From: "Alison K. Forsgren" <akf@nantucket.net>
Subject: [EVA][FanFic]  An Eva Christmas Episode

Author's Drivel: This story takes place Christmas Day, 2015. It might not be
perfectly in synch with the
series, but think of it as an Eva Christmas Episode. And I realize that it
is a bit later than Christmas, but
sue me, I write slow.

Other People Plot's(OPP) warning: this is shamelessly stolen from both the
movie Scrooged, the story A
Christmas Carol and Neon Genesis Evangelion. NGE is trademark Gainax(the
good people behind many
a good anime) while the other two are property of someone else whose names
escape me.

As always, C&C welcome. Email: jmele@brandeis.edu
SPOILERS AHEAD

Begin Fanfic #2-

The Scrooge of Tokyo 3

 Ikari Gendou rolled out of his small futon, reaching immediately for his
glasses. He adjusted
them to his liking, slowly rising to his feet. His room was small, filled
almost entirely by the futon and
dresser. A small light sat atop the dresser, along with several books of
various types. An open copy of
Moby Dick rested on a battered stack of papers by his old sensei, Fuyutsuki.
It was a tidy room, without
posters or pictures or any sign of personality. It was simply where the
Commander slept.
 Gendou gazed out the small window that stared at the city. A thin covering
of snow coated the
whole city, the single reminder of what day it was. A very special time of
year for everyone but Gendou.
 "Christmas day," he thought as he walked to the small bathroom. "The birth
of the savior of
humanity," he said bitterly.

 Gendou stepped out of his apartment exactly twenty minutes later, hair damp
from his quick cold
shower, hand wrapped around a paper cup of coffee. He kept no silverware in
his tidy kitchen, nor any
real food. A few snacks, a bottle of sake or two and a coffee maker were all
his culinary equipment. In his
meditative moments he thought of the irony of his kitchen. For all the
gossip behind Misato's cooking,
Shinji probably ate better there then he would've with the elder Ikari. Food
was the least of his concerns.
 He closed and locked his door, running his pass card through the door lock,
and turned down the
hallway to the elevator. Ikari half smiled as the elevator began its lonely
descent to the ground floor. How
shocked would Fuyutsuki be if he knew the Ice Commander kept tabs on the
gossip of NERV. It was his
duty to know everything that went on there. And it had nothing to do with
the fact that it was the only way
he could really learn about his son. Nothing at all.
 Gendou left the building, perfectly on time as always. He crossed the empty
streets, sun
beginning its day long journey across the sky. He walked carefully across
the icy streets, annoyed at the
crunching noises his feet made on the fresh snow. He cherished these moments
of peace and quiet,
knowing that soon they wouldn't last long.
 Gendou walked down the stairwell that led to the express train. Just as he
reached the platform a
train came into view. Nothing like timing, he thought, as close to happy as
he could feel.
 The train was empty, as usual. Nothing was more meditative to Gendou than
an empty train. He
shuffled through his papers, expense reports and research updates. The
necessary trappings of the grand
disguise that was NERV. The thought garnered another chuckle from his
weathered mouth. Another day
was about to begin.
 "Do you know what day it is?" a voice asked him from across the car.
 Ikari grunted as he looked up. Where had this woman come from?
 "Its Christmas day! But you're still on your way to work, aren't you Ikari
Gendou."
 He looked at her a bit more closely, his face slipping into the
expressionless mask that most
people associated with Ikari Gendou. The woman was slightly shorter than he,
and a gaijin with long
blond hair. She was dressed in casual wear, of matching red and green color
with white trim.
 "How do you know my name?" he asked, glaring into her face with a look of
complete
disinterest. Her eyes were blue, deep blue. Like his son's.
 "I know quite a bit about you, Ikari. I've been sent to show you something,
something that not
many men see."
 Gendou's hand, still in his small briefcase, dug for the pistol that he had
stored there for
emergencies much like this one. "Who sent you?" he asked, while his mind
raced: It couldn't be the old
men. Not yet anyway.
 "The gun will do you no good. It is time for us to leave." And with a
brilliant flash of white,
Gendou and the woman disappeared from the empty train car.
 At NERV HQ, Ibuki Maya glanced down at her console. There had been a brief
flash on the
portion of the monitor that monitored for AT fields. Too brief for any sort
of confirmation from the Magi,
who remained silent regarding an analysis. The wave-form readings were
inconclusive as well. It's
probably nothing but a malfunction, she thought, well aware of how sensitive
the array of gravitometers
that ringed the city were.

One: Ghost of Christmas Past

 Gendou looked around himself, expecting to see the train car reform from
the white flash. To his
consternation (and concealed alarm) he found himself staring at a warehouse
on the sea front of Tokyo 2.
A familiar warehouse, that he hadn't seen in a long, long time.
 "You remember this place, don't you," the gaijin stranger said.
 "How did I get here?" he asked calmly. To an outside observer, the
Commander's visage was
perfectly calm, but inside his mind was reeling. Has my mind finally
cracked? He wondered silently.
 "It doesn't matter. You did. Deal with it."
 A man ran across the street to the warehouse, opening the door and rushing
in, mindful of the
brisk wind that was rushing in off the sea. Gendou's composure lapsed ever
so slightly. He knew that
man. He knew he had been dead since the day fifteen years ago when Gendou
had killed him and two
billion other souls.
 "Come on," the gaijin woman said impatiently. "I don't have all day."
 As the two walked a light snow began to fall across the city. "I remember
this day quite well
thank you," he protested as he followed her.
 "Really?" she said inanely as she pushed through the door.
 "Wait!" he said calmly. "Won't they notice us barging in?" he asked,
knowing exactly what the
man would do if he caught any intruders into his domicile.
 "No one can see or hear us, Ikari. For that matter we can't even interact
with anything here
besides inanimate objects." She replied sagely. "And don't get into an
argument with me on what is
inanimate. Don't you want to see your father?"
 "No."
 "Too bad."
 The warehouse was chock full of boxes and crates, all loaded onto pallets
for easy delivery. But it
was quiet, dead quiet. Nothing had been shipped from here in a long time.
Gendou's dad, in an effort to
save money, had managed to rent space from one of the local gangs for his
family to spend time in. A
`vacation' he called it.
 "Gendou!" a feminine voice yelled.
 "Mother?" he answered.
 "Not you! The other one," hissed the gaijin.
 "Yes mother?" a quiet voice asked.
 "We're eating."
 "Coming!" the child sounded back. The sound of footfalls could be heard as
a small boy ran
across the warehouse from some hiding spot somewhere deep inside the maze of
crates.
 Little Gendou raced to the makeshift table, really just a pallet stacked on
a pair of plastic boxes.
A pair of headphones dangled out of his ears, and his eyes were pealed at
the food waiting for him.
Takeout, a selection of pizza and other foreign foods which represented the
bounty the family would be
receiving this Christmas.
 "Be a good boy now," the eldest Ikari said sternly as the child knelt down
to eat. "Remember the
prayer."
 "You were a very quiet boy, weren't you," the gaijin said as the meal
began. "Always ready to
retreat from the world into your own private fantasy, kept company by that
little radio."
 "I was weak and emotional…like my dad."
 "But now you're strong and logical, aren't you. Come along, there is more
for you to see."

 The next scene unfolded before the two observers quickly, seeming to spring
from the last
spontaneously. A small apartment, European in style, decked out in a festive
holiday fashion. A small
plastic tree occupied one corner, while the kitchen and table took up most
of the rest. Papers and books
were scattered across the room, thrown lackadaisically by the occupants. An
older Gendou, perhaps
twenty five years of age, stood in the kitchen.
 "Honey the ham is getting cold," he protested as he hovered over a large
Christmas ham.
 "Don't show me this," the older Ikari protested, composure lost for a
moment as he realized
where he was.
 "I'll be right out," a soft voice said from another room. "Little Shinji
needs another change."
 "What do we feed him?" Gendou asked himself, a true smile spreading across
his face.
 The older Ikari retreated back further into the corner of the room that
held the tree, almost hiding
in the plastic branches. "I don't want to see her," he mumbled, squeezing
his eyes tight. "Not here, not
now."
 "Too bad," his companion said coldly. Her face, once hidden from view by
the tree's branches,
softened noticeably. "This is Shinji's first Christmas, less than a year
after the second Impact."
 "Here we are," Yui said warmly as she carried Shinji out from their room.
"Shinji, say hello to
your father."
 "Enough," the elder Ikari said from behind a branch. His control had
returned, as had the icy
edge that ran through his voice. "Somewhere else. Anywhere else."
 "As you command," mocked the woman. And the scene changed again.

 Commander Ikari Gendou, leader of the First Branch of NERV, defender of
humanity, reeled
back into his seat on the empty train car that carried him to work each day
for the past ten years. His
breath was short, his eyes squeezed tight, arms clutching the briefcase he
held. A very different Ikari
Gendou from the one that had usually rode the train.
 "Only a nightmare," he said as he looked around at the empty car.
 He looked down at himself, icy demeanor returning. Then he noticed
something clinging to his
arm. A bit of tinsel, of the kind that might adorn any tree that had been
done up for Christmas.

The Ghost of Christmas Present:

 Ikari Gendou strolled into his office exactly three minutes later than he
did normally. For a man
with a normal job, arriving at six on Christmas Day would be a mark of a
truly driven worker. In
Gendou's case it was a sign of his own weakness. He had sat in the brisk
morning air out front of NERV
HQ for almost a full minute, and traveled into the fortress slowly, taking
frequent brakes to think about
his train ride.
 Perhaps, he thought as he rested himself in the chair behind his desk, it
is overwork. I need a
vacation. The thought brought a half smile to his face. I'm sure that will
fit right in with the timetable. I
could go before the committee and ask them to postpone for a week or two,
for a vacation.
 Fuyutsuki entered the door, the old professor leaving early to visit family
up north for the day.
Gendou had approved his request without emotion after the old man had asked
for it a week before.
 "The reports that you requested are ready, and the tests Doctor Akagi has
been running are nearly
finished."
 "Excellent," Gendou said, grateful for something to distract him from the
train ride. He picked
up the stack of files and looked back at his sensei. "What are the Children
doing today?" he asked quietly.
 "Rei has a harmonics test today, and Doctor Akagi requested that either
Shinji or Asuka come in
for a routine check on one of the simulators. Why?"
 "Just… clearing my head. Let Asuka know that she will have a test tonight."
He paused.
"Perhaps some lunch, Professor?" he asked.
 "Of course," Fuyutsuki responded, slightly confused. "Its been a while
since the last time we ate,
hasn't it. Why now?" Damned if I believe there's no reason, he thought
darkly.
 Gendou didn't answer. Instead he stood, brushed something off his shoulder
in a close, for Ikari,
approximation of alarm, and walked around his desk. "Come Professor, we have
some details to discuss."

 Fuyutsuki had to admit that Gendou was the same as ever. He ate quickly,
pausing to speak about
various topics, plans and procedures. Fuyutsuki enjoyed slowly eating,
tasting each roll as he bit into it.
He secretly believed that the only edible food produced by the NERV
cafeteria were the rolls, which were
baked fresh each morning.
 Gendou shoveled everything into his mouth with no prejudice. He held no
enjoyment in eating,
and hadn't for as long as Fuyutsuki remembered. Odd, he thought, when Yui
had been such a great cook.
Or maybe not, he thought, listening to Ikari discuss his plans for
increasing the production of LCL. It was
safe to talk about these matters behind the secure doors of the Commander's
Lounge. And it was the first
time that it had been used since it had been built. Normally the two
commanders would eat by themselves
in the cafeteria, silently consuming their food and returning to work.
 "Excuse me, Fuyutsuki." Gendou said, rising to his feet. "I need to use
the…facilities." Then he
grinned.
 "Aren't we too old for bathroom humor?" Fuyutsuki replied. There are times
when you are
almost human, Gendou, he silently added.
 Gendou walked to the private bathroom that was in the back of the lounge.
This place was a
waste of space, he thought. We could fit another lab in here, or some
additional computers. He pushed the
door open and went to a stall. As he opened the door and walked in he was
suddenly somewhere else.
 The first thing he realized was he no longer needed to use the bathroom.
The second thing was
his location. He was staring down at the battered city of Tokyo 3 from the
Tower. Another manifestation
of psychosis, he thought darkly. If I go insane then it will be a great deal
more difficult to finish the plan.
 "Ikari Gendou, look at your city," a voice spoke softly from behind him.
Gendou whirled around
to face his target. She was a small woman, a head and a half shorter then
he, with dark black hair and
brown eyes that seemed to look between his eyes, as if locked on to
something. At least it isn't a gaijin, he
thought.
 "And who are you supposed to be?" Ikari asked, noting the archaic Chinese
garb the woman was
dressed in.
 "The Ghost of Christmas Present." A simple statement of fact.
 "I don't believe you."
 "Gendou, you are a man of unusual interests. I'm sure you have seen things
which you hadn't
believed possible happen before your eyes before. What is one more?"
 "Did the old men send you?" Gendou asked suddenly, realizing the absurdity
of the question as it
left his mouth.
 "Old men? No one sent me. I am here because there was a job I needed to do
here."
 "Which is?" Gendou asked skeptically.
 "Show you the present."
 With a sharp lurch they were inside an apartment, one Gendou couldn't place
immediately. It
was larger than his, and packed with more furniture. A small couch faced a
television/stereo system, a
desk was squeezed in beside a stuffed bookshelf, and a tidy kitchen was
separated from the rest of the
room by a counter. Gendou saw small figurines of cats littering the whole
apartment, of all shapes and
sizes.
 "Dr. Akagi's room, isn't it," his companion said. "Plenty of stuff here,
isn't there. But its still
sort of empty."
 Gendou glanced around the room again, noticing the lack of photos. There
was one picture frame
on Ritsuko's counter, but turned face down. He lifted it up, set it right.
It was a picture of the doctor,
Misato and Kaji, all smiling happily. Ritsuko was not blond, nor was she
wearing her lab coat.
 "Now why would she have put that picture face down?" the Ghost asked.
 "It isn't important. Why does any of this matter?"
 "Something I have come to expect from humanity is the inability to realize
that everything
matters. Come on," the small woman said impatiently, tapping her foot.
 "Where are we-" he was cut off his surroundings blended into someplace
else. He was standing in
one of the larger supply rooms of NERV HQ, staring at the boxes of supplies
for the cafeteria. In front of
him Misato and Kaji were locked in an frenzied animalistic embrace. The two
showed no signs of seeing
him, though he was in plain view.
 "Let me guess, no one can see or hear us."
 "Correct. You learn quick."
 "I'm sure this can't have anything to with me," he said, annoyance slowly
eroding his calm.
 "Really? I was under the impression that you were a rather smart person,
but it seems you still
don't realize that everything matters. After all, isn't humanity rather
important to your plans? Or are you
no better than the men from SEELE?"
 "You know nothing about the men from SEELE. The arrogance and ambition they
hold so dear
that they would kill all of mankind with no hope for resurrection."
 "On the contrary, Commander, I know much about them. Almost everything in
fact."
 "Why are you showing me these things? To torture me or confuse me." Gendou
was angry, and
not afraid of showing it. His icy demeanor had melted, and his voice was
raised.
 "Relax. You may come to understand eventually that these two are also
taking part in their own
personal Completion plan." The Ghost gave Gendou a wicked smile. "Come on."
 Ikari managed to brace himself for the next shift, and was greeted by a
view of Unit 02, locked
onto the restraining frame. The entry plug was out, and a small red suited
figure was staring at the Eva.
Soryuu Asuka Langley looked expressionlessly at the massive figure of the
Evangelion, lips moving
slowly as she spoke. In the distance, Ikari couldn't hear the words, but he
had a good idea of what the girl
was saying.
 "She stays here for hours at a time, when there is no one around for her to
abuse. A fragile mind
that is bound to break in time," the Ghost said softly. "But you know all
about her mind don't you. The
psyche reports confirm what you did to her so long ago."
 "The project needed another pilot. Her mother volunteered," Ikari began,
then realized he was
justifying himself. "Who are you to judge me?" he asked sharply.
 "I'm not judging anything. I just show you the reality around you."
 "I'm quite aware of what goes on around me, thank you."
 "Actually you are. I must say I respect you for your drive towards your
goal. Your ruthlessness in
crushing anything that stands in your way. Nothing matter to you but her-"
 "Enough. Are we finished here?"
 "Yes. One last thing for you to see with me. I won't lie to you," the Ghost
said, "I haven't
enjoyed taking you on this trip."
 "Spare me your opinions. I have never seen a less convincing psychosis. I
mean, you look more
like an old Anime voice actor than a Ghost. Shouldn't you be a little more
intimidating?"
 "Wait for my brother to take you, then you'll get intimidating. Ready?"
 As the words left her mouth, they were already standing on the balcony of
an apartment that
Gendou recognized as Major Katsuragi's. The lights were off, the apartment
apparently empty. The
middle of the kitchen counter was occupied by a large pyramid of empty beer
cans, and a few pairs of
chopsticks.
 "The only one home is your son. When the others are here he does what they
ask, but when the
time comes for him to do something for himself…" she trailed off as Shinji
walked into view.
 Shinji walked across the living room, feet dragging on the ground as he
shuffled to the fridge. He
was dressed in his school uniform, even though there would be no school
today. Gendou wondered
suddenly if his son had any clothes besides the uniforms. Then he remembered
his own closet and
dressers, filled with the same suits, shirts and underwear.
 Shinji filled his glass from the tap and reached for an apple from the
fruit basket partially hidden
from sight by the beer-amid. He held the apple in his hand as he adjusted
the headphones that adorned his
head. He shuffled slowly back to his room.
 "Come on in," the Ghost said after Gendou had remained silent for a few
moments. She dragged
Gendou through the door, the two phasing through the matter as if it wasn't
there. "Look at the answering
machine."
 The answering machine sat blinking unchecked messages, but Shinji had
ignored it. "The
messages are from the boys he goes to school with. They have asked him to
come to a small get together at
the class representative's house. Asuka has a similar message waiting for
her as well. She would most
likely go if not for the tests you set for her tonight."
 "I don't see what is so important about a Christmas party. These Children
have a duty to the
world, and have been trusted with an incredibly important goal. I think the
saving of the human race
could quite possibly take precedence over attending a `get together.'"
 "You have a peculiar definition of saving the human race, Ikari Gendou,"
the Ghost remarked
almost coldly. "Come now, its time to go back." With an almost audible pop,
the two figures disappeared,
leaving only the empty living room. Almost an hour later, Shinji left his
room again, this time going to
the window to gaze at the city. He looked emotionlessly at the sky, still
snowing steadily. He missed the
two pairs of footprints that were dead center on the balcony, slowly being
covered.

The Ghost of Christmas Future

 Gendou left the Commander's lounge abruptly, giving Fuyutsuki an excuse
about a meeting he
had forgotten about. Fuyutsuki accepted this without comment, knowing full
well that the Commander
forgot almost nothing. But he was leaving in a few moments anyway, having
relations that he had to visit
on Christmas.
 The Commander strolled onto the bridge an hour later, glancing around in
the relaxed
atmosphere of a non-crisis command center. Misato was back on duty, with no
signs of wear from her
earlier athletic activities. Asuka was beginning her simulator runs,
blissfully unaware of the invitation
waiting for her at home. The first string of NERV employees was on vacation
for the holidays, and besides
Dr. Akagi down in Terminal Dogma, there were none of the people that Ikari
was used to seeing in the
command center.
 He sat at his seat over looking the whole room, hands locked in front of
his face, thinking deeply.
Beside the occasional nervous glance up at his station, those in the room
ignored him. He found himself
searching for a crisis, anything to distract him from the images he saw. But
nothing came up.
 Finally needing some air and a change in scenery he departed.
 "Major," he said as he passed by Misato, "alert me if there are any unusual
occurances."
 "Yes sir," she replied, slightly puzzled. But then the Commander was always
odd in his
conversations. Probably knows something we mortals don't, she thought as he
entered the elevator down
to Terminal Dogma.
 As the doors whooshed shut, Ikari realized he wasn't alone. He had been
sure the elevator had
been empty, should have been empty since the only other people with access
to the command elevator
were Major Katsuragi and the Professor, both accounted for. But behind him
he felt a cold presence. He
turned to face it, and saw something that shook his composure to badly that
a small gasp escaped him.
 A tall form, cloaked in a gigantic mantle of black fabric, gazed down from
a shadowy face that
hid deep inside the black hood. Two pinpricks of light, not dissimilar to
the eyes of Unit 01, stared back at
him. Clutched in the crook of the figure's arms was a tall scythe, blade a
dark shade of red.
 "Who are you?" Gendou breathed, already certain of the answer.
 DEATH.
 "Why are you here?"
 TO SHOW YOU THE FUTURE.
 "Why you? Shouldn't you be… something else?"
 YOU MIGHT HAVE CONFUSED ME WITH MY SISTERS.
 Without warning or comment, Gendou was someplace else. And judging from
what was
happening, sometime else. He was standing on a battlefield, gazing at the
red figure of Unit 02 being
butchered by the Series 5 Evangelions. All around him were signs of
struggle, from destroyed JSSDF
tanks to slaughtered NERV personnel.
 TODAY WILL BE/HAS BEEN A BUSY DAY.
 "Then the old men finally act."
 OF COURSE.
 "And NERV casualties are high, the Children alive and the Eva's intact? It
will work won't it.
I'll see her soon, won't I."
 PERHAPS. PERHAPS NOT.
 The scene shifted, flashes of images that passed before they could be
comprehended. Ikari heard
his son's voice, conversing softly with Rei's. Shinji was choosing
something, something important, but try
as he might, Gendou couldn't make out the words. He finally realized where
he was: he was floating in a
sea of LCL, bright crosses of light extending outwards towards the Geo
Front, a black egg hovering above
the Earth. Souls leaving their bodies as coherence could no longer be
maintained.
 "Completion," he breathed.
 DEATH, his companion commented. ON A SCALE NEVER BEFORE SEEN ON THIS
PLANET.
 "Nothing can be gained from death, or so I once thought. But I am no longer
sure. Whose
scenario will succeed?"
 Death was silent, its gaze fixed on the cataclysm occurring around it. A
hesitance seemed to
surround its form, like a man who realized he was going to much busier than
he thought. The stream of
images slowed down, to a trickle. A bright flash, followed by a feeling of
absence, as if something had left
his presence, then Ikari's vision faded to black, with a single slowly
coming to fill his vision. In the
darkness, Death seemed to have disappeared.
 The object before him was vaguely rectangular, with squares cut out at the
corners, forming a
cruciform of sorts. Across its front were stains of blood red, stretching
across the center portion of its
shape. It floated before Ikari, gently twisting and turning as if suspended
in water. It was so familiar but
from where he couldn't place.
 THIS SYMBOL, Death said from Ikari's side, THIS SYMBOL IS CHRISTMAS. BUT
YOU
WON'T FIND IT IN YOUR BOOKS OR YOUR SCROLLS. IT IS A PROMISE, MADE NOT OUT
OF
NECESSITY, BUT OUT OF KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING. THIS IS YOUR MONUMENT
TO HUMANITY.
 "You show me these things to change what I will do? To make me abandon the
plan and let the
old men of SEELE win?"
 I JUST SHOW THEM, Death said as the image faded.
 "Then I'm the Scrooge of this Christmas carol?" Ikari asked.
 NO, Death said, with a hint of amusement. Then the icy presence disappeared
and Ikari Gendou
was in the command elevator heading for Terminal Dogma.

Epilogue or The Real Scrooge of Tokyo 3:

 Pen-Pen's outraged squeaks could be heard over the general din of Misato's
Christmas party as
he was dragged from the balcony and shoved into the spotlight. Misato,
heedless to her friends objections,
had decided to dress the penguin up in a manner more suitable to the spirit
of the occasion. So Pen-Pen's
instinctual playing in the snow on the balcony had been cut short by the
inebriated Major's scheme.
 Shinji, removed from his bed forcefully by a happy Misato an hour or so
earlier, was smiling
serenely at the antics taking place in the living room, half listening to
Kensuke and Touji's witty
discussion regarding Asuka's close relationship with Satan, while the
Demonic Offspring in question
clung to a tired Kaji's arm. Ritsuko had taken a night off her research
project and decided to shore up her
relationship with Misato. Maya and the rest of the bridge crew were all
crowed around the punchbowl,
sampling a variety of the Major's drink creations. Her lack of skills in the
art of food preparation
apparently didn't extend into the realm of mixed drinks.
 Shinji's gaze drifted from the happy adults, across the plastered Major and
annoyed penguin to
the solitary form that was looking out the window. He found solace in that
form, somehow, and before he
realized it, he had joined her next to the window.
 "Hello, Ayanami," he said tentatively.
 "Ikari," she replied simply.
 "I thought you had a harmonics test tonight? How did you manage to get
 out?"
 "The Commander let Asuka, Dr. Akagi and I go, with the express orders to
attend this," she
glanced around, a faint glimmer of amusement in her voice, "party."
 "Oh," Shinji said, out of conversational material. "Do you like snow?" he
asked lamely.
 Across the room, Asuka had noticed the exchange and broke off from Kaji,
much to his delight.
She walked over to Touji, Kensuke and Hikari who were holding a Children's
Council in the room's
corner.
 "Asuka," Hikari asked as the girl made it over to the kids. "I thought you
had a test today? How
did you get to go to the party?"
 "It was strange," the German girl said, "but the Commander came out of the
elevator in the
middle of the tests and told all of us to go. He looked a little pale, but
he said Christmas was no time for
us to be stuck in here. It was a little odd, to see him caring about
something as normal as a holiday."
 Meanwhile, Pen-Pen squeaked at Misato, angry at being pulled from the snow.
Misato paid him
no heed as he continued with the penguin equivalent of `bah humbug.'