED lights to make sure it was still on. "I'm going to give you the long
version, Rei. I'll tell you right now this is dangerous. Nerv has
enemies and overseers, and some of the things I'm saying will rile
them up. There is a danger that they can get information from you
without you ever giving it yourself: but I'm getting ahead of myself.
Do you still want to hear this? Can you promise not to repeat any of
the things we talk about?"
Rei sat frozen for an instant. Finally, having a hard time summoning
words to escape around the lump in her throat, she answered softly.
"Tell me. I need to know. I'll keep my mouth shut."
Yui studied Rei for a moment, searching for something, and finally
finding it. "Alright. You know that Kabalistic tradition is supposedly a
sort of magic handed down to man from Yahweh. This was meant to
show humans how to become one with God, and join him by
unlocking certain mysteries and paths. According to the same
tradition, the original man, Adam, was the source of all living things.
He was a kind of hermaphroditic being, able to create life of his own
self."
"I think we're drifting off the subject of whether there are people like
me out there."
"Give me a moment to explain. I warned you we were taking the

extended approach to that particular question. Anyways, Adam was
not a hermaphrodite per say, but he was able to create living things
of himself. According to tradition, there was one other person like
Adam: Lillith. She was the first woman, crafted in the same way as
he. The problem was that since they were created alike, she didn't
want to be subservient to him. So she was kicked out of Eden. You'll
find a lot of Western religion is unkind to women and the position
they hold in the order of things."
Yui paused, looking to gauge Rei's reaction. Rei still looked anxious,
which was an expression she had sported ever since they began
talking, but now a bit of boredom was creeping into her face as well.
"The other important thing to note is that there were two trees in the
Garden of Eden with significant fruit: The Tree of Knowledge of Good
and Evil, and the Tree of Life. One allowed intelligence, and the
other granted immortality. Adam and Eve were kicked out of Eden
when they ate the Fruit of Knowledge, so that they wouldn't eat of
the Tree of Life. This was so that they wouldn't become like God. He
set an Angel to guard Eden with a fiery sword. This was the
Archangel Michael."
"The next part of the story is fuzzy. There are only two written
accounts of this tale that I know of, though I'm no expert. The story is
obscure enough that it doesn't appear in Jewish apocrypha, which
includes a variety of ambiguous texts. Lillith was said to have taken
up with either Lucifer or Samiel. Whoever it was, it was a bad Angel,
possibly the Devil. Adam was still around at this point, well past the
death of his wife Eve. Both he and Lillith realized that they were the
only beings of their kind, and even though there was some bad blood
between the two, they were drawn to each other because of their
similarities. The two hatched a plan, with subtle guidance from the
Angel that had been spurned by God, to become gods themselves.
Lillith and the Fallen Angel were propelled by a sense of vengeance
against Yahweh, while Adam yearned to once again walk in
Paradise. They would break into Eden, and Adam and Lillith would
partake of the Fruit of the Tree of Life, while the Angel would eat of
the Tree of Knowledge. Theoretically, the three should be elevated to
becoming peers with Yahweh."
"The three were able to subdue the Angel guarding Eden, thanks in
large part to the efforts of the Fallen Angel. Both Lillith and Adam
made it to the Tree of Life, and managed to take a bite of its fruit.
Here we have to take the word of one account, but it's all we have
that matches with what we see of the Angelic War we're fighting.
One would think that God would send his Angels down to stop them,
and He did, after a manner. I mentioned that Adam and Lillith stand
as potential sources of life. From Adam's flesh, fourteen Angels
manifested, and chased off the Fallen Angel that had helped subdue
Michael. From Lillith's flesh, humans began springing forth. One
estimation was that Lillith produced a hundred children per day. In
this way did God try to correct the actions of these two beings. By
using Adam to create Angels, God attempted to rid him of the Fruit of
the Tree of Life. And by producing men and women from Lillith, he
attempted to purge her of the Fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good
and Evil. Though this went a long way in crippling their power,
neither one could be completely cleansed of these fruits, so they
were locked away in various prisons. Adam was imprisoned under
the polar cap, and Lillith was put away deep beneath the Earth, far
east of Nod. This confrontation was what caused the First Impact."
Rei stared blankly at her aunt before finally raising her voice. "What
has this got to do with anything? And so much of this is contradictory
to the religious texts that you're drawing it from that I don't know why
you bother. It's all rubbish."
"Patience, Rei. The texts that the Western religions use are
surprisingly accurate books as far as transcription goes, and show
little signs of having being doctored with over the centuries. But there
are a lot of contradictory tomes out there, which is why they tend to
be left out, and there are errors that may have occurred by those
who initially wrote those books. If a person has two accounts of
Humanity's ancestry, one of which derives from Adam, who is clearly
stated in the existing religious texts as being the first man, and
another that says humans come from Lillith, who is supposed to be
the mother of all demons, then the script of Lillith gets thrown to the
side. It doesn't occur to that scribe that both texts are accurate, and
mankind comes from both sources. In fact, it is likely that most of
humanity comes from Lillith, if this story is accurate."
Yui sighed. "I'm getting off the point. The people who oversee Nerv
have in their possession certain prophecies. These divinations have
proven to be incredibly precise. They predicted when Second Impact
would occur, why it would occur, the coming of the Angels, who
would turn these Angels aside, and the conditions that would take
place for the Third Impact that followed the Angels' defeat. It uses a
lot of metaphors, but everything is detailed in these writings, which
contain even more predictions that have established themselves true
over the years. It is not like a vague horoscope: these writings are
accurate and specific, and are proving themselves reliable."
Yui noticed Rei's look of disdain, and she couldn't blame her. It was a
lot to take on a leap of faith, and to her it must seem like Yui was
avoiding her initial inquiry. She placed a hand on Rei's cheek, and
turned it towards her. "You are mentioned in those prophecies." Yui
paused a moment to let that sink in, before she started again. "I love
you as my daughter, Rei. Do you doubt me?"
Rei shook her head, this last revelation having stunned her a bit. Yui
continued. "My sister and brother-in-law, who died in Second Impact,
never had a daughter. It was easy to pretend they did, what with all
the chaos created by Second Impact. But I did, after a manner. Even
though I didn't come to term with that infant, I supplied half of my
genetic make-up to her. When I brought that girl into this world, I
introduced her to others as my niece, so that there wouldn't be any
suspicion over my lack of pregnancy."
"Are you telling me… that I was made in a lab?"
Yui frowned. "I'm telling you that you are unique and extraordinary. In
the upcoming events, the child of a god-like being will play a special
role. It is also noted that a Nephilim, a child of man and angel, will
feature prominently in turning the Angels aside. This person is you,
Rei: you are my child, but part of your chromosomes are also from
the being we believe to be Lillith. She still retains the fruits of the
Tree of Life, so in the most literal sense, Lillith is an Angel."
Rei chuckled then. "This is a little much, Aunt Yui."
Yui nodded, but kept her somber mood. Rei turned back to the
mirror. "So I was right. I am a freak."
"No, Rei. You could be the salvation for the whole human race.
Coming from Lillith doesn't make you any less human than ninety-
nine percent of the population. Your lineage is just a little more
direct."
Rei got up. "Let's say I even bother to credit this crazy story, which I
don't, though I don't know why you would lie to me." Rei held up a
hand as Yui began to interrupt. "Why are we fighting the Angels?
Now that you've told me they are from God, doesn't this put us on
the wrong side."
"I wish I knew what was going on with Jehovah, Rei. There is a belief
that He is unchanging, but I don't accept that as true. He was a
being that went from having direct discourse with the human race to
a distant figure that may or may not be responsible for an occasional
miracle. In olden days He apparently didn't mind interacting in a
noticeable manner with the human race, making frogs rain from the
sky, flooding the world, and parting seas, if all the old tales are to be
believed. If those old accounts are true, God has been showing a
tendency to let things go along without his direct intervention the last
few millennia. It appears the only way that he is going to intervene
now is with the Angels. This is the only response I've seen against
the most serious threat humanity has ever faced. When Third Impact
occurs, and I have no doubt it will, humanity may cease to exist.
Depending on who gets to have the say-so, the human race will be
offered up as an atonement for the original sin in the garden of Eden,
or be used as components to create a being as powerful as God."
"That doesn't make a bit of sense."
"Man is supposed to be created in the likeness of God. This doesn't

mean that God is made of bones and muscle, or that he has male
reproductive organs, or suffers from male-pattern baldness. Each
person has a soul, a divine spark. If you can assemble billions of
those sparks into one being, there's an arguable case that it could be
as powerful as the Supreme Being, or maybe even more potent. We
cannot stop this by siding up with the Angels: our most accurate
foretelling has already dictated that they will lose. The only way we
can stop this is by becoming part of the process and controlling it to
a conclusion that won't destroy the human race."
Rei looked back at Yui. "So we've been killing the good guys this
whole time."
"Have you seen the Angels, Rei? They are not 'good guys'. Shinji,
Kozo, you, and I: we are the good guys. We're just making the hard
calls. These Angels are the fourteen that were taken from Adam. If
they return to him, it could trigger Third Impact in the worst possibly
way."
"So I was created in a lab: does that mean that you had other
projects?" Rei let sarcasm and disdain drip from her voice. She
stopped short as the full impact of what she was about to say hit her.
In a quieter voice she asked, "Are there… clones of me?"
"No one is like you, Rei. You are yourself, just like any other person
with a twin. But there are girls with your same genetic make-up."
Rei fell back onto her bed, her knees suddenly weak. "The dreams…
that girl… it's all…" Rei began to cry.
Yui reached over to stroke the girl's hair, but Rei pulled away from
her. "Why?"
"Because… we were trying to manipulate prophecy. We want to save

everyone, Rei. Everyone. I didn't… I would never hurt you."
"Except to fight God's messengers?"
"Yes."
"I want them destroyed. And I don't mean the Angels."
Yui shook her head. "We can't, Rei. And it wouldn't be right for me to
do that."
Rei looked over to her Beanie Baby collection, trying to gather her
thoughts. "You know what's the worse thing: I shouldn't believe a
word of this nonsense. But somehow, I know you're right. I know
there are clones of me, and they have been trying to talk to me. And
I would be just like them, except I won the petri dish lottery and came
out first. What was that you've always said? I'm the light-sleeper of
the bunch. That's funny, you know."
"Rei, stop it." Yui pulled Rei tight into an embrace, and the girl
struggled against her. When that didn't work, Rei began to hit Yui,
letting her fists slam into the woman's side and against her back.
Finally, Rei was racked with sobs, and screamed into Yui's shirt. This
was followed with a repeated question. "Why? Why? Why, why,
WHY?"
"I'm so sorry."
Rei eventually calmed herself, and pulled back. Her bloodshot eyes
made a weird look as they blended into her red irises. The skin
around her eyeballs was puffy, and she had to blow her nose again.
"I think I need to be alone for a while."
Yui nodded. She leaned over and kissed Rei on the head. "I'm sorry
that you have to go through this. I'm sorry for everything that is
happening to you and Shinji. I wish I could take it away." Yui kissed
her tresses again, and pulled back. "I love you, Rei. You are my
daughter in every aspect, and I wouldn't have that any different.
Don't ever think that you're not special, or that I don't love you." Rei
didn't look at Yui, instead staring towards a wall in front of her, but
she nodded her head. "I'm going to check on Shinji. Take all the time
you need, but we need to talk again after you've had a chance to get
your head around this."
Yui left, closing the door behind her, and went to Shinji's room. The
boy was on the bed, in the exact pose that she had left him in.
Scene Shift
Asuka went to the door, pleased to see the blush that immediately
sprung onto the take-out boy's features. "That'll be 2,500 yen." He
barely managed to get the words out before Asuka handed him
some bills and coins for that amount, and grabbed the bag of food
from his hand. She stepped back and closed the door. She took a
moment to look down at her outfit. It was a simple T-shirt and jogging
shorts. Sometimes the basics were enough to make the boys drool,
given the proper presentation.
"Mmm, that smells good." Misato came out of her room, the strong
aroma of the take-out food summoning her.
"It was your turn to cook tonight, and since you've seemed to have
forgotten, I decided to go ahead and call something in."
"Oh, heh heh, thanks." Misato cracked open a beer.
Asuka looked into the fridge over her guardian's shoulder. "You mind
picking up some more sodas when you go out. If you don't, I'll have
to start dipping into your Yebisus."
"I just don't think you'd be a nice drunk, Asuka. I'll try and remember
to grab some, though you could buy groceries too, you know."
The dinner went on in silence for a while. As they neared the end of
the food, conversation finally resumed. "So, said anything to Shinji
yet?"
Asuka glowered at the table. "I'm not talking to that baka since he
tried to get Kaji in trouble. Damn lying idiot. He's been out of school
lately anyway."
Misato sighed, and got another beer. She cracked it open, and took
a deep drink from it. "Shinji wasn't lying, Asuka."
Asuka's head snapped up at this. Then the redhead laughed. "You

just want to be sure that we can still pilot together. Don't worry
Misato: I can be professional. We just need him for back up anyway,
right?"
"I saw video footage of Kaji sneaking into, and out of, Nerv. It was
right before Shinji and Rei claimed to have been shot."
Asuka slammed both hands onto the table as she stood up. "That's
not true. Kaji would have returned a call by now, or done something.
He wouldn't have abandoned…" Asuka saw the look of sympathy on
Misato's face, and growled. "This is all sheiss. You people have it
wrong."
"I wish that were so, Asuka. More than anything, that's what I want.
But it was Kaji. I saw it. He betrayed us… all of us. I know it stings.
But you shouldn't take it out on Shinji for being the messenger."
"What the Hell do you know? Not a god damn thing, that's what. I'm
going to my room."
Misato watched the German girl stomped angrily down the hall, and
heard the noise of the bedroom door being slid into place with force.
Misato looked down, and saw Pen-Pen staring up at her with a tilted
head. He was eying her beer. "Oh no. I remember the last time we
got you drunk. You made a mess."
"Wark."
"I don't care. Here, you can have the rest of these noodles." Misato
placed a Styrofoam cup down with scraps of food in it, and the
penguin flapped happily before bending down to eat.
Scene Shift
Ritsuko Akagi typed busily away at her desk. She felt a pair of arms
engulf her, and a hand stoked the side of her face. "You look good,
Ritsuko." A finger stroked beside her left eye. "Ah, a woman with a
mole like a teardrop is destined for a lifetime of sorrows. Perhaps
you need someone to lift your spirits?"
Ritsuko giggled. "Kaji, you never stop, do you?"
"Not until I've gotten what I'm after. A tendency that means I have my
nose in all sorts of things." His breath was warm against her ear, and
Ritsuko disguised the delightful shudder it sent through her by
shrugging the man off.
"I wish I had time to play games with you, Kaji, but I am on a tight
schedule. I really can't afford any distractions."
Kaji nodded, and sat backwards in a chair to the side of the room.
"Anything you want to talk about?"
The blonde raised an eyebrow. "You think I don't know better than to
give you information?"
Kaji shrugged. "Some might think it was suitable compensation for

having me involved with recent events."
Ritsuko went back to typing on her keyboard, though she still carried
on her conversation. "I didn't know they were going to kill anyone
either, Kaji. I was just told that we were getting some materials for
the project."
"I've no doubt made a lot of people at Nerv take the jump from anger
to rage because of that little oversight."
Ritsuko hit the enter key twice, and then started on a new program.
"I know you're angling to get a view of the monitor. Just slide back to
where you were, Mr. Ryoji."
Kaji gave a crooked smile, and rolled his chair back from where he
had been inching it up. "My father was Mr. Ryoji. But I applaud you:
you're a wonderful multi-tasker."
"Flattery won't let you get away with everything, but it certainly does
help me overlook some of your indiscretions. But yeah, I've been
worried about some of the Nerv people myself. I didn't mind
poaching in on their territory, but a murderous raid isn't what I
wanted. It's hard to assert that we're in the right when we kill people
in cold blood."
"And yet, that is just what we keep pretending to be."
"I don't know if we can close Pandora's Box again, Kaji. I just want
someone beside it that has some inkling of the catastrophe that is
occurring, and might have the good sense to slam the lid shut if the
opportunity arises."
Kaji looked at a schematic on the wall. "Those things look really…

different now."
"The project has gone through a serious overhaul. We had to pilfer

government projects, some of my Eva and Magi knowledge, and the
Angels themselves to make this work."
Kaji tapped his lip. "You know, when she finds out she'd just as soon
shoot either of us as speak to us. The depth of treachery will just be
too much to smooth over with an apology."
Ritsuko frowned into the cup of coffee she was drinking, finding the
bottom of the glass suddenly bitter. "I hope you're wrong, Kaji. But
there is a distinct possibility that Misato will want our heads after
this."
Ritsuko broke from the melancholy line of thought and brought up

two feeds onto her monitor. The first showed a series of biorhythms,
with waves dancing at a steady pace across the screen in various
colors. The second showed a pale girl with blue hair, sitting on the
side of a bed, and staring vacantly towards a wall.
Whatever betrayal Ritsuko might have felt guilty about, it was

swallowed up by that image. What in the Hell had Nerv been doing?
If the girl's samples were right, then they had tried to create a
monster of the highest order. There was a possibility that the docile
teen was more dangerous than either the Eva units or the Angels.
Nerv was playing it too loose and too sloppy. They had to be
stopped.
Scene Shift
Makoto was flipping through his latest monthly manga. It was

something to do while he was waiting for the Magi to perform their
standard diagnostics. Dr. Akagi had instructed the staff to take
special care during certain stages of the system self-check, but for
the next forty-five minutes, it was just routine scrubbing of bag-
logged data. A telephone call at his desk brought him out of his
reading. He picked up the receiver, and suddenly snapped to
attention. Aoba, who had been working over some new musical
routine in his mind, sat up a little straighter as well. Makoto didn't get
that look unless there was about to be a battle.
Makoto hung up the phone, and immediately redialed the
Commander's office. "Sir, an Angel has just been spotted over the
Indian Ocean." There was a response from the other line, and then
he hung up the phone. Makoto turned to Aoba. "Call in the pilots, all
members of the Tactical Division, the head of E-Project, and the
Sub-Commander. We have confirmation of an Angel."
Kozo was on the bridge a few minutes later. He waited another

fifteen minutes, which allowed Yui, and then Misato, the time they
needed to arrive. He allowed Misato the chance to catch up on the
present situation.
"What have we got?"
Makoto turned to Misato. "Here are images from satellites that were
shifted into position to monitor the Angel."
A picture blinked onto the screen. Several gasps of astonishment

sounded across the bridge as more than one person checked the
scale of the images. Someone summed it all up when she muttered,
"It's enormous."
The Angel hovered, its orange body covered with the same weird
sort of eyes that the previous Angel had sported. It was divided into
three parts, with a large circular middle that had a circular glob to
either side of it. As they watched, the transmission turned into static.
Before the signal had been lost, the crumbling image of the satellites
could be seen in their partner's pictures.
"The satellites have been destroyed."
"Interesting. The Angels have discovered a new way to use their A.T.
Fields."
Misato turned to Kozo and Yui, who were up on the main command
dais. "I have Asuka gearing up, and Shinji and Rei have reported in.
They should be prepared to pilot Eva soon as well. I can delay that,
depending on when we estimate this Angel will make it here."
"How long do we have?"
Makoto turned to them with a stunned look on his face. "I can't tell. It
doesn't act like it's going here."
"What appears to be its destination?"
"Unknown, sir. It's heading hard to the east, and slightly to the north.
It appears to be plotting a path that is just north of what used to be
the Philippines. I don't think it will hit anything but a few small islands
for some time along that course. There are only sporadic, minor
islands along that path for the entirety of the Pacific Ocean. I can't
extrapolate an accurate timetable if it turns suddenly north towards
this instillation. It depends on when the Angel changes speed and at
what altitude. No less than an hour at the current rate and assuming
a turn onto a straight course for headquarters."
Kozo suddenly stood, an expression of anxiety overcoming his

features. "Stay on Yellow Alert. The pilots should be ready for battle
within the hour. You have that long to analyze the Angel and create a
suitable strategy to defeat it. That will be all for now." He turned, and
began walking purposely to the door.
Yui was quickly by his side. She waited for them to be out of earshot
of the rest of the bridge, before asking in an insistent whisper. "What
is it, Kozo?"
"I need a line to the Second Branch."
Yui missed a step, but quickly recovered. "You think it's going to
cross the ocean."
Kozo nodded. "It's going to North America. It senses Adam."
Author's Notes:
First off, thanks for the reviews. It means a lot to me to hear from
people who have read the story, and see what I'm doing right and
wrong. Much appreciated.
Also, sorry if the updates are lagging a bit. Truth be told, I was just
posting these chapters too quickly for a little while, and it was
starting to become a chore. I seem to be comfortable with updating
once or twice a month, and that's something I'll probably stick with till
the story is complete (I hope.)
I also had some real life hectic-ness. Nothing bad, but it was enough
to cut into writing, which, though I like doing it, is fairly low on my
things-that-must-be-done list.
Comments and criticisms: Gimme!

Disclaimer : I don't own Eva and the other such. Should the powers
that be decide I need to take this down, I will, and console myself
with the fact that they read this fic
Proofreader credit goes to Cyber Undead. All hail Cyber Undead!
Also, Big D provided tremendous plot advice, while under an already

massive workload. Praise be unto he as well.
Chapter 20
Maya walked hurriedly to her workstation, and tapped busily on her

keyboard. Within a few minutes, her pace had slowed slightly. Finally
satisfied with whatever task she had been performing, she made her
way over to Makoto and Aoba. The two were huddled together and
discussing something in quiet conversation.
"Hey." Both men greeted her back. "I've got a few minutes while I
wait for a program to run. I've been wrapped up with aborting the
Magi's self-diagnostic. What's going on now?"
"Well, as best as I can tell, they plan on catching the Angel." Aoba
smirked as Makoto said this.
"They… what?"
Makoto pulled up several photos of various impact sites. The first

two showed water with waves circling out from a central point, while
the last showed a crater in the Earth. "The Angel has been hurling
chunks of itself at the ground. We think it's learning to aim. That
would explain its weird approach vector. The theory is that the Angel
is going to Kamikaze into headquarters."
Maya looked from the computer screen to her fellow techs. "So the
Evas are going to… hold it?"
"It's really the only thing they can do. Conventional weapons won't
scratch the Angel at high altitude: its A.T. Field will stop most of that.
By using the Eva's A.T. Field to catch the Angel, it ensures that a
concussive blast from the Angel is deflected from the ground, should
it detonate prematurely."
Maya nodded absently, her mind racing. "But if the Angel doesn't
detonate, it can just wait for the Eva's A.T. Field to collapse, relying
on its own weight to strain the pilots."
"One Eva will use a progressive knife to cut through the projected
field near the Angel's center, while another will stab through the rend
to pierce the core."
Maya shook her head. "An A.T. Field is not a piece of fabric. You
can't just cut through one section. It'll cause an anomaly that'll make
the whole surface area dissipate. The only way that I can think of
making a hole in an A.T. Field without destroying it is for an Eva to
visualize the phase space of another Eva's field, like Unit-01 did with
the Third Angel. Perhaps at that level of synchronicity one Eva could
manipulate another's field to create a breach, but I wouldn't count on
it."
Makoto checked his monitor again, before turning his attention back
to his coworkers. "The Major seemed to think it would work."
Aoba piped in now. "I think you should talk to Dr. Akagi. The A.T.
Field is something we don't know much about. Dr. Akagi and you are
our experts. Make sure that we're not going forward with a flawed
plan."
Maya nodded, and went back to her desk. She scooped up a laptop
and clipboard, and left the bridge. Aoba looked over Makoto's
shoulder at the monitor. "It still hasn't turned towards us."
"No. But it seems to be done with teaching itself to aim. It won't be

long before it changes course."
Scene Shift
Shinji sat beside his cousin in silence. Asuka had left earlier, not
caring for the tension in the room, and making an excuse about
getting something to eat.
Shinji had picked up on the fact that something was wrong with Rei
as soon as they got in the car. It was ironic that the thing that brought
him out of his depression was the fact that Rei had stopped trying to
lift him out of his. He had become concerned for her. She looked like
she had been crying, and only met his eyes once. Shinji couldn't
remember ever seeing the girl sadder than she had been then. The
two hadn't talked on the way to the changing rooms, and had only
the barest suggestion of a conversation since.
Shinji tried again. "Hey, Rei, is something up? You seem like you
have some heavy thoughts."
"Yeah. Don't worry about it. We've got an Angel to slay."
That was weird. He didn't think he had heard Rei use the word 'slay'
before.
So what was on Rei's mind? Shinji went down the list. Something
might have happened with Mr. Ikita. He might have gotten
disciplinary action for not immediately reporting an inappropriate
relationship with his charge. Or Rei might have found something out
about Mr. Ryoji. That didn't seem likely, as Shinji felt he would have
been told as well. For all Shinji knew, Rei might have started her
period.
Best not to think about that. Besides, the first idea felt right to him.
Shinji got up, and walked to where his cousin was sitting on the
bench. He kneeled down, making sure Rei and he were face to face.
"I appreciate what you've tried to do for me the last few days. Sorry if
I've been difficult."
Rei smiled a little. "You've been a baby, you know."
"Yeah, well, right back at you. Tell me what's bothering you."
Shinji was surprised when Rei leaned in to him and hugged him. He
reached a hand up to pat her back, and let her stay like that for a
moment. Finally, Rei spoke. "Not right now. I don't even know what
all I think is wrong. I'm confused. I don't feel like myself anymore."
"After the battle, I'll get you some ice cream. Sound good?"
"After the battle? Were you there at the same briefing I went to?" Rei
pulled back, a little bit of her old spark back in her eyes. "Okay. We'll
get ice cream following the fight." Rei smiled, but it was a forced and
tired-looking thing. She let herself sink back into whatever dark place
she had been in, and Shinji returned to his seat.
Scene Shift
Ritsuko Akagi stood before a familiar monolith.
A voice boomed from the dark, rectangular object. "And you propose
we do it now? Are you ready so soon?"
"Besides the components you delivered, the project was already

completed. All that we needed for an activation experiment is a
downloaded core. We can assemble the rest later."
Though there was no change in the visualization of Seele-01,

Ritsuko could almost sense an intimidating loom from the object.
"Why is this venture being rushed?"
"There is a rumor that the current Angel is not attacking Nerv. This
means that their attention will be focused elsewhere. It is possible
that they might detect an activation if they are astute. This
represents the best time to try and slip one by them."
"You do not feel the background radiation from Tokyo will be

sufficient for covering the test."
"No, sir. Nerv has had some time and practice to become proficient
in sensing wave patterns. If we produce a wave pattern orange, and
current projections show we will, then they'll be on us quick."
"Very well. Proceed, Dr. Akagi. Do not disappoint me."
Scene Shift
Commander Kozo Fuyutsuki was on the phone with the head of the
Second Branch, Kelvin Wisdom.
"Our intelligence indicates that the Angel hasn't changed course."
Kozo wanted to smirk at the American's words, but he kept his face
serious. In all likelihood, that intelligence was largely based on the
various news channels that were relentlessly tracking the Angel's
progress. Of course Nerv was tracking the Angel as well, but Kozo
had tuned into a few of the networks to see the public's reaction. In
North America, it wasn't pretty, as some had already speculated the
Angel might try and cross the Pacific Ocean. For all Kozo knew, that
information had been leaked from the Second Branch's offices. They
didn't play their cards very close to the vest in that country.
"I believe my gut instinct will prove correct. It will wish to go back to
Adam."
"Pilot Aida just had a successful activation three days ago. He is still
green. He's not ready to fight an Angel."
"It would seem your country might welcome it with open arms
anyway."
"A predicament I blame on the P.R. Representatives under your

direction. It was the height of stupidity to identify these invaders as
Angels. I know you Japanese don't get it, but it would be like us
calling these monsters 'Sugar Plum Fairies from Buddha.' Of course
the religious people are in an uproar. Half of them are angry with us
for naming them Angels, and the rest want to join on the side of the
invaders because of that name. And don't get me started on the Nerv
logo. The Gallop Poll hasn't had this much activity since the last
election."
Kozo took a moment to absorb the rebuke. "I agree. It was an

unwise label. But we must deal with the situation as it is. Will this
problem prove a difficulty from an operational standpoint?"
"It's hard to say. The Angel is going to pass over California if it does
come here, and it's possible that there will be riots in urban areas.
Also, the U.S. government is going to be under tremendous
pressure, and may attempt to step in and usurp authority. They've
respected the U.N. charter thus far, but then again, the U.S. hasn't
really been put to the test concerning their loyalties."
"I assume this has added some feeling of urgency concerning

Adam's transfer. Your compatriots were not showing much
enthusiasm for letting him go before."
"Don't worry, they'll be more agreeable now." There was a slight

pause before Commander Wisdom continued. "So, what course of
action would you suggest? I have one inexperienced pilot and a
state of affairs that may soon get out of hand. Any advice?"
"I have my tactical division brainstorming the situation. And I think I

have an idea to attain help for the Fourth Children."
Scene Shift
"No." Yui crossed her arms and stared at Kozo across his desk.
"Now is not a good time to try this."
Kozo frowned. He did not need another fight. He had summoned Yui
to tell her his plan after he had cut communications with the Second
Branch. She was proving to be as agreeable as he had expected.
"It's the only way. If we don't, it'll result in a loss of a sizable chunk of
Nevada, and the probable destruction of the American West Coast
due to the destabilization of the San Andreas Fault."
"Rei is not ready for this now. The Americans don't have her core
data anyway."
Kozo brought up a schematic of Eva Unit-04. It was similar in design

to Eva Unit-03, except where the latter sported a black paint
scheme, this android was instead coated with a golden finish.
"Actually, they have. It is why I suggested Rei. Unit-04 has been set
to accept signals from the dummy plug. It'll be conformed to the
specs we sent them three weeks ago."
"I told her the truth, Kozo. She hasn't had enough time to process it
yet. She's in a bad place mentally, and sending her in may be
tantamount to killing her. Plus, the data for the dummy plug hasn't
been tweaked to decrease Rei's synch ratio. She'll synchronize too
well. You know how responsive she is to the Eva. It might kill her if
the Unit takes damage."
"Between 2 million and 18 million. 43 million, depending on the

geographical fallout."
Yui stared at Kozo blankly, before understanding hit her. "It's not…"
"And that doesn't include the millions of people that the last census
did not successfully tabulate. We are not Seele. I will not sacrifice
the lives of the general population for personal whimsy. And when
we don't send Rei to them, despite all the other reasons we might
give, that is what it is."
Yui got up, and walked to the door. She stopped before exiting.
"Fine. We'll send Rei to her death, so that we can say we tried."
Scene Shift
Rei watched as another person came into the meeting room.

Something was suspicious about this whole arrangement. Major
Katsuragi, Yui, Commander Fuyutsuki, Dr. Akagi, and several bridge
techs were here, but that was it. The other pilots should be in on the
briefing as well, but Shinji and Asuka were nowhere to be found.
When she had been summoned, Shinji, who was with her at the
time, had been told that his presence wasn't required for the
meeting.
Perhaps this had to do with what she had recently discovered about
her origins. Was every person in this room party to her creation?
That was a disturbing thought, but there was logic to it. After all, it
probably took a team of people to synthesize life. Rei suppressed
the urge for a melodramatic laugh. Synthesized life: that's what she
was. She wasn't really a person, just a facsimile of one. They had
done a good job though: she laughed, cried, developed unrequited
crushes, and indulged in angst well above the standard quota for
people in her age group. Rei Ikari was a real piece of work.
And when had that last bit happened? Rei couldn't think of a time
she had thought of herself in the Third Person. Then again, she
didn't know she was a carbon copy before.
Commander Fuyutsuki finally spoke up. "Thank you for coming. I

would like to inform you that it is our belief that the current angel is
going to attack the U.S."
Stunned silence greeted this pronouncement. Kozo continued. "To

this effect, we will be sending the Second Children, Pilot Rei Ikari, to
man Unit-04. The current timetable does not allow the transfer of our
Eva Units to assist the Americans, but we can staff up the equipment
on site. Since we only need concern ourselves with the
transportation of human personnel, we can make use of a
hypersonic aircraft in a low-altitude earth orbit. If the Angel maintains
its current pace, this will give over four hours between the arrival of
the Second Children and the sortie with the Angel, assuming it
behaves according to our projections."
Misato raised her hand. Kozo indicated for her to speak. "What
additional personnel will you be sending with Rei?"
"None. This is a dangerous situation. Non-essential personnel

should not be on site."
"I recognize the wisdom of your decision. However, I would like to
point out the ineptitude that the Americans displayed during our
confrontation with the Sixth Angel. It is only because Asuka was
assertive and seized the initiative that we were able to win that
battle. The Americans ignored all suggestions, not to mention
common sense, provided during that attack. I do not trust them to
behave any better over a satellite feed."
Naoko spoke up now as well. "This angel has displayed the ability to
destroy satellites at will. It could use that capacity to hamper our
combat effectiveness at a crucial interval. And there will be
considerable time lag."
"I do not plan on this staff directly overseeing the operation. The time
lag has already been factored in, and battle decisions must be made
with tremendous speed. The plan we had drawn up for confronting
the Angel here was dependent on the pilot's discretion during crucial
junctures, with the Tactical Division merely directing the Evas into
approximately the correct area. There's no reason to believe that
would change. Also, I trust the American staff to act in a manner that
will ensure the mission's success, especially since it is in their own
best interests to do so. This won't be some incident in international
waters where egos can be brandished to determine the pecking
order. They will be defending their homes, and I expect them to fight
with the same vigor that we would."
Misato stood again. "I humbly request permission to accompany

Pilot Rei Ikari to America."
"Denied. That is my final decision on the subject. I want the Tactical

Division to get in contact with the Second Branch and discuss
strategies. I also want the Project-E Chairperson to go over the data
for Unit-04 and ensure that things are in order. Pilot Rei Ikari will be
escorted immediately by Section Two to her plane." Kozo looked to
Rei, who had a dark look on her face. She merely nodded an
affirmative. "Dismissed."
Yui and Misato both fell in with Rei as they left. None of that bunch
seemed particularly happy with Kozo now. He didn't blame them. He
looked and saw that Naoko was still in the room. The two waited
while the techs filed out, before the Commander closed the door and
turned back to Dr. Akagi. The woman spoke up. "What if they won't
give her back?"
"You think the Americans would abduct Rei? Perhaps that sort of
thing might happen as a CIA black ops mission, but not among the
general military branch. Besides, this whole situation is too high
profile. Every news agency will be breathing down their necks."
"This is it. This is where we lose control of it all. It will become known
that the pilots are children. And it won't escape their notice that only
Japanese kids are capable of controlling the Eva. That's not what
worries me though. This is the attack that will cause all the countries
to become greedy with their part of the Eva program. They'll believe
the invaders will strike at any one of them now. In light of that, I
believe the abduction of Rei Ikari is a serious threat. There are ways
of dealing with public observation. For instance, they could fake
Rei's death and then keep her secretly. Who knows what those fools
might do if they had Rei?"
The possibility made Kozo's blood run cold as well. There was a
copy of the lance out there, apparently strong enough for the
purpose of instituting Third Impact. Add to that the fact that Rei was
a facsimile, at least in part, of Lillith, and that the Americans still had
control of Adam, and one had a volatile mix.
Naoko continued, oblivious to the full depth of dread that was going
through the Commander. "We've been relying heavily on
undeveloped units for repairs and replacements. That well is going to
dry up now."
"I know. It can't be helped. We cannot control the Angel."
"I haven't told you the worse part. We're not sure we can use the A.T.
Field in the manner that the original plan called for. And we certainly
need to modify how we were going to attack the Angel now that there
are two Eva units instead of three."
"Hmm. Talk to Major Katsuragi and let her know your misgivings. Do
you have any alternative ideas?"
"We could stop the Angel before it makes it across the ocean."
Kozo came alive. The possibility of good news was enough to

revitalize him. "How?"
"We could shoot the Angel with a nuclear warhead."
"An N2 mine is insufficient…"
"A 'nuclear' warhead."
"Absolutely not."
"Why? The target is far enough above ground that the only
immediate effects will be an EMP."
"And the effects that aren't immediate? The high levels of

radiation…"
"It'll be better than risking a break in the fault line. They can wear
sunscreen and radiation suits, and keep the state of California. It's a
better alternative."
"You are one of the few Japanese citizens that would say that, you
know."
Naoko crossed her arms. "It doesn't make it any less true."
"I don't like it, but you may be right: it could be our only way out of
this mess. I'll contact the Second Branch and let them know. There
are still several warheads lying around the U.S. Something with
sufficient power will be in their arsenal. If we remove the payload
limit caused by the N2 mine and instead go to the higher output of a
nuclear device, it may destroy the Angel."
"You're welcome." Naoko got up now, and smoothed her skirt. "I'm
going to carry out my orders now, in case it becomes necessary."
Naoko stopped, closer to Kozo, and continued talking. "Also, before
the aircraft departs, we should update the aircraft's pilot on a
possible alternative course." She patted Kozo on the side of the face
as she spoke. "I don't think it would be a good idea to have it flying
through the area of effect for an electro-magnetic pulse."
"Erm… yes."
With that Naoko took her leave.
Scene Shift
Rei thought briefly of the walk she had with Yui to the plane. The
woman had verbally prodded her, trying to get her to talk about the
other night, about how she felt, about her concerns for going to
America. Rei's answers had been short and to the point. When Yui
had finally hugged Rei at the boarding ramp, Rei had hung stiffly in
her arms, not returning any affection. Yui's last look at the girl had
been filled with deep concern.
It was best not to reflect on that. Rei tried to sleep again. It wasn't
that the ride was uncomfortable. Considering that the aircraft she
was in traveled at supersonic speeds, the cabin was surprisingly
quiet. But the same thought kept nagging at her.
They had sent her, and only her. And Rei could only think of one
reason. She could be replaced. There were little Rei Ikaris sitting on
the backburner waiting to shuffle into her position.
Would some clone of her be the same? Would it have little sarcastic
jests with Shinji? Would Aunt Yui, wait, Mommy Yui, give it the same
heart-to-heart talk about how special it was, and it was nothing like
the other Rei that got sent out and destroyed? What if the stupid little
imposter ended up buddies with Asuka?
No doubt Yui had already figured out a way of making a smooth

transition. No one would probably notice that Rei had been switched
with a fake. It would be like some weird Sci-fi movie where aliens or
robots or something would take over people's personas, and it would
go well until a protagonist just happened to notice that things were
off. They might be too perfect or forget some cherished memory that
they should know, but something just wouldn't be right. But the only
person she was truly close to was Shinji and Yui. If Shinji noticed
something wasn't as it should be, his mother could explain it away.
She could imagine it now. Shinji would say, "Rei doesn't remember
the time she convinced me to eat six cockroaches on my birthday."
And Yui would reply, "Oh Shinji, be more understanding. You know
Rei forgets things since that Angel she tried to catch bonked her on
the head."
Better yet, why not add a soap opera tangent to it. "Poor Rei has
retrograde amnesia. She'll remember bits and pieces of things (from
the job orientation the clone received when she was promoted to
living Rei's life, of course) but some of it might never come back.
The whole thing was disgusting. Rei could feel it corroding any
sense of self-worth she might have.
Rei toyed with the idea of just running away. She knew this attack
was doomed to failure. The original plan had seemed a long shot
with three Evas. Now all she would have was Kensuke and an
unknown Unit-04. She was screwed, and the U.S. was screwed
along with her. She didn't see any sense in going down swinging.
She didn't doubt she would have an armed escort for her protection,
and they would stop her if she made a break for it. But when she
was in the Eva, she could take off instead of catching the Angel.
Who would be able to halt her then? The Military? Kensuke? That
was a laugh on both counts. Still, that presented its own problems.
The support staff could eject the plug remotely before she made it
far, not to mention cut the Eva's power. Even if she did manage to
run away, how far could she make it? She was an easy person to
identify, and couldn't speak English well.
She would wait and see. If there were a chance the plan could
succeed, she would stay and fight. But if they were doomed to
failure, she would try to run away. Even if it didn't succeed, she might
at least get to live that way.
Scene Shift
The break room was normally a place barren of human life. The
closest it came to filling up was when a team of techs would go in
together, usually because they had nothing else to do until another
team caught up on the workload. Otherwise, there might be four or
five people in the room at most.
Today was different. This was the first time that Nerv had an Angelic
threat and nothing to do. The Sixth Angel might have been similar to
this, but it had attacked the Pacific Fleet so suddenly that Nerv had
barely gotten notice that a fight was occurring before it was over. So
now, the small television in the break room followed the Angel's
progress across the ocean, and more than fifty people were in the
small area to watch it. There was an occasional cry from someone
for the group in general to be quiet, and more than one person had
to stand because of the lack of chairs.
Shinji could have done without it. He had some time to contemplate
that he was finally experiencing what these men and women went
through every battle. He felt totally useless. All he could do was
watch and wait, and see if there would be any need for him post-op.
He would have given his right arm to be going to America with Rei.
He did not like the idea of her having to do this with just Kensuke's
help. He had even mentioned his concerns to his superiors, one at a
time. Naoko had just ruffled his hair and told him he was a sweet
boy. Misato had started complaining about how she wasn't going
either. He had asked his mother, although he knew (correctly) that he
would have no luck there. He had toyed with the idea of confronting
Commander Fuyutsuki on the matter, but realized if Misato wanted to
go and couldn't, it was because the Commander was barring her.
There was no reason to believe that his situation would be any
different.
He looked up as something from the doorway caught his eye. Asuka

stood there, and as his eyes met hers, she quickly turned her
attention to the television set. He watched her a moment longer. She
looked at him briefly again, trying to pretend that she was surveying
the room instead of watching him. When she did it a third time, she
finally backed away from the door and left.
Shinji got up. There really wasn't anything of interest occurring on

the Angel coverage. He made his way to the door, and people
shuffled aside for him. He noted with some satisfaction that one
person had moved to get his seat, and had immediately received a
chewing out from several others in the room for trying to take the
pilot's chair. He left, and found that Asuka was just making a turn
down the hallway.
He walked after her at a quick pace. It didn't take long for him to
catch up to her. When he was within six meters of her, the German
girl spun around.
"Why are you following me?"
Shinji waited for a moment, hoping that something brilliant to pop

into his head. Nothing did. "I don't know." Shinji turned around, and
began to move towards the break room.
"Wait." Shinji paused, but didn't turn back around. "I… I shouldn't
have… I didn't make it to the supper you invited me to last weekend.
I didn't think it would be appropriate."
Shinji waved a dismissive hand. "Don't worry about it. It's customary
when a person slaps a guy in front of his immediate family while he's
in the hospital recovering from being shot to skip the first meal with
them." Shinji began to walk away.
"So, that's it?"
Shinji tried to keep on walking, but couldn't. He spun angrily around

at the girl, and stalked closer to her. "What? Do you want me to jump
through some hoops? You have an episode like that and it doesn't
even occur to you to apologize. It wasn't my fault that I got shot by
someone you liked, but it sure helped me figure out where I stand
with you. Do you know how embarrassing that was? How much it
hurt? And it didn't mean anything to you. I thought maybe you had
some human decency in you, that you could regret what you did a
little, but you can't even say that you're sorry. Go find another dog to
kick."
Asuka grabbed at Shinji's arm as he turned away again. "Don't. We

need to talk."
"I think I've said about all I want to say."
The German kept a firm grip on the boys forearm as he tried to

leave. She carried on as if she hadn't heard the boy's last comment.
"Let's go to the changing room. I don't want everyone listening in."
Shinji stood in place for a moment, fighting within himself between

feelings of righteous indignation and his affection for the girl.
Grudgingly, he finally said "Fine."
Asuka led him to the locker room, which was thankfully only a short
distance away. As they approached the bench, Asuka pushed down
lightly on Shinji's shoulders. He sat, and she stood in front of him
with her arms crossed. She studied him for a moment.
"What is it?" He was beginning to get annoyed with this whole

situation.
"Tell me about that night."

"What?"
"The night you think Kaji shot you, dumpkoff. I want you to tell me
about it. Leave in all the details."
"You already know the important facts. He kidnapped someone and

shot Rei and me with drugged darts for catching him."
Asuka tapped her foot impatiently. She was not a person prone to
standing in one position for long, and as she spoke she began
pacing around. "I know you believe those are the facts, but I think
you've made a mistake somewhere. Everyone has. I need to find out
what it is."
"You think I don't know who shot me!"
"You barely knew the man. Rei had seen him a little, but she could
have been mistaken as well. I remember you not being sure that it
was Kaji and looking to her to confirm his identity."
"I'm leaving."
Asuka turned and laid a hand on Shinji's chest. "Baka, stay!" She
pulled her hand back quickly, realizing that she had been a bit more
forceful in her command than she should have. "Shinji, I need for
you to talk to me. About this."
Shinji nodded, and recounted the story. He glossed over some of the
particulars with Rei, especially her rejection by the bodyguard and
her dreams of clones. Instead he covered by saying that the two
were making their way to Nerv that night during the power outage in
case there was an emergency. Asuka put him on his toes by asking
why they hadn't sought transportation from Section Two. Shinji said
that the two hadn't been able to find their escort. Asuka didn't like
how that felt, but didn't say anything. He told the rest of events as
they had happened, only becoming vague when it concerned the
person Mr. Ryoji had taken with him. Not that such a thing was
difficult to do: he had never gotten a clear look at the hooded figure.
"That's one thing I don't like about this whole account. Supposedly,
Kaji kidnapped someone. But nobody has been reported as missing.
Unless the entire command staff is trying to cover up an abduction,
then you guys are wrong about this whole situation."
"I'm not wrong about him firing on us."
"If, and I stress if, it was Kaji. I'm still not convinced."
Asuka sat down beside Shinji now, not looking at him. "I thought you
were wrong to accuse Kaji. I still do. But I believe that you think
you're telling the truth, about that anyway. When I slapped you…
well… I… regret it."
Shinji raised an eyebrow and gave Asuka a sidelong glance. "And?"
Asuka grimaced, and suppressed the urge to grind her teeth

together. "I'm… dammit."
Shinji began to get up, and Asuka screamed out. "I'm sorry!"
"Why is that so hard for you?"
"I don't do apologies, Shinji. It's not an easy thing for me. Especially
since I don't think I'm wrong here."
"I guess that'll make what I'm about to ask really tough then. If you
want us to talk outside of work, then you have to apologize in front of
my mother and Rei."
"Oh, Hell no! Stupid baka, what makes you think…"
"You were the first girl I ever thought about bringing home to meet
my family, Asuka. I've been your advocate in that household, telling
mom something good about you every time Rei said something
negative."
Asuka was back on her feet. "What has that girl…"

"Nothing worse than what you probably say about her to Misato or
Hikari." The force of Shinji's interruption gave the girl pause, and she
contemplated his words.
"Fair enough."
"I don't want mom to know you as the girl who attacked me while I
was laid up in the infirmary. Show her something else."
Asuka was silent for a moment. As the pause stretched out, Shinji
rose to his feet and made his way to the door.
"Wait. I'll…" Shinji held his hand centimeters from the hydraulic
activator for the door. He waited as Asuka struggled through the
reply. "I'll… try."
The only response was a whoosh of displaced air as the door

opened, and then closed behind him. Asuka uttered some unsavory
words in German at the shut portal.
Scene Shift
Rei blinked her eyes against the morning brightness. The jet had
been flying through time zones on its way to Nevada, and as a
consequence, she had made her way through an entire night in
much less time that it should have required. She squinted a moment,
adjusting to the light as she walked down to the pavement of the
runway. Her first sight of America was a sandy-haired boy with
freckles beaming happily at her.
"Good morning, Second Child!"
Rei nodded. She took in the other gentlemen. Two were large men in
green uniforms, while the third sported an outfit that she instantly
recognized as Nerv ceremonial dress. She bowed to this man. In
bad English, she said "Pilot Rei Ikari, reporting for duty, sir."
The man saluted her, and she returned it. "Captain Benjamin
Masterson, at your disposal. I will allow you and Pilot Aida a bit of
free time to make your way to the ready room. He'll help instruct you
on the procedures for this base. You are to report for briefing at 0900
hours."
Rei saluted again, not sure exactly what all the man had said, but
getting the gist of it. She had till 9 A.M. The Captain left, but the two
large military men stayed.
Rei looked around the base, taking in the various women, and
especially men. She switched back to Japanese and spoke to
Kensuke. "These foreigners are huge."
"You haven't seen the more extreme cases. So far I've seen three
Americans over 210 centimeters tall. It's a land of giants."
Rei studied Kensuke a moment, and had a sudden realization.

"You're not wearing your glasses."
Kensuke nodded proudly. "They were causing problems with my

ability to pilot. So the military secured a pair of organic contact
lenses for me. I was actually going to undergo laser surgery to
correct my vision, but then this Angel began heading for us."
"Do they work? The contacts, I mean."
"They get a little irritating at the end of the day, but they are the only
thing that we've found that won't mess up in the LCL. So, I take it
you made it around the nuclear blast okay."
Kensuke and Rei had been walking as they talked, but Rei
immediately stopped in her tracks. "What?"
"Partway over the Pacific Ocean, a thermonuclear warhead

detonated on the Angel. The EMP pulse fried electronics for over fifty
miles from the blast, though there wasn't much in that area to be
affected. A news aircraft that got too close was knocked offline and
crashed into the ocean. You didn't know?"
"No. I wasn't told anything."
Kensuke was quiet for a minute, before he waved his arm to their
surroundings. "So, what do you think? Kind of blasé for Area 51, but
it's still pretty neat to be stationed here."
"I've heard that before." Rei racked her brain for a moment.
"Something about Aliens… whoa! I didn't put that together until now.
It was such a myth I guess I dismissed any chance of it being true."
There were several large buildings, what Rei had at first taken to be
hangers, and multiple runways. The immediate surroundings were
huge, but sparse. Almost sensing what she was thinking, Kensuke
chimed in. "Most of the base is underground. I had quite a bit of it on
my web page before it was taken down. The Americans took away
my PC and won't let me mess with a computer terminal
unsupervised now."
"Sounds like they're pretty smart."
Kensuke made a frustrated sound. Rei noticed their escorts were

smiling broadly at this. "I've never had access to this type of
information before. I've dreamed of having this sort of stuff to put on
my home page. And zip, nada, nothing can go up." Kensuke looked
over to see Rei was starting to look off again in boredom. "But if
that's all I have to whine about, I suppose life is good. So, how's
everyone back in Tokyo-3? How have you been? What about Shinji
and Touji?"
"Shinji had a fight with Asuka, and has been depressed. I believe
Touji is currently dating Hikari Hiroki."
"He's what? He didn't say anything about that in his letter. Still, it's
funny. Shinji and Touji are two of kind, going after the domineering
types."
"Yes, I suppose that's so." Rei's reply was tinged with her
disapproval.
Kensuke studied Rei a moment. "Things aren't alright for you, are
they? I can tell something is wrong."
Rei wanted to laugh. It might be funny to tell the little geek the truth.
'Oh you know, I found out I was part of a contingent of clones
mentioned in millennia old prophecies. I'm not entirely human by the
way. And to top it off, I'm apparently as disposable as a paper plate.'
Instead, she merely nodded. Thinking to catch the boy off guard and
change the subject, she said. "Shinji told me that you said I was
cute."
Kensuke started choking and almost fell down. He got up, with one
hand behind his head, and laughed nervously. "Well, umm… that
Shinji, what a guy, eh?"
Rei looked over at the soldiers. One was jabbing the other with his
elbow, and both were sharing a smile. Rei looked at them. "You can
understand Japanese?"
"Yes." The darker one held his hand up with about three centimeters
between his thumb and forefinger, showing he could only speak a
little.
Rei turned back to Kensuke. "Nice of you to mention that."
"It's alright. They're my friends. The soldiers like me around here."

Kensuke grinned at the escorts.
The lighter of the two men moved towards Kensuke, and pat him on
the shoulder. "Mighty Runt."
Rei smiled. "That's what they call you?"
Kensuke nodded. "Sometimes. I happen to like it. It's arrogant and

self-deprecating, all in the same breathe." Kensuke began walking
them towards one of the hangers. "I bet you're hungry."
"Not particularly."
"Suit yourself. I'm going to the cafeteria after we change though. But
first, I need to get into my plug suit."
Rei thought the boy said that with just a little too much enthusiasm.
Kensuke continued. "I guess you've had yours own the whole flight
over. If you need to freshen up, there's a women's changing room
besides the men's."
"Separate changing rooms?" Kensuke nodded an affirmative. Rei

was dully impressed. "These guys really do have some things
figured out. We need to acquire some of their personnel for the main
branch."
Scene Shift
Misato stood in front of the video link, trying to project a professional

image and doing a fair job of it. There had been a temporary signal
loss after the bomb had detonated, but it had been restored twenty
minutes ago. She now had her feed back online with the Second
Branch.
A man in a brown Nerv uniform and two women in similar garb

looked at her from several thousand miles away. "So, we still don't
have anything better?"
Misato shook her head. "We considered sniping the Angel during its
decent, but there just isn't enough time. Kensuke's synch ratio isn't
good enough, and we would only have Rei to rely on. With the Angel
probably traveling at terminal velocity and the strength of the Angel's
A.T. Field unknown, it's just not doable."
"I still feel we could commit military assets."

Misato shrugged. "I wouldn't rely on that. The Angels have
traditionally shrugged off such attacks."
One of the women, a blonde with short hair, began ticking off points
on her fingers. "But this Angel has taken a hit from a nuke. Nothing
we've thrown at the invaders to date has even come close. Plus, this
is the first Angel we've fought that is specifically designed to
detonate. We could have a bomber deliver a N2 Mine while the Evas
are holding the Angel up."
"And what if the Angel has some countermeasure? Or worse, if the

N2 mine doesn't destroy the Angel, but instead weakens the Eva's
grip in holding the attacker up."
The other female talked now. She had long, red hair, and where the
previous woman had worn slacks, this one sported a uniform skirt. "It
would be better than dissolving the A.T. Field and having it land with
its full capacity for destruction still intact. This is the potential danger
with the initial proposal. At least if this other way doesn't work, it still
weakens the Angel."
Misato frowned. "I don't like it, but I suppose you're right. If only
Kensuke had successfully unfolded an A.T. Field by now."
"Based on the initial trial runs we've seen from other children, we are
lucky that he's able to move the Eva at all."
Misato knew this was true. Shinji and Asuka had taken to Eva
piloting with relative ease, but it had still taken weeks for a
successful activation. Shinji had been ahead in the synch ratio
scores because he had received more time inside an active Eva.
Given the same logon time, Asuka was by far his superior. But it had
taken Rei longer to achieve a decent rating with her Eva. Once she
got rolling her numbers occasionally spiked high, but this was only
after a score of initial start up problems.
If it hadn't been for the data that Nerv had stored up from its previous
three activations, knowing how to overcome pitfalls and coach the
pilot through the synchronization process, then Kensuke would still
be sitting in a chair in amber fluid, straining to achieve a connection
with Unit-03.
"I still don't like how we are proceeding so confidently with the
projected area of attack. If the Angel decides to come down
somewhere other than the base, it'll be a disaster."
One of the women cast a worried look to the man, but that was all
that Misato could make out before he answered. "We're fairly certain
of the target. After all, what else could it be after?"
Scene Shift
The coppery taste of blood was strong in Rei's mouth. Why should
the LCL be so much different here? She couldn't say, but she only
knew that it was.
Still, Unit-04 felt natural to her. There had been a tense moment
during the activation, but things had gone smoothly. In Rei's opinion,
she took to Unit-04 better than she had Unit-00. It felt more
acceptable.
Unit-03 and Unit-04 were standing on the airfield, facing each other
as if they were gunslingers in an old Western. Though over two
kilometers separated them, they seemed to be staring at one
another.
Absently, Rei heard the tech staff rattle off system checks and
numbers. She had discovered that the Captain spoke a little
Japanese, which made things easier. Kensuke's face suddenly
appeared in front of her on a holo-screen.
"That's pretty impressive."
"Hmm? What?"
"Your synch ratio is 57 percent. Mine is barely 17 percent. You're
really good, Second Child."
"You'll get better."
The Captain's face appeared on the screen. He was a large man, of

course, with blonde hair. It was odd for Rei to see a natural blonde,
but of course, this was America, where hair could be just about any
color. Except light blue she amended. He struggled to speak to the
pilots in their native language. "In ten next minutes Angel fall.
Prepped are you?"
Rei understood what the man was getting at. "Yes," she replied in
English that must be as bad as his Japanese, though she had the
benefit of brevity to keep from butchering the language. She held
one finger on the control switch that would eject the umbilical cable.
She could still try to make a run for it. She wasn't at all confident
about how this would turn out, though she didn't have the same
despair for the battle that had accompanied her on the way over. In
her mind, she began to prepare herself to emit an A.T. Field.
Within a few minutes, loud chatter came in over the comlink. Rei
looked up and saw a spec appearing in the sky. "It coming," the
captain said unnecessarily to the pilots. Rei ejected the external
power line, and began sprinting for the falling Angel. She jumped one
building, and made her way to the center of a dusty field beside the
runway she had been on. She watched the Angel, trying to figure
where it would fall. She shuffled several steps to the right, and then
to the left. On the external feed, she could here the thundering
footsteps of Unit-03 running to her position.
Dust swirled below Unit-04's feet as Rei began expanding her A.T.
Field. The Eva raised its arms in just a nick of time, catching the
Angel almost perfectly in the center. The strain of so much weight
being put on the android was immediately apparent.
"Kensuke!"
"I'm trying!"
"Hold one minute forty-six seconds. Drop on mark bomber in air will."
Rei grunted, feeling the effort of the tension in her own muscles, as if
she were trying to pick a car up over her head. She thought she
heard someone on the line say her synch ratio was over 70 percent,
but who knew if she was getting the English right. Unit-03 tried to
push against the A.T. Field as well, but the barrier acted against it as
well as it would any angel on the other side of it. As the hands of the
android got close, they would be pushed away from the orange lines
of the spatial distortion.
Suddenly, Unit-04's right ankle snapped. Rei screamed in pain. Unit-

04 fell to the knee of the left leg while struggling against the massive
weight of the Angel. She heard a shout over the intercom, and
looked to see Unit-03 with a progressive knife at the ready. It was
crouched down, working around under the suddenly lower ceiling
provided by the A.T. Field.
"We're not going to make it before the bombers arrive. Let it go."
Kensuke called out frantically.
"I should've run!"
"Rei, let it go."
"Like I'm going to have a choice. Get away from here, Kensuke."
Unit-03 stared up at the Angel, and tightened its grip on the Prog
Knife. Then, raising itself as far as it could with its back legs, it
swung the knife up in an underhanded stroke with both arms. The
knife bounced off of Unit-04's A.T. Field. Kensuke tried the maneuver
again, coiling and springing to give the maximum amount of
momentum to the blow, but the knife once again slid harmlessly off
of the barrier. "I can't stab through the A.T. Field! Turn it off when I'm
on the upstroke. I'll aim for the core."
Unit-03 lowered itself into a squat, and this time Rei did as he asked.
The bomber wouldn't be there for another thirty seconds, and Rei
knew she couldn't last that long. Just before the knife would have
struck her field, the spatial distortion was suddenly gone.
And then everything disappeared in heat and flames.
Scene Shift
Kensuke scrambled down the side of Unit-03. The explosion had

knocked the Android to the ground, so he only had about a ten-foot
drop. He ran for the other Eva after falling onto the crater that the
explosion had made in the earth. He looked to the back of Unit-04,
and saw the open plug hatch. Rei had ejected. He looked around,
and saw a commotion to the east. He couldn't make out any details,
but then again, the cloud of dust was the only thing he could observe
from within the impact crater. He began to scramble up the side.
He was out of breath when he made it up to the lip of the basin. A

jeep was close by with several soldiers in it, and Kensuke managed
to croak out something that was loud enough for them to hear. The
three people made room for him. Before they started to take off,
Kensuke managed to mutter, "I want to see Rei."
There was a quick conversation, and then the jeep was moving.
Kensuke figured he was getting his request as they closed in on an
area with several medical vehicles parked close together. Even
before the jeep had stopped, Aida was on the ground running. He
worked his way over to where the Second Child was laid out on a
stretcher.
She was a mess. She had burns along her arms. Her ankle was bent
at an unnatural angle. The left side of her face promised a nasty
bruise. "Rei!"
One of the EMTs looked up, and started pointing angrily at two
people close by and then towards Kensuke. The chastised duo
made their way over to the pilot.
Rei watched this, struggling to hold onto consciousness. Somewhere
close by, she could hear the sounds of a train running on railroad
tracks.
She hated that noise. But such concerns were pushed from her mind
as a wave of pain washed over her. The initial shock of her injuries
progressed from a chilly numbness to excruciating pain. Finally, her
body escaped from the stimuli the only way it could.
For Rei Ikari, all went dark.
Scene Shift
"Unit-Beta has emitted an A.T. Field." The voice that made the
proclamation was more than a little excited.
"Record all data. I don't want to miss a thing."
The team in the control room began to scramble busily, and why
shouldn't they. This was something that they had been working
towards since the project began. Ritsuko tapped a cigarette out of
her pack, and lit it. She walked back to her control station to ensure
that everything was getting taken down. She paused to consider the
video feed of the pilot.
The blue-haired girl had been unresponsive to almost all stimuli, to

the point that Ritsuko had assumed that the girl suffered from a
genetic defect. Traditionally, when one tinkered with the DNA of a
subject, the results were more often detrimental than beneficial. But
now there was something there. The girl's head swayed a little, as if
she were listening to a song only she could hear. Ritsuko activated
the audio feed and could hear that the girl was humming. The tune
was something classical.
But most important was the smile. It wasn't the sad, vacant grin that
made you want to pity the girl. Dr. Akagi wasn't sure what the
difference was, but it was there.
It was almost as if she were genuinely happy. It spoke of a serene
soul.
Ritsuko made sure the brain waves were being monitored and
recorded. However they had gotten this to happen, it would be
something they would have to replicate in the future, if the project
was going to work. They hadn't had this much success with the other
pilot.
She was eager to contact Keel and report the news. Soon, it would
be time to unveil what she had done to the world. To Nerv.
To mother.
Author's notes:
Sorry if parts of that seemed rushed. I really didn't want this to go

into another chapter, and this chapter was getting pretty long as it
was. Hopefully things didn't suffer too much towards the end for me
wrapping it up.
Criticisms and comments are things that I love. Write 'em, be they
good or ill. I find both useful.
Disclaimer : I don't own Eva.
Proofreader credit goes to Cyber Undead and Big D.
Chapter 21
"There is something about war that can pull a person in. Whenever
man makes a technological leap, weaponry is always the first to
partake of the fruit, assuming there is an application. Incredible
destructive capacity is something that should inspire awe. I mean-
it's just so cool! A person can get lost in the various intricacies of it
all. What is the best defensive measure for stopping an enemy's
projectiles? What means can be implemented to counter that
defense? It's like a high tech game of paper-rock-scissors! What
vehicle can be made that will maximize its war-waging utility? What
sort of mindset does a person need to be in to best exploit his
opponent's plans? It's a game that a person can play until, at some
point, he just shrugs and decides- who cares? This is all so cool!"
"On the battlefield, the drama is real. There is none of that mopey
'Oh no, my lover has leukemia' garbage or some silly crap about who
likes who. In the heat of a conflict, a soldier keeps anteing his sweat
and blood for the sake of winning. When one is paying for their
beliefs, the lives of their friends, or trying to sate the sheer desire to
win with their own life, nothing else even comes close to being as
dynamic."
"On some level, I guess I knew that conflict was bad. But things get
fixed in my head a certain way. I always used to love playing war
games, even when it was just by myself. Battles are fun to do
because they are simple. Win, and don't die. I usually prioritized
them in that order too. Some brave commander with his last breath
would pass on leadership to his junior officer, who would go and
destroy the enemy by relying on guts, a sneaky trick or two, and the
awesome ability to fire his weapon with unerring accuracy."
Kensuke Aida was sitting in a cushioned chair. On a nearby table

was a glass of water. He paused briefly in his speech to take a sip,
before continuing. "That's how it was in my mind. Then one day,
because my interest in seeing some cool new military toy was a lot
higher than my survival instinct, I walked into my first real battle. It
was an accident, and certainly not what I would have wanted as a
debut. To make a long story short, I got my ass saved by some
scrawny little girl."
"That day I had something introduced into my perception of combat

that had only existed as an abstract idea before: pain. Eva Unit-00
had held the energy tendrils of the Angel to allow Touji and me a
chance to get into the entry plug. The smell almost made me gag,
though I was so elated to be in the android at the time that it took me
a minute to even notice. It was like burnt pork, except with a sweeter
tinge to it. When the entry plug closed, I felt something for just a
moment. My hands were burning. It wasn't a full blown flaming
sensation: it was more like that light tingling when you finish rubbing
some Icy-Hot. I remember when the Eva reattached itself to the
launch rails to free-fall back into the Geofront. The pilot kept flexing
her hands and tears were standing up in her eyes. Or it seemed that
way: the LCL makes that sort of observation iffy. It was enough that
Touji touched her on the shoulder to ask her if she was okay. She
screamed at us, but you could hear her hurt even in that. We got out
of the plug quickly."
"I thought about that while I was being interrogated. Well, that's a
little bit of a lie. Mostly I was worried about how screwed I was and
hoping Nerv wasn't going to do something horrible to me. I mean, as
far as I know, I was one of the only people on Earth outside of Nerv
that had been in an Eva plug. To begin with, I just hoped that they
wouldn't lock me away or kill me. But after Captain Katsuragi came
around I felt better. She didn't act like there was much concern about
us. Plus, what a goddess! Touji and I answered some more
questions, and received strict orders to not speak about classified
information. In the middle of all that, and for quite a while after, I
contemplated that experience with Rei."
Kensuke waved his hands in front of his chest defensively. "Not like
that, though. It was just, that was the first time I had seen a real life
battle. And the good guys were hamstrung because I was in the way.
Someone was actually coming as close as they could to cooking
their own hands without actually doing it to save me because I had
been stupid. I would have taken that better if it had been some
macho soldier guy I guess, but the one who had done it was a pale,
almost sickly girl who looked like the wind might blow her over."
Kensuke looked up and waved in a panicked way again. "No offense

intended. I could have said that better. It was just that I had all of
these daydreams of being a soldier. In my mind, I was the
quintessential man's man. But when it came down to it, Rei was
more of a man than I was." Kensuke flinched as he realized his error
again. "If you weren't unconscious, you would have hit me a long
time ago."
In a hospital bed across from Kensuke, various tubes went to Rei

Ikari. One of her legs was in a cast, and she had some nasty looking
blisters going up her arms. Her face was relaxed, despite the large
bruise on her cheek that was yellowing on the edges. Her docile
visage stood in contrast to the obvious signs of suffering throughout
her body.
The doctors couldn't figure out why she was still cataleptic. This level
of psychosomatic damage was outside of their experience.
Kensuke folded up a piece of paper he had been reading from and

shifted to tuck it into his back pocket. "Well, that was one of the
things that was going to be on the journal part of my home page.
Except for the end: I winged that. I know you don't like me, and that's
fine. I wouldn't like me either if I were you. Especially after three
days ago. I finally got to go out into the same field of battle as you,
and on equal footing. I ended up being dead weight anyway. Sure,
we beat the Angel, but if I could have helped you hold it up, nobody
would have been hurt."
"I guess what I wanted to say is that… well, I'm not sure. The first
thing I thought about after that fight was that I had screwed it up. I
just knew you were hurt, and that it was my fault." Kensuke's sigh
filled the air. "I guess I thought that now, since I was piloting an Eva,
I could be a hero. But I wasn't one that day, when it would have
mattered. The person I am in my mind isn't the person who is there
in reality. I'm trying to get there, but I'm not even in the same league
as you and the other Children when it comes to piloting. Every time
I've ever been out in that world, I've been a stone around your neck.
I'll try to get better and pull my own weight."
There was a brief pause. "They say that people in comas can hear
things that are happening around them. I don't know if that's right or
not. If you don't remember any of this, I'm not repeating it. If Touji
were here he would tell me I've totally wussed out. Reading touchy-
feely stuff to an unconscious girl isn't particularly manly, I guess. But
I wanted to say it." There was a pause. "Once."
Kensuke got up and walked over to the bed. "Get better, Rei." He
hesitated a moment, frozen in place, and then leaned in. He stopped
the motion partway through, his lips a good six inches from Rei's
forehead. He seemed to consider something, and then pulled back.
He instead squeezed Rei's hand.
Kensuke almost jumped out of his skin as light weight fell on his
shoulder. He turned to see his dad standing beside him. The man
sported the same sandy hair as Kensuke, and thick, black-framed
glasses sat atop his nose. He had on slacks and a button down shirt.
A white lab coat let Kensuke know that either his father was still at
work or had just finished his shift. "It's time to go. Your visiting time is
over.
Scene Shift
Ritsuko was lost in the latest projections and timetables for Unit-Beta
when she felt a pair of hands clasp scandalously close to the
underside of her bosom. She could only think of one person who had
the audacity to use that as a standard greeting.
"Kaji." Her voice picked up a bit of scorn as she turned off the
screen. "If you try to sneak a glance at the research again, I'm going
to have security intervene."
She felt the stubble on his jaw brush against her own cheek. "I'll
admit that such things interest me. But what I hold in my arms is
much more worthy of attention."
"Kaji, I'm on…"
"A tight schedule. I know. But one must not become so involved in
their work ethic that they can't step away and clear their head. That
level of devotion is not good for the mind or soul."
"So what, I just drop it?"
"Take at least one night off, woman! Some people actually leave their
jobs and go home. You are a beautiful lady, and it pains me to see
you hording that splendor behind an unappreciative computer
screen."
"Ryoji, you flatter to the point of being cheesy."
"I'll admit that I am trying to sweet-talk a bit. That does not mean that
the things I say are any less true."
Ritsuko let a hand drift up to the side of his cheek, feeling his stubble
in her palm. She turned her head towards him, and kissed him on
the jaw. Kaji instantly turned his own head, seeking her mouth out
with his. Ritsuko pulled back.
"Ah, an old-fashioned woman."
Dr. Akagi shook her head. "Misato."

"You needn't worry yourself on that mark. Any chance that I might
have had at stirring old embers with her was demolished with my last
assignment."
"I've betrayed her enough with this project."
"Does she care for me so deeply that I've become exclusive to her? I
wouldn't have thought so."
"It's a bad idea."
Kaji motioned to one of the computer monitors. "It's not nearly as ill
conceived as letting that girl walk about freely."
Ritsuko looked to a screen that showed the monstrosity that was

their best pilot walking away from her room. "Now that is interesting.
She hasn't ventured out without our urging before."
"Do you have any security detail with her?"
"Yes. They've been instructed to keep their distance but to watch her
closely. She's been different ever since she unfolded an A.T. Field. I
want to observe her behavior with as little clinical interference as
possible."
Kaji was still close to Ritsuko's head. He brought himself nearer and
said conspiratorially "She and the Second Child may have some sort
of psychic connection."
"Rubbish."
"When I led her from Nerv, the First and Second Children were able
to pinpoint my location, even though I was in hiding. One of the
things that the Second Child said at the end made me think she was
tracking us by seeing things through that girl's eyes. If such is the
case, you would be well served by keeping that one in the dark as
much as possible." Kaji indicated the screen. "Nerv finding out that
we might have a potential pilot would not bode well."
Scene Shift
The girl traced a coloring pencil along the rim of her eyelash, looking
up so hard that it felt like her irises were rolling up into her head. As
she pulled the pencil away she blinked several times and saw her
reflection in the mirror. Her short, chestnut-colored hair was
feathered, and the lightest hint of makeup was around her gray eyes.
She patted her cheek with just a slight amount of blush, before a
knock interrupted her.
Mana Kirishima looked to her bed where a white shirt was still laid
out. She decided to peek through the eyehole in her door before
putting the garment on.
She was surprised to see the new girl standing outside in the hall.
What made the sight surreal was that the girl seemed to be
humming. In fact, it was in Mana's list of things that should not occur.
"Just a minute." Mana went to the bed and started buttoning her
shirt, her mind racing. She had seen the new pilot only a few times
since the girl had arrived, but they had never spoken directly. She
wasn't even sure of the girl's name: people that she had overheard
just referred to her as the pilot to Unit-Beta.
Mana was not the type to be unkind, but her first instinct had been
that the girl was slow mentally. She walked around in what seemed
to be a daze. That wasn't accurate. The girl had acted like nothing
around her was even there. She had been totally disconnected.
And now she was in the hall, humming.
Mana fastened the final button and walked back to the door. She
opened it, trying to be friendly so that her nervousness wasn't
evident.
The girl with the light blue hair beamed when she saw Mana's face.
"Greetings, Pilot Mana Kirishima."
"Good morning…" Mana didn't know what to call the girl.
"Rei. Either Ayanami or Ichijo, I haven't decided. I don't believe that

Ikari is appropriate."
"Oookay." Despite the girl's newfound energy, Mana wasn't

convinced that she should discard the idea that all the wiring might
not be routed correctly. "Come in."
'Rei' bounded into the room, and sat on the bed. She almost
immediately went from a sitting position to a prone one. She rubbed
the covers of the bed against her face. Mana looked on nervously.
"This is nice. It's so soft."
"Thanks. It has a high thread count." Mana turned back to the mirror.
She only had to apply some lipstick and she would be done with her
face.
Rei looked on with interest. "What are you doing?"
Mana waited until she had traced a line of red across her upper lip
before answering. "Since your successful activation of Unit Beta, I've
gotten a break from the pilot tests. I didn't bother with prettying up
too much before because the LCL always ruins the work. But today I
get to be girllie."
"Can I try it?"
Mana held up the lipstick. "Be my guest."
"I thought I was."
Mana giggled at the quick retort. The humor died fast when she saw
that Rei had been absolutely serious when she had made the
comment.
It was obvious from the way that Rei gripped the lipstick that she was
going to make a mess. "Let me." Mana traced the lipstick lightly
around the girl's mouth. She turned back to the mirror. "You've never
put on makeup before?"
"Should I have?"
Mana shrugged. "I guess not. Now, move your lips together like this."
Mana rubbed her lips over the top of each other, getting the makeup
to cover them totally. Rei imitated the action.
"That red isn't right for your skin. We need a lighter shade I think."
Mana started digging through the drawer. "Can I ask you
something?"
"You just did."
Again, a remark that Mana thought was witty without any show of it
having been a joke. Did Rei just have a dry sense of humor? "Okay
then, I'll make it two. Are you an albino?"
"I'm not sure."
Mana pulled out some pink lipstick. She handed Rei a bit of tissue.
"Go ahead and rub that red off. You don't have to say if you don't
want to. I shouldn't have asked."
"You're not at fault."
Mana put the pink lipstick on now, going through the same routine
again. She pulled back to appraise her work. "Wow. That's good. You
look very pretty."
Rei smiled. "Thank you, Mana Kirishima. That is very kind. Are all
people so nice?"
Mana looked puzzled. Before she could say anything, there was a
knock at the door. 'This room is busy today.' Mana thought. 'Thank
goodness someone came before this got awkward. Rei was
beginning to get weird on me. Well, weirder' "I need to get that."
Rei nodded. "Of course. Oh, you are pretty as well, Mana Kirishima."
"Thanks. And just call me Mana, okay?"
"As you wish."
Mana made her way to the door and peeked to see who was there. A
man in a blue security uniform was standing there, listening to
something in his walkie-talkie. Mana quickly opened the door. "Hello,
sir."
"Hello. Is the pilot for Unit-Beta currently here?"
Rei approached the door. "I am."
"You need to come with me."
Rei nodded, and turned to Mana. "I hope to see you again, Mana."
"Yeah, me too." Rei's face became puzzled, as if she were trying to

work through some mystery buried in Mana's statement. Abruptly,
she spun on one heel and left with the security man falling in beside
her.
'Odd,' Mana thought.
Scene Shift
Kozo Fuyutsuki stood on the catwalk in front of Unit-01. Technicians

working on the ground below seemed to put an extra effort into their
duties, no doubt nervous because of the Commander's presence.
They could have been drinking sake and dancing naked and Kozo
wouldn't have paid them any mind, but there was little need to let
them in on that fact. Fuyutsuki stared into the dim eyes of the
android, as if he could see the occupying presence behind them.
If the eyes were windows to the soul, then the blinds were pulled
close and the lights turned off within these particular panes of glass.
Section Two had finally found a radar tech on duty the night of the
power failure. Three objects that were most likely transport
helicopters had been spotted. The man had been instructed by
someone higher in the command chain to disregard the objects at
the time. When Nerv had inquired after this decision, the superior
could not be located.
They had been able to deduce two facts from this. First, since the
blips had been moving north, away from the coastline, the stolen
materials should still be relatively close. This didn't preclude that the
abducted angel and S2 organ hadn't been loaded on a ship, but
probably dictated that what had been taken from Nerv was still
somewhere in the Japanese mainland. Secondly, the convenient
unavailability of the radar tech's superior suggested that at least
certain parties in the government or military were actively working
against Nerv.
So, who were the perpetrators? It could be a rival venture, such as

the defunct Jet Alone project. The JSSDF could be behind it. If a
foreign power were involved, it would almost certainly have to be
under Seele's ultimate guidance. There was almost no other
organization that might have enough influence within Japan to pull
this off.
If only this dilemma were the end of his problems. But Naoko's fears
were proving correct. He remembered the conversation he had thirty
minutes earlier:
"And why, Commander Wisdom, are you trying to delay her

transfer?" Fuyutsuki had been stern as he said this, letting cold, calm
menace into his voice.
The American on the hologram across from him had tapped

something that was away from the encryption area of his transceiver.
All that could be seen was an arm disappearing up to the elbow in
space. In front of Kozo, various screens opened themselves. The
first showed bare skin around the upper torso, the slight swell of a
breast making it clear that the subject had been a female. Scabs ran
around in an intermittent pattern, forming an arc along the exposed
area. A close-up featured a nasty bruise on the upper left of what
was presumably the same female's body. A third, fourth, and fifth
picture showed various burns along a pair of arms, then another
picture of facial bruising and swelling. Finally a trio of pictures
showed an ankle broken in a simple fracture and the post treatment
shot after it was reset.
"What you have been doing to these children is inhumane."
Kozo chuckled dryly. "How convenient it must be for you to absolve

yourself of any involvement. Rei's latest, and by far worst, injuries
were received for your sake, and those of your countrymen."
"We are not moving her until she has made a sufficient enough
recovery to allow for her safe transportation. We owe her at the very
least that much."
"Some might think it suspicious that your sudden humanitarian

impulses serve to keep a pilot in your care that you should not have."
The conversation had degenerated from there. Veiled accusations

and claims of oblivious innocence were what their words had
amounted to.
Nothing had changed on the face of Unit-01, but Kozo's perception

felt as if it deepened. He imagined he saw approval on the demonic
visage, but a prolonged study made it seem like the look was more
of accusation. Fuyutsuki has been soft and weak. He was a damned
idiot who couldn't make the hard call and let the U.S. take a hit so
that the rest of humanity might be saved. He could have prevented
the second children's captivity, not to mention her injuries.
That wasn't the worst of his shortsightedness in this venture. He

knew that Rei's synchronization rate had spiked above eighty
percent. Unit-04 was a derivative of Adam. The conditions were
dangerously close for instituting one set of requirements for a Third
Impact. He had been too self-assured in interpretations of the Dead
Sea Scrolls. Rei hadn't achieved a hundred percent, but the whole
venture had been careless. He did not need to proceed with the
assumption that events would unfold as he thought they should.
The Americans had done tests on Rei by now. It would have

probably started innocently enough: after the battle, she would have
been checked for blood type. It would be decided that she could
receive O-, but a few anomalies in her protein sequencing would
eventually warrant further investigation. That would uncover all sorts
of abnormalities in her gene pairs.
So, two Reis were out of his control now. What was worse, the
Americans could take over the Eva program by merely stalling.
Commander Wisdom would have never tried such a thing before.
Because the U.S. had been given more leash by the committee they
had become brazenly confident. Maybe they had forgotten the leash
was even there.
That wasn't the reason. The rogue Seele member from the U.S. had
never been forced to pay penance for leaving the Cabal. That was
what had emboldened the Americans. In fact, Kozo felt confident that
he saw Joshua's hand in all of this mess.
If events were left as they were now, Fuyutsuki knew how it would
play out. China and America would stop letting headquarters look to
them for repairs on Units-00, -01, and -02. With an angelic attack
happening outside of Japan, everyone would want an Eva. Korea
would probably stay on board with the Japanese if they could be
convinced that Nerv was capable of responding to an Angelic threat
to them. Seele was influential enough within the European
commonwealth that they could still convince France and Britain to
cooperate. And Germany was always a stable support. But those
countries were all too far away, and with the next Angel attacks
potentially coming with less down time between each, re-supplying
would become impractical. All that he would be able to mend his
current squad with would be what was on-hand at Tokyo, and
perhaps the Russians, who were not very far along in fabricating one
of the golems. The Soviets were still in a deep economic depression,
so they were easy enough to buy off.
The last few attacks had witnessed extensive damage to the Eva
units. Unit-02 had needed far-reaching repairs, and Unit-01 had
been even more expensive because almost all of the epidermis had
been damaged in the magma immersion. Unit-00 had almost cleared
inspection to be sure it hadn't been contaminated during its time
encased in Bakelite with an angel. He would have a fresh set of
Evas within a pair of weeks, but when they were damaged next time,
that would be it. And given one interpretation of the scriptures, it
seemed that at least one of the golems was destined to turn against
them. It was almost a given that without the parts to keep the Evas
running, they would be unable to go the distance to Third Impact.
So, when his squad became unsalvageable, which was very likely
with the next few Angels, an alternative would have to be sought out.
The Americans would have two fresh Evas and able pilots on hand
to man them. Adam would be officially placed somewhere in North
America by the Committee, who would sanction the Americans
thieving after the fact.
Mankind would be doomed to becoming a single, homogeneous

being because a few old men were scared of being alone and dying.
The fault wouldn't lie with just Seele though. He had made a bad
decision and given in to humanitarian impulses.
Fuyutsuki knew he could be overreacting. The Americans might be

sincere in their reasoning and might be more than willing to send Rei
back when she was considered medically sound. And they might not
have discovered anything abnormal enough in her physiology to
justify a test on the genetic level. But he had to go forth with an
assumption of the worse case scenario.
Kozo knew he had a resource to extract Rei. Getting inside an

American installation and retrieving someone should have been
damn near impossible. But he recalled that Keel had talked about
leaving contingencies in place on the various branches. It wasn't
long after Gendo had gone into Unit-01, if Kozo's memory was
correct. When Gehirn had become Nerv, Fuyutsuki had been worried
about various nations taking over the Nerv branches and using the
androids for their own interests. In fact, a variation of that fear was
the card that he played to keep Naoko on board with his interests.
Keel had said that he had fail-safes in place to keep that from
occurring.
At the time Kozo had thought it was something as simple as a self-

destruct sequence. As time passed and he noticed the various
branches falling into line with Seele's will, another theory emerged.
Keel had most likely planted influential people, or inactive sleepers
for that matter, to quell insurrection and take emergency measures
as needed. After all, it was impractical to put a self-destruct capability
on an Eva. Given the mutable nature of the Angels and their
proclivity to attempt an attack from any angle, eventually one of them
would be able to activate such a thing remotely. They were already
seeing new uses for the A.T. Field, and the trials were barely at the
halfway mark. And the destruction of a whole branch was irrelevant if
an Eva unit could not be secured.
So, all Kozo had to do to fix this was use Seele's resources. He
would approach them and tell them what was wrong, and most likely
they would have Rei delivered back within a week.
Except that Joshua Christian, the man who had quit Seele, had not
been dealt with.
There was no reason for that at first glance. Seele had the resources
and means to end his life instantly.
Unless he was allowed to roam free to bring about the current

situation.
Kozo should have approached Seele when the Americans abducted

Adam. It probably hadn't been foreseen that Yui would be able to
strike a deal with Joshua, or that he would find the conditions
agreeable. Kozo had not wanted to approach Seele with the
problem. He felt that they would have gotten the job done, but there
would have probably been additional staff in the aftermath to
increase security. Those men would no doubt hold ultimate
allegiance to Keel, and prove to be Nerv's downfall at an inopportune
time. Calling for assistance in getting Rei now was fraught with the
same hazard.
There was another danger as well. Keel might take the initiative and
have Rei killed instead of extracted. Such an operation had a much
likelier chance of success. And given Rei's current medical state,
which was largely a mystery to the American doctors, an accidental
death was quite possible to arrange.
So, there were the options he had been able to devise. Damned if he
did; damned if he didn't.
At least there was a small silver lining: having an Angel almost

literally dropped into their laps had galvanized the Americans'
release of Adam. Kozo was expecting the first man to return to his
possession before the next day was up. Adam was being sent to
them with all possible haste.
Fuyutsuki concentrated again on the demonic purple head before

him. Kozo had held an immediate dislike for Gendo Rokubungi when
he had first met the man. He had a smug, egotistical nature that just
begged for someone to punch him. A notion that more than a few
people seemed to act on during the time Kozo had known him. But
damned if it wasn't justified.
Gendo had made a good decision. Even after ten years, his widow
(after a manner) was ready to drop Fuyutsuki in favor of him, and he
resided within the belly of a god-beast that he could control like a
puppet. All this while Kozo worked through ulcer-creating dilemmas
that should have belonged to Rokubungi.
"Clever bastard. God, how I hate and admire you."
Scene Shift
Naoko looked as someone knocked on her door. "Come in."
Misato strode in with a smile on her face. To anyone else it might

have seemed merely cheerful, but Naoko had known the other
woman long enough now to know that she was going to ask for
something. Misato made sure to lock the door behind her. "Good
morning, Dr. Akagi." Misato spared a glance around be fore taking a
seat at her customary chair. "Maya around?"
"I've got her finishing up the Magi's diagnostics. We don't ever seem
to get enough of a break from Angel attacks to finish it." Naoko
smiled a little indulgently. "Plus, letting Maya order some people
around will be good for the girl. She really is too shy. The idea of
being in control of the process positively elated and frightened her."
"Will she be alright?"
Naoko waved the question off dismissively. "Maya is a technophile

and a genius. She'll be fine. Honestly, I can't figure out where her
lack of self-confidence comes from. But anything I can do to help is a
good thing."
"I'm glad to hear you're in such a generous mood…"
"Ah, here we go."
"And what does that mean?" Naoko arced an eyebrow and Misato
looked away, slightly embarrassed. "I don't come by just to ask for
favors."
"Not always."
A brief silence filled the room before Misato finally spoke up. "Asuka
is having a hard time coming to terms with what Kaji did. I need to
borrow the video surveillance of him from that night."
Naoko thought about telling Misato 'no' flat out. Giving Asuka access
to that footage was just a slow way of revealing that Naoko was
spying on the Commander and Sub-Commander. Asuka would tell
Shinji, who would tell Yui, who would wonder how such footage
existed and hadn't made its way to her.
Misato could be a little stubborn sometimes though, and Naoko

would like to keep any hurt feelings from springing up between them.
So she decided on a white lie. "That's not possible. I destroyed the
file."
"Why would you do that?"
"To keep from getting caught, Misato. Yui doesn't know as much as I
do about the Magi, but she is knowledgeable enough to snoop
around the system adeptly. I can't leave things like that on a
computer, or anywhere else for that matter."
Misato sighed. "It's okay. I understand. It just would have helped

Asuka get out of her denial. She's really rabid about discovering the
truth of that night, and I'm not sure what to do. I want to help her, but
once she realizes that the accounts are accurate, she's going to go
somewhere bad mentally. I'm worried that she might relate it to what
happened to her mother on an emotional level."
"The best thing you could do is to just be there for her, Misato."
"I try. It's just… Asuka is so independent. The closest I can come is
being like a sister, but it's still not a friendly relationship for the most
part."
"There's nothing wrong with that."
"And this job keeps me from being home."
"You won't hear me brag on Yui much, but I'll say this. She's proof
that you can spend a lot of time in this place and still raise your kids
well."
Misato chewed on that for a minute. "Mind if I ask something
personal?"
"Go ahead, but I might return the favor sometime."
"What's the deal with you and the Sub-commander?"
"Oh, I think cattiness in general is a genetic trait encoded onto the

Ikari X chromosome."
Misato smiled. "You don't have to say."
"Men."
Misato felt her mouth open just a little. "Men?"
Naoko nodded. "Our problem is men. Of course, we've been around

each other long enough that any ill feelings have simmered down
into cold professionalism. The job comes before being bitchy with
each other. But she is not one of my favorite people. And she
shouldn't be one of yours either."
"Why's that?"
"She doesn't speak about you favorably, Misato."
"I didn't know."
"It's nothing. Just know that Yui Ikari is not your friend, but she is
your boss." Naoko sighed. "Most likely, she projects some of her
feelings concerning me onto you. It's no secret that we aren't the
best of buddies. But I guess none of that really answered your
question, did it?" Naoko nodded towards Misato's cup. "Go ahead
and get some more, this might take a moment."
Misato waved her off. "I'm good."
"I know that most of your social exposure was from Germany, so you
might not know how things can be with married people in Japan. It's
not uncommon that when a husband and wife have a child together
for their… sexual dynamic to change. There's a distinction made
between a sexy girlfriend and a mother of a child. So some couples,
after having a child, sate their urges outside of the union. Just so
long as the person is discrete, there's not an issue."
"Well, I remember that's how it used to be with some people. Sorry

to interrupt." Naoko motioned for Misato to continue. "Well, with the
population shortage following Second Impact and the decreased rate
of pregnancies, I thought that sort of thinking was tossed out the
window."
"I should have given you a relevant time frame. We are talking about
early 2000."
"Oh."
"I guess this is just a long justification for my actions, but I never saw
myself as some sort of 'home-wrecking whore.' But after Shinji was
born, Gendo, Yui's husband of the time, and I engaged in a sort of
arrangement. We were very subtle about it, but word got back to Yui
anyway. She didn't take it well."
"After her husband died, Kozo followed her around like a puppy. Of
course it was brushed off as him being a doting father figure and
former mentor, but I saw his glances at her. The fact that they were
in a platonic relationship was certainly not his prerogative."
"So, things went like this for three years, and the woman never
shows any romantic interest. The truth be told, it was very annoying
to watch. Kozo is not an ugly man. He has a morale fortitude that is
endearing, and his resolve when committed to what he believes is
right is admirable. He's a smart person, if a bit cold under social
pressure. So I decide to explore whether there's anything there for
the two of us. We went out a time or two, and were starting to hit it
off. And then, out of nowhere, Yui decided that she missed
Fuyutsuki's attentions, and pulls him back in. The two have been
cohorts ever since."
"So, the Commander and Sub-commander are a couple?"
"I'm not sure. They certainly were. Something's going on lately

though. I doubt they think I notice, but I've been around them for a
long time. Their mannerisms are pretty easy for me to read."
"Wow. Score another one for the rumor mill. I thought all that talk
about the two being involved with each other was because their
positions dictated they spend time together."
"Quid pro quo, Major. I get to ask you something."
"Dang." Misato sighed resignedly. "What is it?"
"Who are you taking to Megumi's wedding?"
"I might just go stag."
"Oh? You're not taking Makoto as your date?"
Misato raised her eyebrows. "You think that's wise?"
"I think that you've tested him quite a bit. He runs more than a few
errands for you."
"Megumi works in Unit-01's cage. Half of Nerv will be there. Do you

think it's a good idea to be seen with a subordinate like that?"
"Throw the man a bone, Misato. I'm sure he'll return the favor."
"Naoko!"
Dr. Akagi's eyes sparkled, and she had an impish smile. "Just
something to think about. You've said yourself that Asuka has been a
challenge. If you're getting tension from work and from home, you
need to find somewhere that you can relax."
"I'll do it if you come too."

Naoko laughed. "You'll do it anyway."
Misato got up and started moving towards the door. "Don't be so

sure."
"I'll feign uncertainty if it makes you feel better."
Misato stuck out her tongue, and left the room.
Scene Shift
Asuka was pacing in a hall making hand gestures. Seeing no one

around, she occasionally voiced some of her internal dialogue.
"This is stupid. Who in the Hell does he think he is to tell me what to

do? He's got a lot of nerve."
Asuka walked to a door, and raised her hand to knock. She

immediately lowered it. 'No.' She thought furiously. 'I am not kissing
up to anyone because he decides that's how it's got to be. It doesn't
matter what some damn little boy thinks anyway. I'll toss him away
and find a real man.'
Asuka turned away ready to stomp off. 'Why in the Hell do I worry
about what he thinks anyway? He's not that special.'
Even through her righteous indignation, she managed to dredge up a

sensation. It was the feeling of her foot slipping on something.
Except it hadn't been her foot: it was Unit-02's. Shinji had jumped
into the lava without any regard for himself. He had urged her to
climb him even as her steps almost disemboweled him.
Those were not the actions of a little boy.
He was cute; she could admit that. Shinji was nice too, though all the
boys were nice when their hormones started acting up, which was a
reaction that Asuka's beauty tended to inspire in the opposite sex.
But he did not get to order her around, damn it! That was not a part
of who she was. Asuka Langley Sohryu was self-sufficient. She lived
for herself, and to pilot Eva, because eventually, that was all she
had. In all likelihood, some fourteen-year-old boy was not going to
inspire a lifelong romance. He'd leave. Everyone left.
Another memory crept up. She could hear Shinji talking. "I thought
maybe you had some human decency in you, that you could regret
what you did a little, but you can't even say that you're sorry. Go find
another dog to kick."
This wasn't her fault. She shouldn't have to go begging for

forgiveness. He managed to get one apology out of her, but that
wasn't enough. Oh no, not for the number one synch ratio pilot
Shinji.
"Damned stupid baka!"
On some level, he had made it her fault. He had done everything

right, never mind that he had wrongly accused Kaji and started some
witch-hunt. She shouldn't have slapped him. In his mind she had
betrayed him. Who cared if it was actually the other way around?
She did want to keep talking to him. Shinji understood her a little,
which was more than she could say for most people. No one else
knew what it was like to pilot the Eva, except maybe for that freak
Rei.
Asuka gritted her teeth. "This is such a load of bull."
Scene Shift
Yui Ikari watched the feed from a video camera outside her hall.
Section Two had called her to notify her that the Second Children
was outside her door and acting erratically.
What was Asuka up to?

The girl always dredged up the worse feelings in Yui.
On one level, she saw her own failures when she looked at Asuka.
Keel had talked with Kyoko and Yui, separately of course, to
convince them to go into Eva. Had Yui been allowed, she would
have given herself over to the golem whole, leaving nothing behind.
Because that was the way it had to be: the prophecies seemed to
state this clearly. But Kyoko had tried to sacrifice only a part of her
essence on the altar that was Eva. The results were disastrous, but
Yui had always thought that Kyoko had been the braver one of them.
Despite what had eventually happened, Kyoko had been the better
mother. She had done what she could to save humanity, while trying
to keep her little girl from being alone. The idea had not even
occurred to Yui to go forward with half-measures.
The whole thing had been tragic. The empty shell that became
Kyoko had done much more damage than a sudden disappearance
would have ever caused.
On top of that guilt was anger. Asuka had all but broken Shinji's
heart. It was all she could do to keep from gouging the girl's eyes out
when she slapped him in the hospital. Shinji had never been hurt like
that: not emotionally.
Finally, there was a knock at the door.
"Enter."
Asuka came in and bowed. "I would like to speak with you, Sub-
Commander Ikari."
"Then do so." Yui's response was soft, and even though it tempered
her words, they still felt hostile to Asuka.
Asuka twisted her lips, almost visibly biting down on some remark
that wouldn't have helped the conversation. "I shouldn't have
slapped Shinji. I wished it hadn't happened. I have apologized to
him. I'm sorry."
"That's all?"
Asuka clenched her hands together, and rolled her head to the side.
She looked back at Yui. "What do you mean?" The words came out
through mostly clenched teeth.
"You hurt my son, Pilot Sohryu. That is not something I take lightly.
Pretty words that feel like they are delivered under duress aren't
convincing, though I can appreciate the intent."
"You know it wasn't Kaji that night."
"You have no clue as to what I do and do not know."
Asuka put her hands on her hips. "Fine. Who did he kidnap?"
"What?"
"Shinji and Rei said they allegedly saw him kidnapping someone
before he supposedly shot them. Sooo…" Asuka shrugged her
hands. "Who's missing?"
"You don't need to know that, Asuka."
"Because no one on the bridge has said anything about a missing

person. None of the techs that I talked to had any missing co-
workers, except for some Kisho guy who broke his arm. Nobody is
missing. As far as I can tell, that means this whole kidnapping thing
is a bunch of sheiss."
"I know Kaji was special to you, Asuka. He was your overseer before
Misato, so you were probably quite attached. But he did betray
Nerv."
"How? Who did he kidnap?"

"He was responsible for the power loss before the Angel attack. He
sabotaged Headquarters. His actions were indirectly responsible for
almost getting you killed." Yui wished she could take those words
back even as she said them. The cold look of resolve that crossed
Asuka's features told of her error.
"Have you got proof? Or are we relying on the eyewitness account of

the Wonder Twins?"
"I will not discuss this matter further, Asuka. Desist speaking on this
subject with any Nerv personnel, or anyone else for that matter."
Yui's authoritative tone softened as she said, "You need to move on."
Asuka turned quickly on her heel, not quite stomping back into the
hall. Before she left, she turned back. "I meant it. I'm sorry about
Shinji. But that's the only damn thing." And then she was gone.
Yui took a moment to ponder the conversation. Asuka had managed

to surprise her, though Yui should have seen this coming. Now she
had to decide the best way of fixing this situation.
Scene Shift
Maya let the clipboard down to her side, clearly exhausted. "That's
good. Everyone take a break." A quick look of panic crossed her
face. "Well, not everyone. I mean… non-essential personnel may
take a break."
More than a few amused glances were passed between some of the
techs around the exposed Magi casings. Maya blushed slightly. She
almost jumped when someone nudged her side.
Out of the side of his mouth, and in a quiet whisper, Makoto spoke.
"You're doing fine. We've made it through the diagnostic without a
hitch. Try to relax, Maya."
Maya gave one quick nod, before walking over to check something
on Caspar.
"Poor woman." Aoba had turned around in his chair now, and faced
Makoto.
"Yeah."
"So, is the remote plug experiment still tomorrow?"
Makoto shrugged. "It should be. I had to check some code on a

computer in the Pribnow Box earlier, but it came out fine. I don't see
any reason for it to be delayed. Of course, you know how the Angels
are about letting us have a schedule. I would almost bet good money
that one of them will attack during the middle of the test. I swear
they're trying to wear us down with redundant maintenance checks
as opposed to assaulting us outright."
Aoba grinned. "Our enemies are more devious than we know."
Author's Notes:
First off, I try to give credit where credit is due. Big D looked over the
Chapter 20 draft and sent me back some good feedback on why the
initial scene with Shinji and Asuka felt wrong. His suggestions
inspired the revised scene, which seems to have gone over very
well.
I learned a few things about writing over the course of this chapter.
First off, if you get out of the habit of writing, it is very, very hard to
slip back in. I had initially planned on just taking a two week break
while I vacationed and went to Conventions and the such. That
stretched out a little longer, and every time I sat down to write this
chapter, I felt like I was forcing the words out. I'm still not happy with
this Chapter.
Got something to say? Lemme have it. I read the criticisms and
compliments and take them into consideration. My appreciations for
all the comments and suggestions to make this story better.
Thanks for reading

Proofreader credit goes to Cyber Undead and Big D. They're both

great, and there are passages in this text that Big D practically wrote.
I appreciate the help guys.
Chapter 22
The room was dim. The twilight barely sent illumination through the
window, and only a small sliver of light made its way back to the
bedroom from the kitchen. An LED from an SDAT player profiled the
stomach of a teenage boy who was lying on his bed, staring at the
ceiling. Though distant noise from a television somewhere in the
house could be heard, it was lost to Shinji as music flooded in
through the headphones.
Two days. That was way too long for there not to be a phone call, an
email, a text message, word passed on by someone else… or
anything concerning Rei.
The house felt empty tonight.
Shinji was not prone to lying about and generating angst, the last few
days being an exception. On the other hand, the three people he
spent most of his time with weren't around to lift the mood.
Why didn't anyone know for sure how Rei was? He hadn't ever been
separated from her for this long. When he questioned his mom about
her, she just said that Rei would hopefully be home soon, but she
wasn't able to talk to them right now. His mother was late coming
home from work today, which left him feeling uneasy as well.
Thoughts of Asuka ate at him almost as badly as Rei. When he had

confronted her, he had been able to stand up and be angry by just
the slimmest of margins. For every impulse that screamed at him to
be pissed off, there seemed to be another telling him to beg the
German girl for forgiveness. After all this time with no word from
Asuka, he was afraid that he might have made a mistake in handing
down his ultimatum.
The idea that he had lost any chance with Asuka made him feel sick
at his stomach. And when his mind shifted off of that and onto
whether Rei was actually okay, it made it worse.
It occurred to young Ikari that perhaps he should actually make

friends with some guys. It would come in useful right now. He could
do with some inane chatter to take his mind off of his worries. But of
course, now that the impulse to make friends had hit him, he
doubted he would be very good company for anyone. He knew that
he was a downer at the moment.
The sound of a door closing brought him out of his thoughts.

Knowing that Section Two wouldn't let any unauthorized personnel
enter the house, it could only be a handful of possible people.
Yui was unloading a sack of groceries when she saw her son glance
excitedly out of the doorway to his bedroom. His face fell just slightly
when he saw her. "Would you help me put these away?"
Shinji nodded, and grabbed several cans. As soon as they had

finished that chore, Shinji felt Yui's arms around him. "I'm sorry,
Shinji. I know you were hoping for your cousin."
"Have you heard anything?"
"I have, but it wasn't the news I was wanting. I'll tell you what: first
thing in the morning, I'm going to get her."
Shinji beamed up at his mother. "Really?"
Yui nodded. "I feel like the Americans are feeding us a line of bull.
I'm not going to stand idly by and let them keep Rei from us any
longer. We'll have the family back together again soon. Okay?"
Shinji hugged her, and she kissed the crown of his head. "Now, what
do you want for supper? Oh, and something odd happened today at
work. You'll want to hear about it."
Scene Shift
Ritsuko reached into her pocket for a cigarette. This interrogation

was trying her patience. She knew there were people more qualified
to question this Angel/Human hybrid, but the sensitive nature of the
information that might be revealed meant that this was something
that Ritsuko needed to do on her own. She lit it and took a deep
drag.
"What is it that you are doing?"
Dr. Akagi looked up at the Nephilim, who was staring back

quizzically. "You've never seen anyone smoke?" The girl shook her
head. "Well, it's not a healthy thing to do. But the nicotine can be
soothing."
"May I try it?"
Ritsuko thought about denying her, but figured this could be a good
tactic for encouraging the subject to confide in her. She tapped the
pack and three buttes stuck out. She removed one and slid it across
the table. The lighter followed quickly after.
The blue-haired girl held the cigarette up, and after several attempts
got the lighter to spark. She tried to imitate what she had seen
Ritsuko do, taking a hard inhalation through the filter. She
immediately started coughing.
Ritsuko pointed to the water cooler, and the girl went to it quickly.
After a few gulps she turned back to the blonde. "That was awful!"
"It takes a little practice. So, where were we? I believe you were
telling me that everything up to the Unit Beta activation was vague."
The Nephilim nodded. "I sort of remember the guy with the scraggly
face. And there are other memories, but they are not my own."
"Could you explain that for me?"
The girl smiled helplessly. "No, I don't think I can."
Ritsuko took another drag. "You told me you were going to cooperate
and be truthful."
"I can't tell you how I make my heart beat. I don't understand how the
process occurs, it just does. And I don't know how the memories
happen. I know they are hers…"
"Rei Ikari's?"
"Yes."
"What are they memories of?"
"Mostly a boy, Shinji Ikari, and her aunt, Yui. I know she piloted a
robot like I do. I… she… well, we like shark fin soup and chicken stir-
fry. I… we like to collect Beanie Babies. I guess that's wrong, since I
don't have any. She would be the collector."
"Can she sense what you sense? Does Rei Ikari receive your
memories in the same manner that you acquired hers?"
"I don't know. She won't tell me." A brief silence followed, before the
subject spoke again. "She doesn't like me."
"You've met her?"
"No… yes… I don't know. When something happens in your head,

how do you know it's real?" The Nephilim was dour for a moment
before she brightened. "Pilot Kirishima showed me how to apply
makeup today. I think I would like some. And could I be allowed to
shop for some things to brighten up my living quarters. My room
doesn't feel right with plain walls, you know?"
"I'll see what I can do. We're drifting off the topic. Why do you think
that Rei Ikari doesn't like you?"
"I don't know. She didn't. I'm different now though. She's changed as
well. I don't want to try and see her anymore. She might change me
into what I was before. I don't want to go back. I like being alive."
The doctor wanted to pursue that further, but a sudden ringing

interrupted them. Ritsuko picked up the phone receiver in
annoyance. She had left specific instructions that she was not to be
disturbed while she interviewed the pilot for Unit Beta.
"Dr. Akagi speaking."
"Ma'am, the S2 organ just did it again. While we were attempting to

house it within Unit Alpha the core shielding achieved a state similar
to a Bose-Einstein Condensate. It was only for a fraction of a
second, but it was enough to slip through the housing."
'Most delicate thing in existence my ass,' Ritsuko thought angrily.

"That shouldn't be possible. Was the core being irradiated to keep
the atomic structure excited?"
"We followed you protocols to the letter, ma'am."
Ritsuko sighed. "Casualties?"
"Five, only one serious though. A technician suffered a bad fall when
the organ bumped a walkway. He is not expected to die, though
paralysis from vertebral injuries is possible."
"Alright. Take whatever immediate precautions you must and then

cordon off the site until I arrive. It should be within ten minutes."
"Understood, ma'am."
Ritsuko hung up the phone, and turned back to the thing that was
calling herself Rei now. "This interview may have to wait. I will have
security escort you back to your room."
Rei nodded solemnly.
Scene Shift
"You shouldn't go."
Yui was sitting across from Commander Fuyutsuki in his living room.
It had been a while since she had come over to the place. He still
kept it immaculate. And the leather sofa, a vanity item of obvious
western influence, smelled good.
"So we just let them have Rei? You know as well as I do that the
Americans' story is nothing but lies. If they were really concerned
with the pilot's health they would send her back to our doctors, who
know Rei better and have been tending to her all of her life."
"And what keeps them from kidnapping you?"
"Please, Kozo, give them some credit. Abducting the Second-in-

Command of Nerv will cause the whole U.N. to come crashing down
on them. The Americans can't risk the wrath of the entire world."
"But they won't be defying the U.N. per se: they'll be opposing Nerv.
And with the budgetary constraints we are placing on the world at
large, this organization is not popular."
"Even if that is so, we're still more popular on the international

landscape than the Americans. Actually, it would work out better if
they did try something. It would be the same as threatening the
U.N.'s sovereignty. There are still those who recall the disregard that
the U.S. showed the United Nations before Second Impact. We
might find ourselves as a rallying point if the Americans threaten or
abuse us."
Fuyutsuki shifted to a different argument. "Travel is fraught with

danger now. Shi'ite fundamentalists are starting to preach that Nerv
is Satan's whore, especially since they've decided to make a link
between the Angels attacking the United States and us. Extremist of
that group don't shy from using violence. And the Vatican is being
pressured to make a statement, which could happen within the
coming days. We located our headquarters within the Geofront
because of its unique connection to Lillith. Don't forget that the fact
that it was within Japan, and therefore far removed from the serious
influence of Western Religions, was also a prime selling point for
using this place as the locale of our base of operations."
After Second Impact, most of the world's religions saw resurgence in

the numbers of their followers. The Western Religions were of great
concern because they would view a battle against God's envoys as
an action to be opposed. The fact that the Western world wasn't in
arms against Nerv was due to cover stories from the P.R. division.
For the most part, it was widely held that the Japanese had merely
used an English word stupidly, and many decided to use the term
'Invaders' to give a proper context to their roles as adversaries.
The Angels were predominantly held to be some sort of alien

aggressors. But even within that context, there were people who
would rather ascribe such beings as being sent from a divine power.
And the appearance of a new, intelligent species was causing many
to contemplate what place such beings would have in their belief
system. Such theological speculation occasionally cast Nerv as an
evil fighting against holy creatures. This was rare, as humans tended
to side with their own, and such biases colored their opinions. Nerv's
Public Relations division was steadfast in presenting information
concerning the Angels in language firmly grounded in science, and
went a long way in quelling possible brushfires among the faithful.
Still, the number of people who believed Nerv was something other
than mankind's savior was growing.
Fuyutsuki continued. "Because the notion was a ruse doesn't make it

any less viable. The further you remove yourself from H.Q., the
greater the danger."
"I'm willing to chance it."

Kozo leaned forward in his chair, a fire lighting in his eyes. "I am
not."
Their gazes were locked on one another for a pregnant moment. Yui
got up and walked over to the chair where Kozo was following her
every movement. She bent down, and kissed him. His hands rested
on top of her hips, and she pulled his face closer. She stopped and
looked up into his eyes. "I'm going."
"You play dirty, Yui."
She smiled. "All of the analyzing, the worries about what is coming,
about our responsibilities, the entanglements, and intellectualization:
let's just put it aside for an hour. I've missed you." Yui sat down in his
lap, and kissed him again.
Scene Shift
Asuka emerged from the changing room to find Shinji Ikari leaning
up against the wall.
"I'd like to walk with you to the test area."
"Suit yourself, First Child."
Asuka strode down the hall, with Shinji following behind and to the
side. The only sound either of them made was the hurried footfall on
the floor until they reached the elevator. The Pribnow box was simply
to deep within headquarters to consider an escalator. Asuka tapped
a button, and they waited for the doors to open.
Once they were inside and descending, Shinji spoke up. "Mom told
me that you came by and apologized yesterday. I… appreciate that."
"You better. I'll be damned if I go expressing regret over stuff I'm not
even wrong about for nothing." Shinji turned his head to look at
something he suddenly found interesting on the wall. Asuka sighed.
"Except for hitting you, of course."
Shinji nodded, and was able to look back up with a guarded smile.
Asuka wondered if his mother had told him about the whole
conversation. Either the Sub-commander had left their confrontation
out, or Shinji was being tactful and not acknowledging it.
"She wanted to know if I put you up to it. I told her I had. She
seemed impressed that you had been able to do it."
Asuka raised an eyebrow. "And what is that supposed to imply?"
Shinji's mind scrambled. "I didn't mean it like that." He struggled to

quickly put the sentiment into a form she might like. "You're someone
that is confident and believes in herself. I think it's great. But I know it
made what you did a lot harder than it might have been."
Asuka nodded. "Half of the Japanese people I've met start calling out
'I'm sorry' as an automatic response to things. I'm surprised that
someone in this country might think there's something special to the
act."
"In Japan, we're taught to contemplate the way our actions affect
others. I think where you are from, you're taught to take in the
considerations of yourself. Mom said she's often heard Westerners
say a lot of things like 'Look out for yourself' and 'God takes care of
those that take care of themselves'."
"Sounds like you guys talked about me in some detail." The German
girl didn't seem particularly pleased.
"She wanted me to comprehend the severity of what I had asked you

to do."
There was a light bell-sound that let them know they were at their
destination. The two stepped out, and Shinji studied the hall to make
sure that no one was around. For the moment, the passageway was
empty.
"And do you?"
Shinji nodded his head. "Thanks. I'm s… I appreciate it." He studied
her face for a moment. Then he leaned forward and kissed her on
the cheek.
As he pulled away, Asuka caught his chin between her thumb and
forefinger.
"We're not kids, Shinji. I don't want to kiss like a third-grader." She
brought his face back and locked her lips with his. They stood frozen
like that for several moments. When she finally ended it and stepped
away to examine her work, Shinji had a goofy grin on his face.
"That was nice." His smile went from silly to serene, and the German
girl had to admit it made him look handsome.
Asuka wagged her finger. "You're going to have to do something

about that heavy nose breathing. It tickles. I don't want to hurt your
delicate male ego by laughing in the middle of things."
Shinji's good humor abated slightly. "You didn't like it?" He looked
down, clearly distraught. "I'm sorry. I haven't kissed anyone like
that…"
"God, stop apologizing. I didn't say it was bad. But it looks like I can
add something else to the tab you're running up. Between
apologizing to your mother, which sucked badly, thank you very
much, and kissing lessons, you'll have a lot of debt to work off."
Shinji looked like he was going say something. He shut his mouth
quickly, thinking better of speaking the first thing that came to his
mind. He instead nodded. "Okay."
They walked to the decontamination showers together. Asuka

gripped her hand in his, and though this had made Shinji jerk in
surprise, he quickly recovered. As they approached the
decontamination stalls, Shinji turned back to her. He seemed to
consider the idea of kissing, though now that there were other
people around it seemed less appropriate, and he didn't want to
push his luck. "I'd like to see you after the test, if you don't mind."
Asuka nodded. "That depends on how long it takes. We might have

time to do something."
Shinji told her okay, and they separated to go to their respective

booths.
Scene Shift
The water was hot. Asuka saw that her fingertips had become
pruned from the constant dampness.
She was about to rail out with a comment on the stupidity of the
situation, but somehow her mood was just too good for her to follow
through with the impulse.
Asuka looked over to her right. There was an empty stall between
them, and she could see steam floating up from where Shinji was.
Not only had he decided to make up, but also the natural order of
things seemed to be back to normal. She had not liked this business
of the First Child telling her what to do. She was a beautiful young
woman with throngs of boys anxious to play suitor to her. Shinji
should be hustling to earn her favor, and not the other way around.
A bell-like ding let Asuka know that she was done with the
decontamination process.
"There! I've been run through the wash cycle fifteen times. I hope
you're happy."
Dr. Akagi's voice came in over the loudspeakers. "Very good. Now I
want both of you to walk to the remote plugs for the experiment."
"What! But there are cameras!" One of Asuka's fingers flew up to

point at the object in question at the hall corner. "And a boy and a girl
of our age shouldn't be forced into indecent exposure like this."
"We are on a limited time frame for keeping your bodies free of alien
particles. The two of you will have to refrain from looking at each
other. As for the cameras, we'll turn them off. We respect your
privacy."
"That's not the point. We shouldn't… I mean…"
Misato Katsuragi's voice came over the speakers now. "Go to the
remote plugs now, and don't peep. That's an order."
Asuka let out a 'Hmph!' and started to walk out. Shinji had been
oddly quiet the whole time, which she found suspicious. Did he want
to sneak a peek at her naked, and was therefore willing to go along
with this? Was he just too embarrassed to speak up? She spared a
glance over at the First Child.
Asuka clutched her hands around herself almost instinctively. "Ah!

Baka hentai!" She jumped back into the stall. "He's got a boner!"
Shinji, who already had a blush, turned redder. His hands, which had
been hovering awkwardly around his crotch, flew down to obscure
the view of the offending part. The attention he perceived as being
on him was going a long way in controlling any unsightly displays.
"Sorry!"
Misato came on the speakers with a long-suffering sigh. "Shinji, you

go first. Asuka, turn around and face the wall. Shinji, tell her when
you reach the door and she can go."
Scene Shift
Misato released the button that activated the speakers in the

decontamination hall. She turned back to Naoko. "Is this really
necessary?"
"The point of the experiment is to establish a base, unaltered sync

with the simulation plugs. Removing the suits is insufficient; we need
them as free of germs and possible decontaminants as possible." Of
course, the test was basically a moot point now. The exercise had
been aimed specifically at getting Rei in the plug naked to ensure
there were no unexpected complications with the dummy plug
components when they came online. But since this was something
that was being closely watched by the 'powers that be' over Nerv,
Naoko was forced to follow through with the original schedule and
attempt to extrapolate the likely results for the Second Children.
"The Sub-commander is going to be angry when she finds out."
"One of the few perks to the experiment." Misato looked

disapprovingly at her friend. Naoko went back to her console. "Don't
worry; I doubt she's in Japanese air space now anyway."
"The Sub-commander left again?"
"Yes. The Magi registered her as leaving in one of Nerv's private

planes at 0810. It was fully fueled and has a scheduled stopover in
the Hawaiian Islands."
"She's been traveling a lot lately."
Naoko nodded. She knew that one of Yui's trips had been to secure
the Lancea Longinus, but the others were a mystery to her. She had
managed to get the Magi to track down the last trip, which appeared
to have been to North America. At the time she had put it down to
whatever web of treachery surrounded Agent Ryoji, but now she
wasn't sure. An Angelic attack had happened in America shortly
after, one that simply had no reason for occurring. Of course Yui
might be there to secure Rei, but the doctor had no way of knowing if
that was the real reason. Naoko felt like something was going on
behind her back, and all she had been able to figure out was where.
The pilots made it to the entry plugs, and started synchronization

with the simulated bodies. A flood of data was processed by the Magi
bio-computers. Several of the techs marveled at the speed that the
test was being carried out with.
Naoko activated the audio link to the pilots. "Any problems?"
"It feels different." Shinji seemed to be searching for the words to

describe what was off.
"My left arm feels strange." Asuka stated.
"Is it a compatibility issue?"
"No." They both called out the response at almost the same time.
Dr. Akagi glanced over at Maya. "Have Balthazar run a probability

analysis for causes."
Maya nodded, and began typing. After a moment, she looked back
up. "It will be three hours before the program has run its course. Do
you want me to limit the parameters to try and get feedback before
the test has concluded?"
Naoko pondered this for a moment. "No, we could do away with the
absurd possibilities, but it would take longer to program what that
would entail than any time we might save. Just leave the Magi to do
the job under normal operating conditions."
Scene Shift
Shinji flexed the simulation body's fingers again, following the

prompts from one of the staff. This test was taking forever. It was
keeping him from facing Asuka or anyone else in the oversight room,
which was just fine with him. He felt like crawling under a rock. That
had been humiliating. And there was no telling how Asuka was going
to react.
"Okay, now do it with the other hand."
Shinji complied, grabbing the control grip and concentrating on

moving the giant's fingers. It was then that he felt something odd.
Nothing about the whole synchronization had felt right, but this was
different. It felt like his left side was starting to go to sleep on him.
Shinji shuffled in his seat and rolled his shoulder, trying to get the
blood flowing through his body.
"Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, I think I was just sitting funny. My arm was getting poor
circulation."
No sooner had the words came out of his mouth than he felt a stab
in the aforementioned arm. He gasped in pain. "What the Hell?"
Something was there, at the edge of his consciousness. It was

making his head hurt. He thought that he could hear a train running
along tracks in the distance.
It was then that his body betrayed him.
He started straining forward in his seat. Even though his arm was at
rest and free to move, it felt as if it were glued in place. He cried out
again, his body pulling with all the might it could muster. He felt as if
his skin would tear off and be left in ragged shreds while the meat of
his limb was free. As the arm strained with effort, he felt the same
sensation along his back. It was like he was nailed to a wall, and
despite the fact that he had no intention of hurting himself, his body
was going to pull itself apart as it tried to rip away from the barrier
that held it.
He was vaguely aware of people chiming in over the intercom. Asuka

and Misato were shouting for him. He heard Dr. Akagi and some staff
relaying orders. In front of him, mounted guns slid from various
perches and started shooting lasers at him. Which seemed ridiculous
to Shinji for some reason, but didn't stop it from being any more real.
Shinji closed his eyes against the ache, but it didn't stop. He sought
solace anyway he could.
The weird sound of subway tracks was back. It didn't hurt as bad
when he concentrated on that. He felt like he could see something
now.
"Rei?"
Suddenly Shinji was pushed hard against his seat. A few air bubbles
escaped his mouth as what felt like a giant hand shoved him down. It
lasted for a handful of seconds, but it might have been an eternity by
the way time seemed to pass. There was a moment when Shinji felt
lighter, like when an elevator had reached a floor it was traveling up
to. And then everything was back to normal.
The audio link came alive. "Shinji! Gotten himmel, answer me!"
"Asuka?"
"You idiot! Answer the damn prompts." There was a brief pause. "I've
been calling you. Are you okay?"
"I think so. What happened?"
"I don't know. I saw circuits all along your simulation body before we
were ejected."
Scene Shift
Commander Fuyutsuki gathered his thoughts. An Angel had taken

the form of a nanite construct. It had invaded the Pribnow box before
attacking the Magi. It attempted to program the Magi
supercomputers into an autodestruct sequence. Naoko had stopped
it cold, though for all his learning it seemed to him that she had
delayed the Angel be shouting technical jargon at it. There had been
an audible sigh of relief as the feminine voice that proclaimed an
autodestruct sequence was in effect ceased. Which only left the
intruder alarm.
"Downgrade the alert status. Report to all monitoring stations outside

of Tokyo-3 that there was an error in our warning system."
One of the techs, Shigeru he thought his name was, looked up
questioningly. "Sir?"
Kozo understood his reluctance. If there was a chance that the

Geofront would self-destruct, it would mean a lot of lost lives. And
that wasn't just Nerv personnel. An explosion of that magnitude
might cause the entire city to fall through the outer layer of earth and
into the cavern below. This could create a sinkhole that might
threaten the shelters.
If he didn't cancel the red alert now though, he gave justification for
the Committee to send people in. As more people entered Nerv,
especially in these lower levels, it increased the chance that
everything would be compromised. The secrets that were held within
this facility could not be allowed to see the light of day if the human
race was to live on.
"Carry out the order. Allow for the evacuation procedures to run their
course locally, but alert everyone else that we had a technical slip-
up."
"Yes, sir."
Kozo took a surreptitious glance of the room. His eyes fell on Naoko.
She was not holding up well. Her face was still a snarl, and she was
slightly red from her raised blood pressure. The anger in her voice as
she had shouted orders during the last few minutes had left most of
the technical staff leery of her. Fuyutsuki noticed the woman
discretely wipe a thin string of saliva that had leaked out of her
mouth.
'She's taking it too personal,' he thought. 'The Magi have been the
largest part of her existence. Of course she sees this attack as an
outrage. But how does she feel? Is she angry because having the
Magi turn on her is the ultimate form of betrayal? Does she feel a
motherly instinct to protect the organic computer? Or is it simply a
personal affront because she perceives the computers as an
extension of herself?'
It didn't matter. He needed to take her somewhere so that she could
calm down. She wasn't in the right place mentally to defeat this
Angel, even though she had stopped it for the moment, and her
presence was making her staff anxious.
"Dr. Akagi. I need to speak with you for a moment, please."
Naoko looked up, and for a moment it seemed as if she was going to
tell him off. She visibly controlled herself, and nodded. "Of course,
Commander." She gave some instructions to Maya and walked
quickly towards Kozo. He turned and the two walked out of the room.
The two were quiet as they made their way down the hall, and into a
nearby office.
"So, what is it?" Naoko was already tapping her foot, anxious to be
about her business. "Sir," she quickly added.
"You may be too close to this matter to oversee it, Dr. Akagi."
"You're booting me off now?" Naoko laughed. "Fine, go ahead. Good

luck with this Angel, Commander."
"That's not what I mean. But your anger may be clouding your
judgment."
"I'm supposed to be happy with this Angel."
"It may be that you need to take something to calm your nerves."
"I know more things about the Magi than any other ten people
combined. This is where the Angel has decided to strike us. I will put
us all in peril by dulling my mind with any sedatives."
"Please, Naoko. Consider which is better."
Naoko considered this for a moment. She smiled tightly. "Tell me

what you've been hiding, Commander?"
Kozo's eyes narrowed. "This is a time ill-suited to games. I'm the
commander and I can order you to do what I say. Do not presume
that such directives are open to a bartering system."
"Dammit, Kozo. Work with me. I'm tired of being alienated, and out of
the loop. I'm sick of things being withheld from me."
Kozo sighed. "I'm not keeping anything from you, Dr. Akagi."
Naoko's face darkened for just an instant. It cleared, and she closed
the distance between them.
"Naoko, what are…" His words ceased as his mouth was covered by
hers. The shock of the action caused him to stand still for a moment.
Fuyutsuki began to kiss back for just an instant, before shoving her
away.
"See, there are things you are keeping from me, Kozo."
The Commander looked at her as if she had grown another head.

"This degree of familiarity is unprofessional, Dr. Akagi."
"Is that such a problem for you, Kozo? Don't worry; I'll take
something to calm down if it's needed. We've wasted too much time
back here as it is. We should formulate a strategy for defeating this
intruder."
Kozo stayed in the room as Naoko turned and left. Well, she did
seem calmer. But Naoko's actions as of late were a worry to him.
Perhaps the Angel attack was merely magnifying it, but Naoko was
erratic and unstable. Her knowledge of the Magi could cripple this
base if she became inclined to such notions.
Scene Shift
A black screen appeared in front of Shinji's face again. It proclaimed

that he was speaking over an audio link only. "How long are we
supposed to stay trapped in these freezing plugs anyway? What in
the Hell is happening?"
Shinji shrugged out of habit. "I don't know. I haven't been able to
raise anyone."
He rested a minute, letting the sound of waves gently lapping outside

soothe him. The nerve impulses that had felt so much like his own,
as opposed to stimuli from the simulation body, seemed more and
more a memory with each passing moment.
"So, Shinji, I guess you must think I'm really pretty." Asuka drug out
the last few words in a manner that was almost guaranteed to goad
him.
Shinji blushed, before snapping back "You wouldn't know anything

about it if you hadn't been looking."
"And you wouldn't have been like that if you hadn't been peeking."
"I didn't look until you screamed."
"I don't believe that for a second. You ogle all the time when you
don't think you're noticed."
"What?"
"I've seen you looking around, Mr. Ikari. Sadly, you're like every other
teenage boy I know. Your wandering eyes take in every flash of girl-
flesh that they can. You try to be subtle and hide the fact, but it's
obvious you're a pervert like the rest of them."
"You suck at making up, you know that?"
"Who says I'm trying to make up. You made me crawl on my belly in
front of your mother, First Child. Don't think I'm letting that one go
easy."
A silence invaded the plug, before Shinji spoke again. "Honestly
Asuka. I didn't look."
"Like Hell you didn't."
"I'm not saying I didn't want to. But I didn't think it was right to do it
like that. Not without…"
"Go on."
"Not without you knowing."
It was quiet for a moment, as Asuka seemed to digest what he said.

Finally, she spoke up. "That's kind of sweet, Shinji. You're totally full
of shit, but it was a nice sentiment."
"Oh, just get over yourself, Asuka. It's not like I…" There was a brief
flash as the black screen in front of him was suddenly filled with pale
flesh. There was little doubt as to who it was, as his mind
immediately registered the auburn hair. Just as he started to look
around for the more interesting bits of the image, it was suddenly
gone.
Everything was quiet for a full minute. Finally Shinji asked, "Could I
see that one more time?"
"Ha! Total pervert."
"Whatever. Seriously, do it again."
"Don't push your luck. Besides, I wouldn't think you would want
another transmission without preparing yourself to put on a better
presentation."
Shinji looked down, and for the briefest of moments considered

whether the camera angle even allowed her to see 'that.' Such
thoughts were lost in a wave of embarrassment, and despite the
temperature in the plug, he immediately had a warm flush. Shyly he
mumbled, "It's cold."
"I know that. I saw you at the hot springs, remember?"
Shinji blushed even harder. He was quiet for a moment before he

chuckled lightly.
"What's funny?"
"Thermal Expansion."
Scene Shift
Lt. Shigeru looked to the office where the tactical options were being
reviewed. Misato, Maya, Dr. Akagi, and Commander Fuyutsuki were
reviewing their options. As far as he figured, there was just one: raze
the Magi.
Makoto leaned over and spoke lowly to Aoba. "This really pisses me
off. I get a date with the Major and then this crap happens. I hate
these Angels."
"Yeah, if we have to physically destroy the super-computers, you can

bet Misato won't be able to go to Megumi's wedding with you."
"Most of the guest list will be shot."
Shigeru smirked. "Yeah, a poor turnout for the wedding would be

bad. But I have to tell you, this imminent death thing has me a lot
more concerned."
Hyuga went back to checking the oscillation of the login mode. The
computer was rewriting its operating language almost continuously,
trying to stay ahead of the Angel's ability to hack it. "You know, I've
always been able to shrug off questions concerning the nature of
these bio-computers. Things like whether the Magi are alive and
distinctive intelligences. I mean, we utilize the framework of a
personality overwrite because programming and assembling
distinctive neurons would take forever. You have to cheat and use a
neural net, but only specific regions of the brain were deemed
appropriate. I guess they've seen enough sci-fi movies to know the
dangers of self-actualizing computers."
"You're sounding dangerously like Ibuki."
"I'm just trying to say that watching these computers reprogram

themselves is eerie. When it changes its login mode, it is performing
an alteration to its Operating System. I didn't know they were
capable of that. I don't like it."
"I like it. It's kept the base from self-destructing." Aoba looked over at
Makoto's screen to get a better view of what had the tech unnerved.
"Look here. This is an activity log of Balthazar and Caspar. They are
running what looks like a randomization program, though they
manage to stay in sync. If a self-destruct request is made by either of
them, the program within the individual Magi system throws in a
number to knock the randomization program out of sync. But it's this
activity over here that bugs me." Makoto pointed out a bar on the
screen to Aoba. "Caspar tried to initiate a series of firewalls without
direction from an operator or contingency programming."
"Huh? Caspar tried to protect itself."
"Not only that, but Balthazar diverted what resources it could here to
help." Makoto indicated another section. "It immediately destroyed
the neural circuits by withholding organic support to the region."
"I'll bet it starved and smothered that section to keep the angel from
having access to it later."
"There were operative fail safes that prevented that. They've been
removed."
Aoba leaned forward now, lowering his voice conspiratorially. "The

Angel?"
Hyuga shook his head. "This was done over a month and a half ago.
I normally wouldn't know that, but certain level sensitive access
restraints have been removed to help us stop the angel."
"Who could have done that?"
The two immediately snapped to attention as they heard staff coming

onto the bridge. Major Katsuragi and Commander Fuyutsuki looked
less than enthused. Lieutenant Ibuki and Dr. Akagi were their polar
opposites, seeming to vibrate with energy.
Dr. Akagi was the one to speak up. "Alright people. This is the plan.
We are going to hack the Angel. I will need you and you to go to
storage and retrieve this box." Naoko scrawled something on a piece
of paper and handed it to a man standing near to where she had
entered. "Immediately. Meet me at the foot of the housing dais for
Caspar." He and the person beside him immediately scurried off. The
doctor turned back and indicated someone else. "You, I need four
laptops. Be sure to secure my two personal notepads as well as Lt.
Ibuki's." Naoko turned back and addressed Hyuga and Makoto. "You
two, bring me up to status on the Angel's progress."
As Naoko had issued commands, Makoto had closed various

programs on his computer. He still had two windows open, which he
showed to the doctor. "At this rate the Angel will overtake the current
target in thirty-six minutes. When Balthazar falls, Caspar will follow
quickly. The exact amount of time is indeterminable, but if the Angel
stays true to form it will overtake the last Magi and receive approval
for a self-destruct prompt at slightly more than ten minutes past the
moment it begins hacking Caspar."
"What is it that makes your timetable uncertain?"
Makoto pointed to the code log that showed where the Magi had
tried to create their own barrier. As he did, something occurred to
him. He had assumed that Balthazar had destroyed a small section
of itself to keep the angel from having access to the information
when it took it over. It seemed a trite effort given how easily the
Angel had plowed through the staff's earlier attempts to turn it away.
But what if the Magi where planning on that? What if the point was to
get the Angel to concentrate on obliterating the firewall, thus drawing
in a lot of its nanite circuitry, and then killing it with the section of the
computer?
Was the computer trying to chop off its foot to save the body?
Hyuga turned to look at Naoko, who had been seemingly entranced

by the screen. The look on her face wasn't what he had expected. A
light smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. Her eyes seemed to
sparkle as she studied the display.
Naoko looked proud.
Scene Shift
"It's breaking through!"
Maya heard the urgent shout from Makoto. Her fingers were a whirl
over the keyboard. "We can do it."
"Of course." Naoko called back self-assuredly from her spot within
the housing. Misato's head spun back and forth between the two
women.
"Maya?"
"Ready ma'am."
"On three. One… two… three!"
Maya and Naoko both hit the enter key on their laptops at the same
instance. All was quiet for a moment. Then the annoyingly calm
feminine voice that had been announcing the initiation of the self-
destruct sequence declared that the self-destruct had been
cancelled.
Shouts of celebration could be heard from all over the bridge. Misato
crawled back out of the space she had shared with Naoko, and gave
Maya a big grin.
"WHAT?" Naoko called out in surprise. Misato began to turn back

and check on Dr. Akagi, but she was ushering her out. "Move it,
Major. We're not done here yet."
The good cheer on the bridge immediately came to a halt.
Naoko scurried out quickly and began doling out orders anew.
"You three, secure me a magnetic trap from Lab 3. NOW!" The

people she pointed at began to scurry off. Naoko turned to the next
person. "Get me a larger cutting saw and a torch."
The Commander let her finish before he spoke up. "Dr. Akagi, what
is it?"
"Caspar managed to secure a piece of the Angel and isolate it from

the rest of the entity. Consequently, a small cell of nanites survived
the purge."
"And what is the plan of action?"
"I am going to surgically remove the Angel before it can reconstruct

itself."
"Do we have enough time?"
Naoko nodded even as she picked up one of the laptops from Maya.
"The Angel replicates at an exponential rate. The reason it was such
a nuisance was because of the volume of individually adaptive cells.
It's now dealing with dead neural tissue where before it was
specifically designed to hack active, functioning cells. With fewer
possibilities to experiment with adaptation, it'll take the Angel longer
to reconfigure to its new constraints. I plan on cutting out the whole
section and isolating it within a magnetic field. The dead tissue will
serve as a holding mechanism until we can get it in the magnetic
trap."
Kozo pondered this for a moment. He didn't like it. They had just
managed to defeat this Angel, and it seemed like they were giving it
a second chance. On the other hand, the Angel had not shown any
tendency to become airborne, though who knew what it was capable
of. Still, he could see the benefits of isolating a self-replicating
nanite. Study on that could yield tremendous scientific advances.
Assuming that Nerv could keep from getting its pockets picked
again.
"Proceed."
Naoko took off to another access point in the Magi's housing that
would bring her closer to the affected area. Even as she set about to
work on her task, her mind raced.
Was this what all that business before with Balthazar and Caspar
had been about? Had the Magi known the Angel would be defeated
and taken the initiative to secure a specimen? Why?
Naoko had been encouraging autonomous function within the Magi

system for some time now. But this course of action was not
something she had foreseen. Had the computers taken an
independent initiative to study the Angels? Or did the computers
know their creator so well that they were anticipating her desires and
catering to them?
Even as someone handed her a cutting saw, Naoko felt a bit of

unease. Her creations were possibly aware of her, and doing what
they could to help. She had programmed them with parts of her own
personality.
No one knew her better. And no one could lash out at her as
effectively.
Scene Shift
The audio link chirped on again. Shinji's voice came in over the
speakers. "I don't think anyone's coming for us."
Asuka wailed in frustration. "Argh! Someone get me out of here! It's

freezing."
End Chapter
Author's notes:
Hey, no whining this time. Huzzah!
I tried to do what I could to jazz up events. Hopefully this chapter

didn't feel too much like a regurgitation of the show.
Sorry for the long delay. No elaborations; just wish I was writing
faster for those that are interested in the story.
Criticisms and comments: let me have it. It all goes into

consideration when I write.
Thanks for reading

Notes: First and foremost, let's get this out of the way. I suck. I am a
rotten bastard for leaving this story alone for so long. I could thread
together a lot of excuses as to why I was away from writing for that
amount of time, but it still does not make me suck any less. Sorry
doesn't even cover it.
I made some changes to the story. Heck, I had to refresh myself on

the story. Yeah, it's been that long. The main change I made was to
have Unit-01 be a derivative of Lillith, as it should be. I had this big
fancy thing planned with Unit-01 being created from Adam. Yui and
Kozo were going to be really clever and trick Seele, and I almost had
the logistics worked out. But it ended up being too much a deviation
of the series, and in the end what it would have taken to work it out
logistically would have been cheesy. So, let's pretend I didn't screw
that up.
And now, on with the show.
Chapter 23
Asuka beat on the bathroom door, clearly at the end of her patience.
"Let me have my turn."
"I'm not done yet. How many showers do you have to take anyway?"
"I've got to fix myself again. I want to go over things since I had to
change out of that kimono-obi thing."
"It's a yukata. And I told you last week that we were going to a
Western-style wedding." Misato undid the lock and let the door open.
She was in her towel; the drops of moisture and damp hair
suggested she had just gotten out of the shower. Misato went back
to the far end of the counter to let Asuka have some room in front of
the mirror.
Asuka reached up and rubbed her hand across the glass to get the
steam off that was a result of Misato's shower. The older of the two
scowled. "If you streak that you'll have to clean it."
"So, do you think the store will take it back?"
"The yukata? Keep it. You can look at cherry blossoms or fireworks
or something like that in it."
"Oh yeah, that doesn't sound cheese-ball."
"So you wouldn't want to go somewhere with Shinji and do that?"
Asuka grabbed a towel and wiped the mirror again. "It's hard to keep
the glass from fogging up when the room is constantly filled with hot
air." Asuka sighed and ran her fingers through her hair, trying to
make her banes feather. "You know, it would be nice if I actually went
on a date with him before I had to hear all this sheiss."
Misato went back to looking at her face in the mirror. After a moment
she spied Asuka's hand easing over to her side of the counter. "Stop
right there."
"Come on, Misato. Let me wear some of your Blue Lavender."
"You're not old enough for that kind of perfume yet."
"Oh sure. It's okay to go out and fight ten-story monsters, but
perfume. Oh no, that's a little too much."
Misato stared levelly at Asuka in the mirror. The redhead returned

her gaze for a long time, not batting an eyelash. "You can have a
little. And don't think you can guilt trip me into anything else; this is a
one time thing."
Asuka snatched the bottle up quickly, and Misato spared a look at
the clock in the hall. "Oh. Makoto and Shinji will be here in fifteen
minutes. We need to hurry."
Scene Shift
The clack of heels could clearly be heard tapping out a steady,

frustrated rhythm in front of the waiting terminal. There was a large
window to the side of the building. Yui would normally have been
able to enjoy a view of the runway and the lush, tropical paradise just
past it. The whole square kilometer or so that was left after flooding
and paving had claimed the rest Hawaii anyway.
The recent rain had caused a panic, and special tarps had been
pulled over every window. The windows had been sealed shut. In
addition, passengers were warned from standing too close to the
exterior walls of the airport. Emergency quarters had been erected
past a second, hastily constructed wall to offer the pretense of
protection.
She marveled at the stupidity of it. Like so many of the other things,
it was a precaution that was put in place to give the feeling of safety
as opposed to actual security. If radioactive rain were to come in,
there would be no stopping it with particleboard and plywood.
The current situation arose when the Americans had attempted to

stop the Tenth Angel while it was still over the Pacific Ocean. The
attempt failed, and contaminated parts of the upper atmosphere
were slowly depositing to the earth below. For the most part rain was
flushing the radioactive debris out. To date the vast majority of
radioactive contaminates had fallen into the ocean. That was a
whole different set of problems, but at least it wasn't an immediate
danger. The cloud had spread, and now Hawaii was expecting a
storm with high levels of radioactive rain.
Which meant Yui was stuck. It felt almost conspiratorial, considering

the nature of her mission. Her jet should have missed the storm cell
entirely, but the recent atmospheric upheaval from the blast had
caused a shift in the jet stream that had not been accurately
predicted. She needed to get Rei out of Nerv's Second Branch
quickly. The Base Commander had delayed Rei's transfer back
home. Not only did she not appreciate the stonewalling from a
political view, but the fact that these people were trying to use her
daughter as a game piece really pissed her off.
'Because you're the only one who gets to do that,' an accusing voice
in her mind added.
She thought of shutting the voice out, but didn't. She felt guilty, and
truth be told, Yui Ikari had a lot of reason to feel that way. No one
who played the big game kept clean hands.
She sighed, and eased her pacing a bit. Indulging in loathing and
self-pity would help no one. There was nothing to be done for how
things were. For the thousandth time she damned the prophecies,
Evas, and Seele. And she damned herself.
'Don't. You don't get to be this way. Shinji and Rei, Kozo and Gendo,
and the planet in general need better from you. Get a grip, Yui.'
She decided to call back and check in with Headquarters, when

something else occurred to her. She had another problem she
needed to fix.
Yui pretended to stumble as she walked, and subsequently recover.

She tugged on her shoe, letting her finger slide out a piece of paper
that had been between the bottom of her foot and her shoe sole. She
let the scrap of paper rest between two of her fingers, being sure to
keep it out of sight to any cameras that might be following her. She
checked her watch, and made sure to wait fifteen minutes before
heading off to a restroom. When she did finally go, Yui checked all
the stalls, waiting for a moment alone. Then she clicked the lock on
the main entrance to the bathroom.
She held her cell phone up, walking around in the slim hopes that
she would pick up a signal. There was a tower nearby, but who knew
what kind of interference she was getting, both from the atmosphere
in general and around the barricaded airport in particular. Finally, a
few reception bars popped up.
Yui dialed the number that was on the paper. After three rings,
someone picked up.
"Yes?"
"Joshua Christian?"
"Ms. Ikari. What a pleasure it is to have you call on me."
"I need some contact information."
Scene Shift
Awareness was a fleeting thing. Rei Ikari could almost remember

what it was like to do something other than drift. The idea flickered
through her mind, brought on by a passing train.
She looked in and saw her own face staring back from one of the
train cars. Fear filled the large, red eyes that stared into the
blackness outside.
That stared into her world.
She should be angry. That girl had stolen too much from her. But she
couldn't bring herself to feel much of anything. Ennui gripped her,
and though she knew there were reasons for her to return, to get
inside of that box car, she couldn't remember what they were.
She remembered pain and frustration and loathing.
Feeling nothing was preferable to feeling that.
The train went past, and she turned away from the rails it rode upon.
"Rei."
At least that's what she thought she had heard at first. But maybe
the voice had said "Me." The sound had not been loud, but even
though she was sure she had heard it, she felt it was coming from
somewhere far away.
Rei began to move through the darkness, searching for the thing that
called to her.
Scene Shift
There was a soft whir as the fan activated to cool down the
electronic equipment around him. Kelvin Wisdom, the commander at
Nerv's Second Branch, paid it little heed as he studied the
holographic screen in front of him. Kozo Fuyutsuki stood within a
circle of black obelisks, proclaiming what was obviously a bold-faced
lie.
"There was a malfunction in the Angel-warning system. Nerv was not

invaded by an Angel."
'Good God, he can't be serious,' Kelvin thought. 'He'll never get away
with this.'
"Lying to this committee is a crime punishable by death."
Kozo stood firm, his face relaxed. The fact that he was so
nonchalant was an obvious tell to Kelvin, but one did not accuse
people of being guilty because they did not look guilty enough.
"Nevertheless, there was no Angel."
Seele-03 spoke up now. It was the French guy. Kelvin always

thought of him as the stater-of-the-obvious. He had been in enough
of these meetings to get a feel for several of his compatriots; though
Keel was the only member of the current council whom he had met
face-to-face.
"Your lies are preposterous. You should be eliminated for your
audacity."
"It is time for a new hand to guide the Eva program."
Kozo raised an eyebrow. "Am I being fired?"
The silence was tense, and stretched on for several small eternities.
Kozo was the one to break the quiet. "That's a pity. The response
time to repelling Angelic attacks has not increased by the margin I
would have liked. I should have endeavored to make the process
even more streamlined. It is my failing as commander. I can say that
such shortcomings did not affect some of the other charges I had.
The Instrumentality Project was coming along well under my
guidance."
"Commander Fuyutsuki. Are you threatening the work of this group?"
"No. I was merely making an assessment of my job performance in

the face of criticism."
Seele-01 spoke up. "At this time we will accept the possibility of a
system malfunction. However, this is only contingent of a follow-up
examination of Nerv's electronics by a third-party staff that will arrive
at the Tokyo-3 base shortly. A handful of additional investigators will
accompany them."
Kozo nodded, still apparently relaxed. "I will do my utmost to

accommodate these visitors."
"You will do your utmost to make sure everyone has their story
straight."
Though the tone of menace from Seele-05 seemed to be directed at

Kozo, there was an undercurrent of criticism for the fact that Lorenz
was giving notice of a surprise inspection. The only time someone
did that was when they wanted the target of the inspection to pass
scrutiny.
Commander Wisdom stared at the black rectangle of Seele-01

quizzically, as if the abstract projection might give some indication of
the speaker's thoughts. 'I know enough of how events are unfolding
to know that protecting Fuyutsuki would run contrary to your plans.
What are you thinking, Keel?'
"My staff is already in agreement. This is because events occurred

just as I described. You may question them today if necessary. Is
that acceptable? Shall I ask one of them into our meeting?"
"That will be unnecessary. We will stick to our current timetable for

such matters. This meeting is adjourned."
One of the members slipped in a last remark. "Step carefully,

Commander Fuyutsuki."
The projection of the room was gone in an instant. For a moment,

Kelvin sat in a dark room, staring at the vast empty space that had
so recently projected their meeting room. He heard the holo-
projection machine whir again, and the void was suddenly occupied
by the looming monolith of Seele-01.
"What is the status of your pilots, Commander Wisdom?"
"The Second Child is still in a coma. The Fourth seems to have

stabilized his general personality, and is learning as quickly as a
level three candidate can. He will never become a peer to the other
three Children, but he is capable enough in the entry plug."
There had been some concern when Kensuke Aida had arrived that
he was receiving too much of a system shock. He had never had his
mental reserves tested against serious stress. He had been isolated
from his peer group, both in person and through most conventional
correspondences. The Fourth Children had suddenly received a vast
well-store of classified knowledge, and the boy seemed eager to
share all of it. For security reasons, he was now limited to writing
letters, which were checked and censored. He had suddenly been
plunged into a situation where his life was at stake. This was a tough
mix for any person, much less a boy going through the insane
hormonal mix of early adolescence.
Pilot Aida had matured, and some of his boundless enthusiasm was
now replaced by introspection. All things considered, the boy was
handling it well.
"What do you think of your fellow commander?"
"He's trying to cover up a lie by bullying. I can't believe he's that

stupid. Perhaps he has a death wish."
"One of the worst things that can be done for a martyr is to allow the
belief that self-sacrifice will achieve his goal."
Kelvin mulled that over. "So, you do think self-annihilation is a

possibility?"
"Perhaps. If not, it's what he wants me to think. I should go forth with

the assumption, if for no other reason that to see what his angle is.
He may have simply been so desperate that he would have used
any lie regardless of how refutable it might be."
"If self-destruction is his goal, how can he be stopped?"
"One does not attack suicidal nobility head on. One takes care of it
by determining the thing that is loved most and threatening it.
Fortunately for us, such a thing is delivering itself to you."
"What do you mean?"
"Vice Commander Ikari is coming to the Second Branch soon. I want

you to detain her."
"I would advise against such a course of action. Kozo is proving

unstable. If we do that, he'll turn it into an international incident. For
all we know this is what he wants. Perhaps he knows there is a
conspiracy to take Headquarters out from under him and desires
people outside of Seele's control to be put in charge."
There was a pause as Lorenz considered what had been said.

"You're wrong. He may have something else planned, but he would
not risk Yui Ikari."
"You're so sure of his affections?"
"Yes."
"So you still wish for me to detain her? Whose jurisdiction should I
use?"
"That will become clear soon enough. First, be sure that Adam is
sent back to Japan. I want it clear of U.S. borders before she's in the
air again. Afterwards, I want you to prepare a media package to be
slipped through anonymous channels to the press. Let them see
pirated video footage of the last battle. In particular, let a picture or
two of the Fourth Children slip out."
"This is a dangerous proposition. There is already a public backlash

for the last Angel attack, and that's with the partial radioactive fallout
that is to come. We can't afford to inflame them further. This could
become a human rights issue."
"Believe me in this. It suits our purposes for this to happen."
Scene Shift
Shinji checked to his left to make sure Asuka was watching the
stage, before sneaking a glance just past her. He couldn't believe
how good the women at his work looked when they dressed up.
He hissed quickly as he felt a sudden pain at the top of his thigh.
Asuka looked at him, batting her eyes innocently.

Shinji figured he needed to say something, but didn't want to
interrupt the karaoke act on the stage. So he leaned in to whisper.
"You're the prettiest girl in here."
She smiled, but was still able to hold scorn in her voice. "You say
that now…" Her gaze flickered to where he had been staring, and
she immediately turned forward and sat straighter in her chair. Shinji
looked to see Misato glaring at them before he turned to give the
stage his full attention.
As soon as the singing was done, and the bride and groom were
acknowledged, the lights came back on again. Asuka, it seemed,
was ready for a cultural commentary.
"You know, I go out and buy this nice yukata, expecting a full blown
Shinto wedding, and what happens? They have it in a church. They
read from Second Corinthians in English. English!"
Misato, who was sitting to Asuka's left, gave an evil glare again.
"Would it kill you to talk a little more quietly? Because I know if you
get much louder I will."
"I wasn't that loud, Misato. No one else heard me."
Misato's eyebrow twitched slightly as she continued to stare at

Asuka.
"Humph. Fine. We'll be obedient children."
Asuka waited for Misato to turn back to the people on the other side
of her. Under her breath she said, "I don't know who she thinks she
is." With her voice still low, but louder than before she talked to Shinji
again. "I really wanted to see a Shinto wedding."
Shinji smiled as he looked around the room. "At least it's a Japanese
reception. We get to be entertained and fed."
Asuka wrinkled her nose again, turning it up slightly. "And all free of
charge, except for the huge sums of money that the guests have to
donate."
Shinji and Asuka had come to the wedding with Makoto Hyuga and
Misato. When she had asked about the envelopes they were
carrying, Makoto had explained that it was traditional to give the
bride and groom a financial present to start their new life. In return,
they new couple would throw a nice wedding reception. Usually
there was singing, food, an open bar, and a lot of speeches.
Tonight's reception was supposed to feature dancing as well.
Asuka had been particular angered by the amount that Shinji was
giving on behalf of his absent mother.
Almost as if she were having the same memory as he, Asuka looked
at the envelope in Shinji's pocket.
"One hundred thousand Yen."
"Mom is their boss. She is expected to donate a larger sum than

most."
"Yeah, but Misato just gave thirty thousand. That's a ridiculous sum
already. This culture is screwed up."
Someone got up on stage to announce that dinner was being

served. People were welcome to eat and visit, and stop by the bar,
before the bride and groom cut the cake.
"You want to give them the envelope?"
Asuka shook her head. "But I like this tendency of yours to turn loose
of money. You will make an excellent date."
Asuka turned around as she sensed the other side of the table
getting quiet. Most of the bridge crew was there. Aoba Shigeru and
Maya Ibuki were on the end, with Makoto Hyuga and Misato sitting
closer to her and Shinji. The group was stealing glances at a blonde
woman who was walking to another table.
Asuka lowered her voice to a whisper again. "Who is that?"
"Dr. Akagi's daughter, I think. I didn't know her well, but there hasn't
been that many blondes around the Eva cages. She used to work at
Nerv." Shinji could talk all night like this. There was something about
leaning in and talking to Asuka this way that made him feel, well…
happy. And excited.
Asuka looked back at the other four people at the table. "I take it she
didn't leave on good terms."
Shinji shrugged. "Sor…" He stopped his words quickly, starting again

in a hurry to cover his blunder. "I don't know. No one really talked
about it while I was around."
Asuka looked back to the table with covered dishes at the far end of
the room. "Well, let's leave those guys to their little dramas. I'm
starved. You should already be fixing me a plate."
Scene Shift
"Who are you?"
Had Rei asked that, or the other voice? She didn't know. She could
feel something all around her, but it wasn't something she could
touch.
"I don't know. I am me."
Again, she wasn't sure if the words were coming from her and
echoing somewhere else, or if she talking to something close by that
was echoing her words back.
Was she even talking? With her mouth?

She started to have memories. On some level, they felt like hers, but
they weren't. A man, his hair curly and dark, loved her. The emotion
was strong; it was the last piece of hope in a world of desolation. It
was the end of the good times. She clung to it dearly.
That feeling had been born of loathing and sadness. The same
feeling that had birthed this beautiful emotion, this feeling of security,
would also give rise to the man's, not to mention her own,
destruction.
"Who are you?" Again, the words felt like they might be coming from
within herself or from outside of her. Rei couldn't tell.
She could distantly remember birthing. The later births had been
easier, but the first was difficult. The pain was incredible, magnified
to an even greater extent for having experienced Paradise. And the
love she had for the child overwhelmed her as she held it in her
arms.
Were all the memories bittersweet? Was there not one moment of
happiness that was free of pain?
Was that all life was? Did a person just exchange pain in equal
portions to the happiness they wanted to have later? Was the
universe some grand, karmic bartering system?
The voice came from within her, though Rei knew this time it was not
hers. "We always want to place an order to things. There is none.
The universe is merely chance, save for the instances when we can
tame it. And that sphere of influence is small."
"Are you me?"
"I am you and me."
"Are you the girl from the train?"
"Yes."
Rei felt anger. It almost startled her; it had been so long since she
felt anything really. She was over that quick enough. "You stole my
soul, you little bitch."
Rei's anger faded quickly. "All the same. We are all the same. If she
is a thief, then so are we."
"Are you… the other clones?"
"I am the source and my offspring are me. I am the mother."
Scene Shift
Aoba noticed Maya's gaze as she followed Shinji and Asuka's

progress to the food table. Maya beamed and turned to her two co-
workers.
"It's so sweet that the two of them are here together."
Makoto smirked as he leaned into the conversation. "It seems that if

you parade a couple of teenagers in front of each other naked, they
start thinking seriously about dating."
Maya turned her head to hide her blush, while Aoba scowled at
Hyuga. The latter paid his tablemates no mind. He had already
turned back to watch Misato talking to Ritsuko.
"Why didn't you go over there with her?"
Makoto waved a hand. "Oh no. Misato said she needed a moment
alone with her. I'm willing to comply."
Maya looked on warily.
Aoba leaned back into the table, almost huddling with his co-
workers. In a low voice he asked, "What is Dr. Akagi's daughter
doing here?"
"It's a free country, guys."

Scene Shift
"What the Hell are you doing here?"
Misato spoke the words under her breathe. She had a forced smile
on her face, but looked around warily as she spoke.
"I'm here to wish the bride and groom well, of course. I liked Megumi
while she was working under me."
"Dammit Ritsu, you know the repercussions of testing the security

ban." Even as she said it Misato looked to the door. A pair of Section
Two agents was watching the women. Misato met one of the men's
stare; he refused to turn away. They wanted her to know she and
Ritsuko were under surveillance.
"Really. I guess I shouldn't have been talking with Tatsugi about

Super-Solenoid Theory then."
"This is no time to be a smartass, Ritsu."
Ritsuko looked at Misato, trying to convey sincerity in her gaze. "I

know what I'm doing, Misato. You don't have to worry about me."
There was a slight pause. "But thanks."
Scene Shift
Mana looked through the peephole in her door, and sighed. It was
Rei again. Ayanami or Ichigo, she wasn't sure. Neither one of them
were certain about the name it seemed. As she watched, the girl
shuffled in place, and reached over to knock again. Rei paused, and
rested her hand against the doorframe instead. She looked nervous.
For a brief moment Mana considered ignoring her. Everything

surrounding Rei was tense. The girl acted strange, and security
watched her like she was about to snap and kill everyone, though
Rei had never seemed particularly dangerous to Mana. When Rei
had visited her briefly the other day there had been two
interrogations to see what the girls had talked about.
Rei's lip quivered a little, and that sealed the deal for Mana
Karishima. She couldn't just leave her out in the hall like that. She
turned the knob.
Rei smiled. "Mana, it is good to see you. May I enter?"
"Please come in."
Mana had a studio apartment. To one side was her bedroom area,
and to the other was a kitchen/living room. Rei skipped over to the
couch.
"When you have bad dreams, how do you make them stop?"
Mana paused on her way to the refrigerator. "I'm not sure. They fade
with time, I guess. A little while after I wake up, I forget about most of
what I was dreaming anyway. Would you like something to drink?"
Rei nodded, but didn't specify anything. Mana decided to go with a

cola. It was almost a luxury item on base, but she thought Rei could
use a distraction.
"I have been having a dream. Well, not a dream, but close."
"A nightmare?" Mana hazarded a guess at the word Rei was looking
for. She took a seat on the other side of the sofa.
"That too. Anyway, someone is stalking me. She hates me, and she
wants to be me. Or herself again. I don't know how to say it." Rei
paused as she took a sip of the drink. Her face lit up and she
clutched the can with both hands, turning it up greedily. As soon as
she was done she graced Mana with a rapturous smile. "That was
really good."
"One of my few vices. Rei, I want you to confide in me if you need to.
Heaven knows I don't get to see anyone else even close to our own
age except for the boys, and you're even more isolated than me. But
you should be aware that the higher ups question me about what we
talk about."
"Did they interrogate you?" Mana nodded, and Rei continued. "Did
they make you smoke cigarettes?"
"Umm… no."
"If they offer, don't do it."
"I'll be careful of that."
"What if our existence is only at the detriment of another? What if

those waiting in the Hall of Gaf are merely souls you destroy in order
to make your own? People like to think its reincarnation, but I don't
think it is. I think the souls get looted, like worn out car engines that
still have a few good parts."
"There's never a dull moment with you, girlie. But there sure are a lot
of confusing ones." Mana looked at Rei helplessly. "I'm not sure I
know what you mean. I'm not familiar with a Gaf."
Rei shrugged. "It doesn't matter. It's empty now anyway."
"I wish I knew something to say here, Rei. But seriously, I'm out of
my depth. I'm not a philosopher, or particularly religious."
"It's okay. I don't know what's going on either. When I do know, I

can't find the words to say it. Talking and confiding new experiences
for me." Rei lit up again, becoming decidedly happier. "So, there are
boys on the base? I would like to meet them. I wonder if they are like
Shinji."
"Who?"
"I'm not sure either. So, who are they?"

Mana sighed. "I'm pretty sure if you haven't been told already, I'm not
supposed to say anything." Rei looked at her with wide, puppy-dog
eyes. "Oh Rei, don't use that on me again."
Rei looked away dejectedly. Almost whispering, she said "Okay."
Mana let her head fall back onto the couch cushion, and swore
under her breath. Louder, she spoke. "Keita and Musashi."
Rei had her hands on her knees, and was sitting closer to Mana
now. "What are they like?"
"You really should ask someone if I'm even cleared to talk about
them before I say much else."
"So, the old blonde lady is okay with me knowing about the giant
robot thing, but boys are too classified?"
"That's a good point. But still, I can't. Sorry."
Rei looked off wistfully. "Hmm… boys."
Scene Shift
"Let's dance." Asuka drug Shinji from his seat. Their now empty
plates still sat at the same spot on the table. A band on stage was
playing something with a catchy beat.
Makoto stared wistfully at Misato, who was still hanging close to

Ritsuko. Aoba and Maya exchanged worried glances a few feet from
their coworker.
"You should ask him to dance."
Maya looked at Aoba wide-eyed. "What?"
"He's obviously pining for the Major. If she were to see that she didn't
have a secure hold on him…"
"I just… I don't… I mean…"
"You would be behaving like a really good friend for him."
Maya's cheeks were colored, but she nodded at length.
"You're… okay. I mean, I'm supposed to be your date."
Aoba rolled his eyes. "You know I think you're great, Maya. But I
have enough drama in my life without dating the people I work with.
Well, not like this," he indicated the space between them, "but like he
wants." Aoba finished by giving a nod towards Makoto. "Besides,
someone needs to keep close to the Children. Asuka has been
gesturing towards the bar, and I know Shinji won't stop her from
trying to swipe a drink."
"They're good kids. I don't think you should worry."
"They're teenagers. I'm absolutely right to worry. Now, go dance."
Maya blushed as she approached Lt. Hyuga. He seemed to only

become aware of her at the last minute. "Ibuki?"
"I was going to see…" Maya's blush deepened a little, and she
seemed caught on a word.
Makoto stared at her for a moment, before something finally clicked

in his brain. "You want to dance."
"Yes."
Makoto led her out, and they started doing simple movements to the
beat. Maya felt ridiculous.
"It's okay. We're by no means cool, but everyone else looks just as
dorky."
Maya kept on. But she did not like this. People turned and looked,
and she felt self-conscious. How could anyone think this was fun?
The song seemed like it was never going to end.
And then, finally, it was over.
Maya was relieved, and eager to return to the table. She said some
pleasantry as Makoto thanked her, and almost ran into Misato and
Ritsuko as she turned around.
Misato grabbed Makoto by the hand and led him back out to the
dance floor. "You're not done."
Maya found that as she moved away, Ritsuko stayed with her. The
blonde didn't speak until they were away from the dance floor.
"I didn't like shaking my assets and being on display for everyone.
I'm guessing you don't like being out there much."
Maya shook her head.
"You're so demure. Mom must really love it." Ritsuko grabbed a

cigarette and placed it between her lips. "I am correct in thinking that
she chose you as the surrogate daughter."
"We shouldn't talk about this. Excuse me."
Ritsuko placed a hand on Maya's shoulder. She leaned in,

whispering so that no one else could hear. "I don't hold it against
you. Just don't let her meddle in your personal affairs. See you
around."
Ritsuko pulled back, and walked up to another group of people who

immediately tensed when they saw her.
Maya went back to the table. The bottom of her stomach felt warm,
and it was fluttering like she was nervous. She took a drink from her
glass, hoping to calm her insides down.
She looked to Makoto. Perhaps that was all worth it if it made him
happier with the Major. She saw that they were in the middle of a
slow song. Misato suddenly froze. Her gaze locked with someone
across the room, and Maya followed her gaze. She almost choked
on her drink as the shock of who she was seeing set in.
Kaji Ryoji was leaning against the wall.
Scene Shift
The bathroom door flew open and two figures went flying in. Ryoji's
head was slammed into the counter top beside the sink with a
noticeable thud. He rebounded off and fell on his hands and knees
on the floor.
He rubbed his head, and slowly began to rise. There was a smirk on
his face as he looked towards his assailant. "You were always rough
Misato, but I think…"
He was cut off by another hard slap. Blood splattered the floor, and
he felt something hard press into his forehead.
"I just need a little excuse. Go ahead Kaji, push your fucking luck."
He could feel the welt on his cheek starting to swell already. He

dared not make a move.
Makoto had come in behind Misato. He was supposed to be

watching the door, but when he saw just how angry she was he laid
a hand on her shoulder. "Major."
Misato gained control of her anger. This was too big to mess up.
"What are you doing coming here, Kaji?"
"Honestly?"
Misato cocked the gun.
"I don't know how, but I've been compromised. By the time I realized
that this was a bad meet, Section Two had already made me. I
figured I would enjoy the party before the torture and interrogation."
"What's going on?"
'Dammit.' The worse person that could have caught them was in the
door. This was going to be hard. "Leave, Asuka."
"Like that's going to happen." Her voice trailed off before becoming
excited. "Kaji? Misato, what in the Hell are you doing to Kaji? Get
away from him." Makoto blocked Asuka from running further into the
bathroom. He was rewarded with several swift kicks.
"Tell her. Tell your charge that you pulled the power and ran. Tell her
that you left her to fight the Angel by herself. You remember; the one
that damn near killed her in an acid bath. TELL HER!"
"Shut your damn mouth, you bitch. Get that gun away from his
head."
At that point a pair of security agents entered. Several heads could

be seen peering into the door. "Out of respect for the couple, we
wanted to avoid a scene."
Asuka looked as if she were going to explode. Kaji quickly said, "Of
course. I believe we can all be professional."
Misato lowered her gun. The tension in the room eased slightly.
For some people.
"Fuck off. I've had to hear this bullshit on Kaji for weeks now, and I
am not watching him being beaten and arrested for it." Asuka stared
at Kaji, angered again by the blood easing down his cheek. "They
can't get away with this. No one's going to hurt you, Kaji. I won't pilot,
and I'll tell Shinji not…"
"Hush, Asuka. I did it."
Asuka was silent, and then laughed nervously. "That's what I would
say to if someone were threatening to kill me."
"No, I did it."
"You sabotaged Nerv during an Angel attack?"
Kaji nodded.
"You kidnapped some nameless person that wasn't seen on base

before or after? Christ, do you know how ridiculous that is to even
say?"
Kaji searched Misato's face, surprised by the amount of information

Asuka had. It seemed she didn't know about the clones, but still it
was a surprising amount of detail. "That's about the sum of it."
"You cut the power during an Angel attack, and then removed my
back-up. You subdued Shinji and Rei."
Kaji sighed. He tried to look nonchalant. "You've always been such a

crack pilot. I knew you could handle it, Asuka."
Scene Shift
Shinji waited outside the bathroom, sweating and nervous. Shinji and
Asuka had been dancing, when Asuka had suddenly took off for the
toilet. He had puzzled over that for a moment, before deciding Asuka
must have been having girl problems. He still found all the
mechanics of the female body a little freaky. All he really knew to do
was be a nice guy. But the date had probably just gone to Hell.
And then the security guards had entered the bathroom after Asuka.
"This can't be good," he muttered.
It wasn't long before Asuka burst out. The door swung open and
rebounded fast, not giving Shinji much time to see what the problem
was. Several people were staring at the sudden outburst. Shinji ran
quickly to Asuka.
"What's wrong?"
Asuka never turned to face him. "I'm going home."
Shinji kept pace beside her, following her out of the building.
"Asuka, what happened?"
She turned. "Get away from me. I don't need you."
She stomped forward again, going through the entryway and

outside.
Shinji was stunned for a moment, before running to get in front of her
in the parking lot. "Tell me what…"
That was as far as the boy got before Asuka landed a punch in his
chest. He staggered back, dazed by the sudden blow. He was
pushed, and fell onto his backside.
"You're just some horny little boy. I HATE YOU!"
Asuka kicked him, hard. He felt pain shoot up his arm. She pulled
her leg back to kick again, and Shinji scrambled back out of the way
and onto his feet. "What's the matter with you?"
In response, Asuka tried to hit him again. She struck his arm as he
blocked the blow. Shinji ducked in, and held her arms to her side.
Asuka started shouting. "I HATE YOU! I HATE THAT BITCH,
MISATO! I HATE THE DAMN EVAS! I HATE THE ANGELS. I HATE
EVERYTHING!"
Shinji let a little slack into his grip, and Asuka shrugged him off with a
roar. She turned and stomped off, walking in the direction of her
apartment. Shinji followed, keeping his distance. What in the world
was he supposed to do? Asuka had flipped in a big way.
'I'll make sure she's okay.' He thought. 'When she's safe at home, I
can call Misato and see what we need to do.' He wished he hadn't
left his cell phone back in his jacket at the wedding reception. 'But I
can't leave her now. Who knows if she'll run off or what she'll do?'
Asuka turned and yelled at him. It happened several times while he
followed her. Sometimes it would be insults, or curse words, or even
incoherent bellows. But it was always full of rage.
He followed her up to the apartment. He was thankful that she

decided to take the stairs. The elevator would have been tricky.
She whirled on him one last time as he followed him into the hallway
that led to her apartment.
"Never come near me again."
She ran to the apartment. She opened the door, and closed it again.
He heard the lock click.
Shinji sat on the ground. How had this happened? There had to be
something he could do. What was the right thing? He knew there
was an action he could take, something that hadn't occurred to him
yet that would make things right between Asuka and him again.
He sniffled. "Great. Just like a little kid." He wiped some of the

moisture from his eyes, and sat outside the door. He heard the
sounds of destruction coming from within the building. Shinji tried to
work through the feeling of self-loathing and worry he felt and come
up with an answer. But he couldn't.
Scene Shift
Ritsuko stopped Misato and the Section Two agents as they

escorted Kaji out the building, retracing the steps Asuka had taken
fifteen minutes before them.
"You are to release Ryoji Kaji into to my custody."
Misato's eyes narrowed. "Fat chance of that, Dr. Akagi."
"I have the authorization for this transfer."
Misato looked at Ritsuko as if she had grown another head. "What?"

"Ryoji Kaji is my resposiblity under Article 73 of the mutual defense
clause of 2010."
"That's the charter that established Nerv."
Ritsuko nodded. She pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to

one of the men with Misato. "I have signatures on this document
from the members of the oversight committee that empower me to
take action in regard to the training, utilization, and disciplining of
personnel contained within that charter, as well as other powers with
regards to the deployment of resources for global defense. I am
willing to wait while someone confirms the authorization contained in
my papers."
The man immediately scurried off.
Misato was almost hissing when she looked at Ritsuko. "What are
you doing? Are you with the people we are fighting?"
"It's still me, Misato."
"We are defending humanity against monsters, using everything

from children to alien technology we don't understand. And in the
middle of all of this, we find there are people trying to sabotage us.
They kill personnel and steal from us. It was bad enough when I
thought it was just this fink," Misato nodded towards Kaji, who was
remaining silent, "but you, Ritsuko."
Ritsuko looked at the men remaining with Misato. She seemed to

weigh something in her mind, and finally decided to speak. "Nerv
isn't what it seems, Misato. You don't know what all is going on."
"How long have you been playing me, Ritsu? How long have you
been using our friendship as a way to keep tabs on Nerv?"
"I've always been your friend, Misa-chan."

The agent that had left returned, giving the papers back to Ritsuko.
"Dr. Akagi is to be allowed custody of Mr. Kaji."
Misato's hand itched to pull the gun again. She couldn't let this go.
Kaji never looked up as he followed Ritsuko out to her car. He knew

when it was a bad idea to antagonize people. And he knew he had
been within a breath of meeting his end. He still didn't have enough
of the truth, and wasn't ready to be done with this world.
The two enterred the car, and Ritsuko wasted no time leaving. Kaji
opened her glove box and looked around for some wipes. He found
a pack. He pulled some out and began dabbing his cheek where the
blood was still oozing.
"Why did you do it, Kaji?"
Ritsuko seemed tired. She looked older. Kaji pressed the tissue
against his wound.
"I was tricked. I didn't know this was a Nerv function."
"Dammit. I did not want to tip my hand. Now when I enter Nerv again
I will be seen as an enemy. It's going to make things that much
harder."
"I'm sorry for that. But thank you, Ritsuko. You saved me."
Ritsuko nodded. "Well, they only discovered what they would have
known in a week."
Scene Shift
Yui knew something was wrong before the Lexus had come within a
half of a mile of the base. She had wanted to feel righteous as she
entered the Second Branch. She was going to get Rei. She needed
all of her steel to face down these Americans. This was a
bureaucratic matter, and perceived power was the coin of the realm.
There were protesters all around the area close to the Second
Branch. That could be expected to some extent; whatever
happened, someone always disagreed with it. But this group was
huge. And angry.
"Driver, please tell me what is going on."
"It's a demonstration, ma'am."
"Thank you. That was enlightening."
A bottle smashed into the side of the car. If it had been normal glass,
it would have shattered the window beside Yui's head. Men in
camouflage fatigues were standing watch around the perimeter of
the base. The car sped for them and then through the military
perimeter. Inside that barrier there were few people to be found. The
vehicle made good time as it progressed toward a building in the
center of the compound.
A soldier got the door for her, and shielded Yui as she went to the
building in a quick run.
"Is this normal for the Second Branch?"
The soldier shook his head. He relaxed a bit as they walked into the
building. "That's the problem, ma'am."
Yui looked to where the man was pointing. A television was on one of
the news networks. It was showing video footage of Pilot Aida
ejecting from the back of Eva Unit-03. The news caster was
speaking animatedly, and the scrolling marquee at the bottom was
showing online poll results as to whether this was a justifiable human
rights violation. It cut to a studio where a reporter was debating with
a guest analyst about Child Labor Laws and the Geneva Convention.
"Oh dear God. What have they done?"
End Chapter 23
Note: Yeah I know, I won't leave it hanging for another two years
next time. Yet again, sorry about that folks. And thanks for reading.
Review if you wanna

Scenario No Yui by GuppyLips-LFKMUYTj

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Scenario no Yui

Rated: Fiction T - Language: English - Genre: Sci-Fi - Reviews: 154 - Favs:

Original source: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/2204726/1

Exported with the assistance of FicHub.net

Some of the characters are going to be noticeably OOC. I feel when

Disclaimer - You people know I don't own evangelion or anything

"Many men would already be angry with another who would

Gendo followed his gaze. "This is an anti-surveillance device. We

Through gritted teeth Gendo addressed him, "Good, Professor. Let's

"If I can hear the truth, so can you, Professor."

There was a pregnant pause, but neither man seemed inclined to

"So do you plan on stopping her?"

Kozo's face turned to a dark. A suspicion immediately crossed his

Gendo laughed. "Clarification is required. I plan on taking her place."

"I could never have Yui committed Gendo…"

"You do not give me enough credit, Gendo. I would never…"

"Save it, Professor. You have done an admirable job of relegating

"The actual word translates into mother or progenitor, professor. And

Kozo contemplated this. "Castration?"

Fuyutsuki's thoughts drifted back to Yui. Though he tried to cover his

"What do I need to do?"

And then he was gone.

Yui looked ready to cry. "What?"

And then the tears flowed.

A screeching of tires accompanied a blue Renault's slide as the car

Shinji looked up surprised at Misato Katsuragi. His breath was

Shinji's eyes widened. Rei was beside him, staring incredulously at

A loud explosion rumbled from the distance. Windows rattled in their

"Nobody told the Angel that. Get in the car! Hurry!"

"You're late as it is. We have got to get you two to HQ now."

The Angel destroyed two more aircraft in quick succession. Rei

"What is this?" he asked, stifling anything more sarcastic due to the

"They're going to drop an N2 mine. Help me push the car."

"Is she alright? Oh Rei," Shinji said, cradling her neck.

Katsuragi checked the glove compartment and handed back some

"Hey… Yeah, I got them. Have a medical team on standby, Rei's

"She's unconscious. She better not be going into combat," Shinji

"Good." The Geofront sublevel should have been almost accessible

Misato had several occasions along the course of their journey to be

Shinji smiled back up at Dr. Akagi. "Thanks. I'll do my best."

"Don't be overconfident. We don't know what this Angel will do."

"Rei is suffering a concussion. Naoko determined that it would affect

"One cannot circumvent the word of God; all we can do is creatively

"He'll be fine Yui. Your boy is coming back to us."

Captain Katsuragi was shouting. "Final safety lock released.

The bridge was a buzz of activity. Misato was shouting commands to

Maya Ibuki had her attention shifting between giving reports to

"The synch ratio is holding at a steady 48 percent. All signals from

Misato pressed a button in front of her the actived an

Above, and on the street to Shinji's left, a building's face began

"Automatic. The firepower is comparable, and if you don't manage to

"Stop at the next building. It is reinforced, and will make suitable

Shinji obeyed, bringing the Eva to a halt and squatting down. He

On the command deck, Misato looked to Naoko and Maya. "Any

On the bridge, an audible and steady tone sounded from Maya

Misato spoke to Shinji in alarm. "Abort Shinji. Get back to cover."

Shinji was already in the middle of spinning when Misato's frantic

In the control room, Shinji's scream flooded the audio feedback.

"Send in Rei," she whimpered quietly.

Below, Misato was demanding status updates. "Damage report?"

"Target is advancing on Unit-01 at high speed."

"Damage sustained to the cranial casing. The casing has cracked!"

"Still unconscious. Should we induce a forced resuscitation?"