Captain Jack I'm Shinji (Prelude to "War of Evangelion") "Hello there, I'm Noriko Idohara." The young woman in a white coat sat opposite Shinji Ikari who was nervously looking around the room. "I'm Shinji. Shinji Ikari. What is this place? This isn't the NERV hospital." "This is a special mental trauma center. I'm here to see how you are doing." "Mental trauma? Why would I be mentally traumatized? Who is that woman over there in the window?" Noriko takes a deep breath before continuing. She has done this with Shinji countless times now. There has been no progress since being admitted. "Lets start from the beginning. How would you describe your childhood? Shinji starts to calm down as he answers her question. "Well, its been eventful. Ever since my mother died, its been hard. We had to keep moving all over because of father's job and the problems caused by the Second Impact, but we've managed to get by I guess." "Tell me more about your father." "He's been great. He took it really hard when mother died, but he's done everything he can to give us a better life." "Who is 'us'?" "Oh, you mean me, father and Rei." "Rei?" "Yeah, she's my sister. She took mom's death hard too. She's really quiet, but we get along well." The woman writes something down on her clipboard, but Shinji couldn't see what it said. "Now Shinji, could you tell me more about your sister?" "Well, like I said, she's really quiet, but she helps out as much as she can. But for some reason, she doesn't like my girlfriend." "Girlfriend?" "Ya, Asuka. Why are you asking me these questions?" In previous tests, Shinji was quite open with his responses, but he was getting tired of answering the same questions over and over again. He was getting bored with them and he wanted to know why she was asking the obvious. Noriko set her pencil down. She felt this examination needed to be stopped so Shinji could understand exactly what happened to him. Giving a deep sigh, she looked at her patient very sadly. "Listen, you are suffering from an extensive psychological disturbance as a result of your last fight with an angel. What you have just told me is not exactly reality. Rei and Asuka are Eva pilots just like you..." "NO! You are lying! You are keeping me from my family. Why? I want to know why am I here?" He was obviously very agitated at being called a liar. He knew what his life was like, vividly to be exact. He just couldn't understand why he had been placed here away from his friend and family. Sure the nurses were very supportive and he was able to keep an upbeat feeling about this place, but he still wanted to go home and see everyone. "Shinji, this is not really you." She was speaking in a soft voice, hoping he will calm down. "You work for NERV and..." "Father works for NERV. Me, Rei, Asuka, we are just kids. We don't go out and fight those things." Shinji was quite annoyed with all these tests by now. He had heard this story about him piloting these robots a hundred times, but this was stupid in his mixed up mind. Why would a kid be given control of the fate of mankind? "Shinji, you know what you are saying isn't true. You are..." continuing in a soft voice. This was the same thing that happened in the other talks with him, when he was told what reality was, he just broke down and started shouting. "I know who I am. I'm Shinji Ikari!" He suddenly stands up and looks straight at the figure in the window. Giving a strained look at her, he continued shouting. "I'm Shinji Ikari! SHINJI IKARI!" Two doctors grab a hold of Shinji and pull him away to his room. Noriko stands up and exits the door. She shakes her head, then goes over to the young woman and takes a deep breath. "Well it looks like he didn't even recognize you again." "It looks that way." Misato looks through the glass again just in time to see Shinji pulled into his room. Well doctor? Do you have any clue as to help him recover? "It appears his memory has been damaged so much, it has effected his reality. He has coped by completely reconstructing his past with more agreeable memories. From what the neurologist said, I think this is irreversible. This means," "This means he won't be able to pilot again." "I don't think he will be able to cope with society again." "I didn't want to be the one to say it, but I think you're right. Would it be ok if I brought Asuka or Rei here to see him?" She continued to stare through the window and at the doorway of Shinji's room. She was trying to keep a professional tone to her voice, but worried tone kept coming through. "Maybe seeing them would help him regain his memory." "Not anytime soon. He needs some time to get things sorted out himself. Its a mess up there in his brain and I think that if he saw them now, it would only make things worse." "I see." Four hours later, Misato met Gendo in his office. "I'm afraid Shinji will not be able to pilot Unit 01 again." Misato was forlorn as she gave details of the examination. "So the doctor doesn't think he will ever see the outside again." Gendo, as always kept an expressionless face and an even tone while speaking of business. "She also feels Shinji shouldn't see anyone. It would only disturb him even more." "Does anyone else know about this?" "No. Besides Ritsuko, everyone else thinks he is at the NERV hospital recovering." "Good. He knows too much sensitive information about Evas and NERV. Since its been determined he is no longer of use to us, I'm afraid we will have to dispose of him." His voice was still quite calm. This was too much for Misato. Immediately, she begins to lash out at her boss, unable to control her emotions. "What? You mean kill him? How could you say that? You're his father." Commander Ikari is still able to keep his cold voice, unmoved by Misato's comments. "I know who I am. He has served his purpose. And besides, it seems it would be better if he doesn't have to suffer." Misato is able to calm herself down just enough so she could try to talk him out of this heartless operation. "I don't think its necessary. For the first time, he has happy memories. The doctor said Shinji has been upbeat since he had been there for the past two months with the examinations being the exception." "Still, it would be detrimental to NERV should he fall into the hands of our enemies. I am going to order the doctor to inject an air bubble into his bloodstream when he gets his medicine tonight." Misato could not hold her anger in anymore. Unable to drive a fist through her boss' head, she settled for kicking her chair across the room. Too angry to make out any words, she turns around and walks out the door before she could do anything more violent. Still in a calm voice, Gendo starts to talk to himself. "If only you were in my shoes, Misato, then you might be able to understand this is the right decision..." "War of Evangelion" Episode 1: Lines are drawn (Read "I'm Shinji" for prelude) Misato whips open the door to her apartment to see Asuka sitting on the futon listening to music. Asuka promptly turns off the music after seeing the expression on her face. The apartment is a mess since Shinji hasn't been home for 9 weeks. "What's wrong Misato?" Asuka was quite concerned. Never has she seen her this angry since she had come over from Germany. Misato says nothing and promptly goes to the closet and pulls out a small box. "Misato? What are you doing?" Asuka gets up and goes over to where Misato is crouched, turning the key to the box. "What am I doing?" The box opens and she pulls out a side arm, six clips, and puts them in her pockets. "I'm going to get Shinji. That's what I'm doing." "What? Why do you need that for?" Her surprise gives away her German accent. "Are you coming? I'll tell you on the way. I'm going to need your help." They both get up and grab a few other important things before leaving the apartment for the last time. In their haste, they leave most of their belongings, including Pen Pen. Asuka follows Misato out the door, obviously scared of what she is unaware of. On the drive over, Misato tells Asuka the truth about Shinji and his mental state, but not the part involving her, feeling that can wait for now. When told about Commander Ikari's order to execute Shinji, her eyes go wide. "...But he can't do that. Even if Shinji's a male, he still doesn't deserve to be killed." Asuka begins to let her mind wander, not knowing why this is happening. Insulting Shinji's gender was just one way of letting some of her stress go. "Listen. What we are going to do will have really bad repercussions. We could be executed for pulling this. You understand this don't you?" Misato is very serious about this conversation. "Ya, I can't let this happen. Japanese have such stupid ideas of honor and death and stuff." "This is not about any of that. Commander Ikari is always this cold and heartless. Well this time he has gone too far." She pauses for a second. "What I need you to do is steal Unit 02. We have to fight back and the only way we can do that is with an Eva." "You can count on me. Just drop me off at headquarters and I'll ask to do a field training exercise. But where do you want me to take it?" Asuka asked inquisitively. "NERV has a secret underground auxiliary base in Tokyo 2. You should know where it is from learning all the preplanned retrieval stations. Right now it is vacant and used only in case of emergencies." "Just leave it all to me." Asuka remarks as confident as ever. "Good. I'll be going to get Shinji and I'll meet you there. Remember not to let anybody know about this. Also, once NERV operatives figure out what's up, they will probably inform Commander Fuyutski who will order to have your umbilical cord ejected. Once that happens, you will have only 5 minutes to get to Tokyo 2 and get underground. And remember, it would be best if you make sure no UN security helicopters are watching your recovery. This way, we will have more time to..." "I know, I know. I can handle it. Just make sure you get Shinji there before all of this gets started." Asuka folds her arms. She could feel the tension inside her build. She could usually handle pressure because of all the demands she has being an Eva pilot, but this time, it was different, she felt this actually was dangerous. Meanwhile in Commander Ikari's office. Commander Fuyutski has been summoned to be brought up to date with the situation with Shinji. "I'd hate to say this, but it appears that pilot Ikari will no longer be available to us for piloting his Eva. Since we cannot afford to have Shinji fall into the hands of SEELE, I've been forced to order his execution." Gendou with his ever calm voice showed no feelings of regret. "You can't be serious. Your own son." Fuyutski was just as shocked as Misato was to hear of this plan, but being more professional, retained his emotions. "It was not an easy decision. Eva pilots are not expendable you know. You will see to it that this order will be carried out, won't you." He knew this was not easy. "Of course sir." There had been a time not too long ago that Fuyutski despised Ikari. But times have changed and now SEELE had to be put in check. In these past few years, he had grown to respect NERV's director. He may have questionable morals, but it was certain he was making the project his highest priority. Mankind's survival was at stake and Ikari was not going to allow his emotions to make the mistake that would cost the human race to go extinct. "Oh yes. I told Commander Katsuragi about this and I should say she was not exactly thrilled about this operation. I have a feeling she may try something." "Katsuragi? That may not have been a good decision." "I told her it was, say, an act of compassion. She doesn't know everything, but I want increased surveillance for the time being." As his deputy commander left, he had to grin a little. "Understood." Meanwhile at NERV headquarters, Asuka is dropped off to see if she could get her Unit 02 out of docking. "Listen, I need to get my Unit 02 out for target practice. That last fight with the angel was pathetic. I need to work on my aim." Asuka was constantly thinking She was scared, but she was able to conceal all of this. "Huh? You don't need to go to the surface. What about the simulator? Besides, we can't go up there with all those civilians around..." The technician was surprised that this child was going to come in and demand to have a training exercise without any approval by NERV operations planning director. "Didn't you hear me? I said I want to go up. Put me on the Mount Yoshida practice facility. There won't be anyone to see me there." "Still, I need approval from the operations planning..." "Then get it! And stop wasting my time." Asuka was being as demanding as always. Over at the hospital, Misato was using forceful measure of her own. She walks through the front door, past the nurse's station and up to the security doors. NERV security was not informed in time so she was able to reach the secured ward with little difficulty. "Um...Miss. can...I...help...." The nurse's voice trails off as she sees Misato pull her gun out. "I'm here to pick up Shinji Ikari." She thinks about how she was going to get the door open with the keypad lock, but settles for shattering the glass with a couple shots from her sidearm. The extremeness of her actions resulted in the nurse fleeing to get the doctor. Misato then moves through the hole in the door and reaches Shinji's door. As she looks for a way to break it down her cell phone rings. After a sigh she pulls it out and answers it. "Captain Katsuragi?" In the background, Misato can hear Asuka screaming. "Hurry up. I want go. Hurry up will ya!" The voice continues, "Sorry to disturb you but pilot Langley-Soryu is here and she's demanding a surface practice operation and..." "Can't you hear her? She says she wants up so let her up." Misato was obviously annoyed by the call and running around shooting down doors was not helping her mood. "Oh. Ok ok. I just had to get the operations planning manager's permiss..." "Will you just shut up and do it?" She hangs up and goes about her business of breaking Shinji out. In a few seconds, a doctor comes from the door she had just shot through. "What, what are you doing?" The doctor is quite agitated at this outburst. "I am here to check Shinji out." Misato was now speaking with a toned down voice, but was filled with sarcasm. "You can't do that! This is a special security wing. You have to get..." "In that case, with my power as operations planning manager, this facility is now under NERV jurisdiction. All actions including discharging patients are now under the control of NERV authorities." The doctor was quick to snap back. "Ha. This is not a military emergency. Your authority does not warrant anything." "Well how about this?" Misato raises her sidearm and aims it at the doctor's forehead. "Now open this damn door!" The doctor was shocked, but was still feeling in control. "If you shoot me, you can't open it." Misato has completely lost her composure "Ya, well if you don't open it right now, you won't be the one to worry about it, doctor." Finally, he breaks down and punches the proper numbers to unlock the door and slowly backs away. Back at the hanger, Asuka gets into her entry plug which is inserted into Unit 02. As preparations are made for the launch, Asuka goes through her checklist. In fluent German, she gives her commands into the computer. "Set language interface to German. Set all exterior commands to German. Internal battery fully charged..." Once all preparations are set, a voice comes over the radio. "We are having difficulties launching your Eva, Asuka." She allows the thought noise to lower her synch ratio by responding in Japanese. "Don't worry, I'll handle it manually." Back in German, She puts on her devious grin as she manually launches her Eva. This does not disturb the operators, they have worked with Asuka before and they know she can get pushy. They also knew she preferred to interface in German since it was her native language. She might have been a little encroaching when she forced the command center to work in German, but Asuka's need to always show off soon put away any suspicions of what she was up to. The door to Shinji's room opens and reveals a confused Shinji. He stands up and starts to look around. "Shinji, we're leaving." Still holding off the doctor with a gun, Misato motions Shinji to come out. "Who, who are you?" Shinji was even more confused when he focused on the incident outside his door. "Its Misato. We're going home." Shinji could not remember a Misato, but the offering to go home was enough to get him out and listen to her. With Shinji behind her, she backs off back through the door and by the nurses station, still holding the gun on the doctor. Just as she is ready to leave the door, she turns the gun on the phone on the desk next to her. With two well placed shots, the phone jolts and falls to the ground. Running to the car, she also notices the main phone jack on a wall 20 feet from the exit. Again she fires and puts holes through her target. "That should keep us covered for a little while. I just hope they don't think of cell phones." Not moving fast enough, Shinji get pulled along until they reach the car. (Misato has since gotten the car fixed and is no longer pieced together with duct tape.) "We're not going home, are we?" Shinji was no longer optimistic about his chances of going back to a 'normal' life. After this lady barges in and shoots up the place, they were likely to be wanted by the police. "Not exactly." Misato does not look over toward Shinji as she speeds through the streets of Tokyo 3 and out of the city. "We are going to your new home. Where Asuka should be waiting." "Asuka? Where is she?" Shinji was quite surprised she had known of Asuka. Asuka survey's the land around her looking for the best way to reach Tokyo 2. She had chose this place to surface because it was already halfway to her destination, therefore, less time for NERV and the UN to react. She looks over the preset targets on the east face of the mountain and then turns around and breaks into a run down the west face. The radio began screaming back at her to get back on course, all in Japanese. "Those idiots have no clue." She continues toward Tokyo 2, maintaining her radio silence. "They're gonna have to speak to me in German if I'm even going to bother to respond. NERV was currently on standby so none of NERV's leadership was in the operation room. Those who were on duty were not ready to deal with an uncooperative pilot, and of course, none spoke German. "What do we do? Should we call Captain Katsuragi?' "If she finds out, do you know what kind of hole we'd be in? We better try to do this ourselves. First detach the umbilical cord." "Affirmative." The operator at one of the comm. stations shatters the glass on the console and pulls the handle out. Asuka's cockpit flashes red as it reports the problem and begins the 5 minute countdown. "Aw damn. They cut my power. Luckily I can get this thing there in 3 minutes." Now with full mobility due to the loss of the umbilical cable, Asuka begins to make her Eva leap down the hillside at 2 mile bounds toward the outskirts of the city." Misato picks up her phone and dials Dr. Ikagi's number. After the other end picks up, she begins to tell her what she needs before hanging up to avoid any possible scans. "Ritsuko. I need to see you at the corner of Shinto and Foritu streets as soon as possible." "Shinto and Foritu? That's in Tokyo 2. Why do we..." "Listen, its important. Get there as soon. Its important." Misato hangs up and continues driving. Shinji remains silent. Ritsuko sighs and gets up to leave Unit 00's cryostasis chamber. Ritsuko was not too surprised by this "urgent" call from Misato. Ever since they became friends, she has always needed to bail Misato out of some kind of trouble. Misato, used to driving at high speeds lets the tires squeal as she turns corners through the streets of the city dodging anything in the way. They pull into the building that makes as the surface part of their new base of operations and begins to descend to the shelter. Being only an auxiliary base, it was not equipped to accommodate large numbers of workers, it used elevators rather than escalators like the Geofront. It also was only 200 feet below the surface, making it more vulnerable to angel attacks. The driver leans back in her seat and takes a deep breath. "Now how long until they figure out where we are..." "Where are we?" "Your home. Don't worry, you'll see Asuka soon. Then we'll figure out how straighten out your brain." They step out to see a dark and abandoned facility. Only the systems needed to barely maintain it were running. While they looked for the computer to start up the main systems and turn on the lights, Unit 02 drops down through the retrieval elevator. As the entry plug is ejected and the LCL drained, Asuka starts laughing. "Hehehe...the faces of all those people. What's the matter with them? Never seen a building sized robot walking through their city?" She begins to grin as she replays her navigation through the city in her mind. Misato looked over toward Shinji, then up at Asuka who was pulling herself out of the entry plug and onto the umbilical bridge platform and start climbing down toward them. "Now to see if Ritsuko is crazy enough to join us." Episode 2: Strategy "Asuka?" Shinji stares at her in disbelief as she runs over to Misato. "You see Misato? Got it here, no problem. Oh. Shinji, hi." She was obviously in a good mood. Her excitement from moving through a city and frightening people was something she had enjoyed thoroughly "You're here, Asuka?" Shinji runs to meet Asuka, throwing his arms around her. "Oh. ummm." Asuka was a little confused at the moment. Her eyes narrow as she is about to give Shinji a piece of her mind. Then they suddenly go wide as his face drew near. "What the hell?" As soon as their lips meet she pushes him away. "Was (Slap to his left cheek) machst (Backhand to his right) du (Leg to the groin) dummkopf (Uppercut to the face)! Pervert!" Shinji falls back in agony, trying to recover. She briefly looked over to Misato to display her protest. "You see that? He kissed me!" Then she looks down at Shinji. "Take this you jerk!" Asuka then began kicking him while he was down. "Asuka, I think he's had enough." Misato was demanding, but was unable to hide her amusement. "Remember he's delusional? Well, you're his girlfriend in his mind." She gives out a small giggle as she gets between Asuka and the rolling ball of agony. "I'm his what!?! You didn't tell me anything about this! If I'd known that, I'd have let him stay there and rot." Asuka was very angry at this point. (Not that she wasn't already.) She then turns towards Shinji. "Listen here third child. If you ever try something like that again, I'll see to it you lose your manhood." "Give him time. I'm sure he'll come around sooner or later." Misato was helping Shinji up as Asuka stormed away in anger. Shinji was totally confused at this point. "What did, what did I do?" He was slow to get up after Asuka's attack. "Asuka's just a little excitable. You got to remember that some things aren't all they will seem to be." "I know she is. But why did she hit me?" "I think in time you'll understand." Meanwhile at NERV central, Commander Ikari was making his moves as well. "Ritsuko, may I have a word with you in my office?" Gendou was speaking to her over the intercom. "After work, I was supposed to see Misato, can it wait?" Ritsuko was still unaware of what has occurred. The operators did not put up an alert and Gendou did not wish to do so anyway. "Actually, that's exactly who I want to talk about." Gendou gave a grin. He knew exactly what he needed her for. Misato was a good friend of Ritsuko and knew she would contact the doctor if she got into trouble. Shinji was soon able to move normally again. Asuka wasn't strong enough to hurt him seriously, he was more shocked at her outburst than anything. "So what is this place?" "Its a NERV auxiliary base. Its just used for emergency retrievals and minor repairs now." Misato was still looking over the computer to start up some of the systems. "Asuka? Could you help me by going over to that terminal and turning on some of the lights?" Asuka nods and moves to the computer. "Is this it?" Asuka pushes a button which causes a horn to go off. "Damn. Why did they write everything in kanji? I can't understand it all." "Could you help her Shinji? I'm too busy here." Misato was typing away and executing programs. Shinji does what he's told and goes over to Asuka to fix the problem. The alarm goes off and the main lights go on. "You are such a show off. Just because you can turn on a few lights doesn't mean you're very smart." Asuka was irritated with Shinji's correction, but more with his close proximity. "Why are you acting this way? I thought you liked me." Shinji was quiet while saying this, not knowing how she was going to react. His first thought was to put his arm around her to try to calm her down, but decided against it after thinking about the result of the last physical contact they had. Asuka starts a low growl, then hits Shinji upside the head. "Du idiot! When have I ever said that?" "Will you two just stop fighting? We have things to do and we can't be wasting time, so just stop." Misato was annoyed by all the arguing. "Ok, but he just better keep his hands to himself. Got it third child?" Asuka had her hands on her hips waiting for an answer from Shinji. After Gendou had spoken to Ritsuko, he called up Fuyutski. "Commander, what is the status?" "It appears Misato was quicker than security and has taken Shinji from the hospital. Also, Asuka has disobeyed orders and is somewhere in Tokyo-2." "In that case, I will need to speak to you right away." SEELE Headquarters. The leadership has hastily gathered a meeting to discuss the latest incidents. It was a dark room where faces are difficult to see clearly. "As of 1745 hours, Misato Katsuragi of NERV had taken the third child from the Yoshida hospital in Tokyo-3 to the NERV base in Tokyo-2. Also, Unit 02 and its pilot, reported to be Asuka Langley-Soryu disregarded procedures and was retrieved in the before mentioned NERV base. There was a report that security was to be tightened around the hospital, but was not carried out in time. Currently, NERV is attempting to keep a normal status, possibly to keep leaks to a minimum." (SEELE 1) "So what is Ikari doing this time?" (SEELE 2) "We haven't received all of the information. This should be obtained by tomorrow morning." (SEELE 3) "It appears Katsuragi acted on her own. What should we do about an insubordinate on our doorstep?" (SEELE 1) "Nothing right now. She doesn't know anything. We might be able to use her." (SEELE 4) "Agreed let's see what our friend Ikari does first. Lets wait this out and see how events unfold." (SEELE 5) "Yes. And if Gendou does not handle this to our approval, then we can have him dismissed." Fuyutski enters Gendo's office. "Sir, you needed to see me?" "Yes. Now that Shinji escaped I'll tell you what I really want." "Sir?" "I'm sorry I didn't tell you before, but I needed NERV to run as naturally as possible until this happened. I have already spoken to Ritsuko about this matter." "In case of SEELE infiltration?" "Of course. I have arranged for Dr. Ikagi to keep an eye on Captain Katsuragi. I'll need you to make a few adjustments now that Misato and Ritsuko will be gone..." After Misato had gotten the base up to full operation, she received a phone call on the cell phone. "Its me, Ritsuko, I'm done with work and I'll be in Tokyo-2 in fifteen minutes." "Good. You know what this is all about?" Misato asked, hoping to get an idea of what NERV might know about her desertion. "From what I've heard, I've got a pretty good idea." Back in Gendo's office. "Creating an enemy who now possesses an Eva? With the UN to deal with and SEELE watching us, don't you think its a little dangerous?" Fuyutski had doubts about this plan. "Dangerous. Haven't we always played this dangerous game? I'm just changing the rules a little to suit our needs." Despite this protest, Gendou was certain that this plan will work. "Still, we only have one pilot left and down one Eva. What about the angels? "Katsuragi is not that reckless. She won't forget about the angels. As long as we have Unit 01, that's all that is important for now. Ritsuko has been overseeing the dummy plug and it is scheduled to be completed in a month. Until then, Rei will be moved to Unit 01." "Understood." "This will give SEELE something to think about. They have been acting more aggressively than normal lately. With this new factor in their city, they will think twice about making themselves known to Misato. Like us, they can't draw attention themselves for a problem like this." "But why Misato? We need her for operations." "We're playing for high stakes. A few casualties are acceptable as long as the Adam Project is completed before SEELE can carry out their plans..." "And if they call our bluff?" "If they do, then we lose." Ritsuko reaches the place Misato mentioned, but she wasn't there. After waiting five minutes, she decided to call her. "Ritsuko? Sorry. I got caught up in some things." "Alright so why did you want me to come all this way for?" "Not over the phone. Listen, I'll be there in five minutes. Then follow me to another place." Misato hangs up the phone and goes to her car. Before leaving, she tells the two children that she will be out for a couple of minutes and not to start fighting again. When Misato reaches Ritsuko, she motions for her to follow her. At the same time, she looks out in case someone else was following. When they get back, Misato get out to again see Asuka and Shinji arguing. "How come you're so stupid? Your father was trying to kill you. If it wasn't for me and Misato, you'd be dead right now." "You know my father wouldn't do that..." Misato cuts Shinji off, angry because they didn't listen to what she said. "Shinji. Asuka. I want you two to not talk to each other for the rest of the day. Got that?" "Fine with me." Asuka answers as she turns around and storms away from Shinji. "Problems playing the motherly role?" Ritsuko inquires sarcastically. "That's the least of my problems. You probably know by now that we've taken Unit-02 and have disregarded orders. I'm hoping you can help us." "Ya, I've heard all of that. You've really stirred up problems you know..." "So will you join us?" Misato was worried. If they were going to stand a chance, Ritsuko had to help them. "Well if I wasn't going to help out, I wouldn't be here. I have my own reasons for breaking with the commander. I'm tired of being a tool for his work. I think we can stand a chance as long as Unit-02 is not severely damaged. I've got some ideas that will keep us alive anyway." "Thanks Ritsuko. I really owe you this time." "You always owe me." Ritsuko grins at these words. "You know, you should really think about your actions before you act on them." "I wasn't going to sit there and let the commander kill his own son." Misato was annoyed by her friend's statement. Ritsuko seemed surprised at this bit of information. "Really? I didn't hear about that. Why would he do something like that?" "Because he's a cold heartless worm. How could I listen to a man like that?" "Hrm. I wonder what he was thinking when he decided that." She rubbed her chin. "Listen, we can talk about this later. We have work to do." TO BE CONTINUED Two months ago... Units 01 and 02 launched to defend against the 9th angel. "This one should be a breeze. I don't know why you have to tag along." Asuka was speaking to Shinji over the radio. She didn't like the idea he was there to help her every time Unit 02 was sent out into combat. "Will you stop complaining? It's because its Standard Op. We have to make sure we win." Shinji took an equal disliking to backing her up. She never followed procedures and she always complained about how she never got to fight alone. "I still think its just not fair." Asuka was pouting as they neared their target. "It's a lot better than fighting alone. What if you get in some trouble fighting one?" "What do you mean get in trouble? I never have problems cleaning up my work." "Target should be in sight. Stop your bickering and do your job." Misato was calling over the radio, slightly annoyed that the two still refuse to get along with each other. "Roger. I'm first Shinji, so stay the hell out of my way." Asuka charges forward, not waiting for a response from her backup. Once Unit-02 comes 50 meters from the 9th angel, the target fires a white beam, colliding with Asuka. Unit-02 suddenly comes to a complete stop. "Asuka! Get out of the way!" Misato screams into the mic. After there was no response, she shifts her attention to Shinji. "Shinji. Get in and fire at the angel. You have to draw its attention away from Asuka. Hurry!" Unit-01 began firing on the angel. After a few jolts from the target, it stops its attack on Unit-02 and fires the white beam on Shinji. Unit-01 completely stops its attack and stands motionless in the beam. "Asuka! Are you alright? You have to rescue Shinji. Hurry!" Misato was very agitated over the angel's attack. The beam was passing right through the Evas' AT fields. Asuka was finally able to move again. "What's happening? What the hell am I doing in here?" She was too confused about what had just happened to focus on fighting an angel. "The beam appears to have brain wave properties. Maybe that's why their AT fields have no effect. Whatever it is, it's effecting the pilots' brains." Ritsuko was also in the operations room, analyzing this new form of attack. "Asuka, listen. You have to help Shinji." Misato was trying to calm down, hoping Asuka could understand what was needed. "How? What's going on?" "It's no use. Rei. Launch and rescue Shinji, then begin your attack on the target." "Understood." Rei was waiting on the launch platform, ready in case something should go wrong. Unit-00 surfaced behind the angel, and approached without the angel taking notice. The angel began to approach Shinji and started swinging its arms at him. After a few good blows, Unit-01 falls to the ground, still motionless. As soon as the angel turned around after the Eva had fallen, Unit-00 was there to strike the angel with the progressive knife. A few seconds later, the damaged core glowed brightly and exploded. What used to be eight blocks of houses on the outer edges of Tokyo-3 were replaced by a crater thirty feet deep. The shattered remains outside the crater were either lying in the streets or embedded in the structures that were able to withstand the blast. Units 00 and 01 were at the center of the crater, but only Rei rose to her feet. Shinji was too much in shock to even move. "Get the rescue crew out there. NOW!" Now that the angel was no longer a threat, Shinji's safety was now top priority. Misato then ordered the two standing Eva's to return to base. Asuka suddenly woke up and looked at the clock. 3:24 am. She then sat up from her bedroll and looked around. To her right were Ritsuko and Misato sound asleep. Over in the corner near the door was Shinji rolled up in a ball. She could only see the lower half of him, due to a crate blocking her view. Although there were several other rooms in the base, this room was the only place that was comfortable enough to sleep. Other rooms were stuffed with provisions, some were too hot, others cold. After another long fight, Asuka grudgingly allowed Shinji to sleep here, promising to kill him if he got too close to her. Asuka laid back down, but she couldn't get back to sleep. She rolled over so she could stare at the bedroll that contained Shinji. She stopped her thought for a moment to watch Shinji shift in his sleep, then continued. EPISODE 3: Mind Games The next morning Ritsuko and Misato were discussing their defenses. Compared to NERV, they couldn't stand a chance. Misato figured they needed a deterrent of some kind. Something that would get NERV's attention while keeping them from attacking the auxiliary base. "We won't stand a chance if we don't do something to keep them from attacking. That's the only way I can think of to keep them from getting to us." Misato was explaining her plan. This was why she needed Ritsuko's help. "But hacking into the Magi computers? Do you realize what kind of problems that will cause?" Ritsuko was worried. The Magi computers were something not to be messed with. "If their security protections are compromised, they will self destruct. I don't think you want the deaths of thousands of innocent lives on your hands..." "That's why we only get Balthasar and Melchior. All three computers have to concur for self destruction. If they do attack us, we can hack Casper too. And besides, we need access to the supercomputers anyway." "And how are we supposed to gain access to them? Its not like its some simple task." Ritsuko was still trying to discourage this idea. "We can use the Magi computers here in Tokyo-2. Ritsuko, you know more about these computers than anyone else. This is important to our plans." Misato was begging at this point. "You mean _your_ plans. Alright, I'll have to make sure I can gain access to Tokyo-2 Magi computers, then make sure the information we get won't be seen by anyone else, then I can try to gain access to Tokyo-3." Ritsuko sighs. This was not part of the plan, but it was something that had to be done. But Misato was not going to back off on this. Commander Ikari will have to deal with this when it comes. In the hanger of the Geofront, Gendou was with Rei, explaining the changes that were going to occur as well as her say in the matter. "You know that Shinji and Asuka have betrayed NERV. That means that if it comes to a fight with them, you will have to strike back." Gendou was briefing Rei on the situation. He was much more relaxed with her. To him, she was like his child. Over three years ago, Shinji ran away from him and that he could not forgive. He was a coward, he could never confront his problems. "I understand." Rei already understood the situation and knew she would be asked to defend NERV if it came to that. "Still, this is something I cannot order you to do. Will you fight against Shinji and Asuka?" Gendou still had feelings for Rei. He didn't want her to fall out of favor with him like Shinji had. Besides, NERV could not afford to have their only pilot balk if it would come to a fight with Unit-02. If she refused, there were always others that could take her place. "I will do as I'm ordered." Rei stood there with her emotionless face. "That's not what I asked. How would you feel about fighting them?" This was something Rei hadn't expected. All this time, she had simply done as she was ordered without question. But all of a sudden, she's been given a choice that depended on emotion. Rei didn't like Asuka too much, she being too self-centered. But she and Shinji had become good friends. He always spoke to her kindly, even when she didn't understand why. He also helped her to feel compassion, happiness. Feelings she had never experienced before, feelings she had enjoyed. But feelings were something she could not understand. In time she thought she might have been able to comprehend those things and Shinji would have helped her to understand. But still there was Commander Ikari. He was someone she couldn't betray. He had given her life, was kind to her, even saved her life. She could not choose. Her mind was uncertain, something that made her panic. Once the feeling of panic got to her, another emotion she had never experienced before, it only made her panic some more. She began to tremble, looking around, hoping the answer was written somewhere so she could end this experience. Gendou saw the anxiety on her face. To wait for her to answer would simply be torture. "I understand. You will stay here and defend NERV from Asuka and the angels. Rei gave a sigh of relief. Commander Ikari took away the unknown and helped her to come back to her senses. She couldn't use emotions if she never experienced them before. Some were enjoyable while others caused her pain. She needed to figure out why humans wanted to feel these emotions before she could understand any of them. Back at the auxiliary base, Ritsuko was working with the Magi computers of Tokyo-2. The base was already linked, since important information might have been needed in case of an emergency that drove NERV out of its Geofront headquarters. However, with the arrival of Adam, losing the Geofront was not an acceptable option. Which meant this base was now useful only for retrievals. "So how's it going?" Misato came over to find out what progress was being made. "Oh, slow. I want to make sure the information we gain access to will not be used by somebody else." Ritsuko rolled her chair back from behind the terminal to take a break. She had to rub her eyes due to the strain of six hours of staring at a monitor. "Aren't Magi computers here secure enough?" "Ya, but I just want to make sure of it. Information about the Evas and NERV are things you don't want to flash around." "So how long do you think it will take?" "I'm almost done here. Once we start hacking into Tokyo-3's supercomputers, it shouldn't take too long since I know most of the access codes." Ritsuko stood up to stretch her legs. "By the way, can you get a brain wave scan of Shinji? I'd like to see it so I can try to figure out exactly what that angel did to him. Those doctors don't know much about the angels you know." "I'll take him over to the examination room after I'm done here. How are you doing this morning?" Misato was tired. This was not going to be an easy task defending a base that was poorly defended and understaffed. "Me? I'm exhausted. You can't exactly get a good night's rest in this place you know." Ritsuko sat back down to get back at her work. The sooner she finished, the sooner she could relax. "I know what you mean. I wonder how the children are taking it." Misato was glad to know she wasn't the only one feeling the heavy load of stress. "They're probably tired of all this too. I mean this isn't something they can get used to." "I know, but I can't let Commander Ikari think he can do as he pleases. I swear, I will kill him even if it kills me." Misato's anger had shown through her face. "Are you that determined? I mean is it right to kill him because he tried to kill Shinji? Two wrongs don't make a right you know." Ritsuko said quietly, still busy typing away. "He doesn't care about anyone. He shouldn't be commanding NERV if he's ready to throw away lives at his whim." Misato's anger was still growing. "I wouldn't say that. He cares about Rei doesn't he? What if he was dead? Who would defend us from the angels? You?" It was the same calm, quiet voice. "Then why are you here? If you like him so much, why don't you go back to him?" Misato was screaming now. "I have my reasons." Ritsuko ended the conversation. She needed to work, and Misato needed to tend to her duties of planning as well. Shinji and Asuka had just woken up and were about to start their morning toiletries. Asuka was in her usual cheerful mood. "Guten morgan, Shinji." Asuka gave her usual morning greeting. "Gut...guten...guten morgan?" After all this time, Shinji still had trouble pronouncing it. "Gee. You are still gloomy, even when you're all messed up." "What do you mean, messed up?" He still couldn't figure out what she was getting at. To him, everything was normal, that is except for living in this place and being without his father. "There's no way of getting anything through that thick skull is there?" Asuka was slightly annoyed, but her voice didn't show it. She began to walk to the bathroom to take a shower. "Don't be coming into the bathroom until I'm done or you'll be a dead man." The curiosity finally overcame him and had to ask just before Asuka left the room. "Uh, Asuka? What does `guten morgan' mean anyways?" Asuka turns around suddenly, suprised. "You mean you don't know? I've only been saying it every other day. You really are stupid. It's just good morning." She gave him a little grin so as to show her intelligence. Shinji smiled back. It was nice to see her in a good mood again. He was also relieved his suspicions were just that. "You two getting along now?" Misato appeared behind from behind Shinji. "You know you two make a good couple. But I thought you liked Rei, Shinji." She couldn't help but add that comment. She enjoyed teasing them. "Rei? That's sick!" He gave her a disgusted look. Asuka was even less pleased. "I would never go out with a pervert like him! How could anyone like such a dummkopt?" "You're blushing, Asuka." Misato was still having her fun. "I am not, so shut up!" Asuka was definitely red, but it could have been because she was just mad. "I love teasing the both of you. You both get so lively." "I'm taking my shower, and you better not peep, Shinji." She slams the door and the stomping of footsteps could be heard trailing away. "She was in a good mood too..." Shinji stared the shut door. "Oh, don't worry, she'll be fine. Shinji, I'll need to see you in infirmary. Ritsuko wants to see your brain scan." "What for? People keep saying I'm confused, but everything seems normal to me." "Its just a precaution. Don't worry about it." Misato knew he was getting tired of hearing everyone saying he was wrong. Telling him again and again was only going to frustrate him more. At SEELE headquarters, the meeting resumed, now that more information was gathered. "It appears that Dr. Ritsuko Ikagi has also defected from NERV. Our special investigator has reported that no actions have been taken to retrieve the Eva or the personnel involved. NERV is currently on a normal status." (SEELE 3) It appears they are still trying to cover things up. "The official report to the UN states that the intentions of the rebels are unknown." (SEELE 2) Even the UN is refusing to do anything. Seems they've lost their backbone now that the angels are showing up. I wonder, why is NERV at a normal status after all of this? (SEELE 4) I still think Ikari's up to something. Has our investigator found anything new? "Nothing at this time" (SEELE 1) Katsuragi is very dangerous right now. Perhaps she intends to eventually attack NERV headquarters. (SEELE 3) That is possible. Our Captain doesn't seem to like Ikari much. (SEELE 5) She is reckless, but she's not foolish. Still, keeping a low key is the best thing to do right now. It's too early in the schedule for us to do anything drastic. At school, Toji and Kensuke were sitting down to eat lunch when the class rep, Hikari stopped at their table. "Hey, its the class rep. What are you gonna yell at me for today?" Toji felt a dislike that came from Hikari, it seemed she always had something on him. "I was wondering, have you heard from Shinji yet? He's been gone for a long time now." She'd been worried about the "three stooges" for a while. Ever since Shinji's been gone, they haven't been quite the same. "No, not yet, but we were going over to see Misato after school. She'd know before anyone else." Kensuke was always happy to have an excuse to go stare at Misato. "In that case, mind if I join you? I have to deliver some printouts to Asuka. She wasn't in class today you know." "You haven't heard? They say she ran off with an Eva and hasn't been heard from since. I hacked into my dad's data banks to get that information." Kensuke, was also looking for any information he could about NERV and the Evas. Hoping someday he'd be picked to pilot one, he wanted to find an inside track. Most things he couldn't get to, but there was always some information he could find. "Didn't you hear the news? They said it was a training operation and nothing more." "No way, NERV has simulators for things like that. And besides, the news is censored. They won't tell us civilians anything." Toji decided to break in at this point. "Well I'm glad that bitch is gone. She's always complaining about something." "Toji, will you stop it with all that?" Hikari wasn't here to fight, simply to see what was going on. They could always find time to fight later. "By the way, how is your sister doing?" Hikari's question turned Toji's anger a new direction. "Same. Every time I go there, the doctors say there's been no progress. Those doctors are driving me nuts with their stupid lines." "I'm sorry to hear that. Listen, I'll meet you after school, ok? "Sure thing." Toji's answer was directed towards her back as she trailed away. After the brain wave scan, Misato and Shinji went to see Ritsuko and give her the analysis. Ritsuko then puts it into the computer so she could look at the data compared to his other brain scans before the accident. "Hrm. This is interesting. There's only a 0.02% difference in overall brain activity. Its like nothing ever happened to him." "What does that mean?" Misato looked worried, even though she didn't understand any of the data on the screen. "I'm not sure. But it seems as if the angel somehow completely changed his memory without touching his personality or even his thought process right down to his subconscious thought." Ritsuko turns to look at Shinji. "According to all the data, you're supposed to be completely healthy." "Well I don't feel any different." Shinji looks down at his shoes. "Don't worry, I'm sure in time you'll remember everything." Misato was trying to comfort him. "Well it looks like you've come just in time, Misato. I'm just about to connect with Melchior." Ritsuko changed subjects as she moved over to the main terminal. Ritsuko started to type away while on the other side, Maya was notified of the intrusion. "Sir, someone is trying to gain access to Melchior." Maya turned around to make eye contact with Fuyutski. "What should we do?" "Run a dummy program. Do what you can to prolong their attempt. Do we know where its originating from?" "We'll know that in a few seconds." Maya started a dummy program as the Magi computers start sending him information about the hacker. "It seems to be coming from somewhere in Tokyo-2. They are using the Tokyo-2 Magi." Fuyutski turns to Ikari and whispers so no one can hear their conversation. "Misato? or could it be SEELE?" "Its gotta be Misato. SEELE wouldn't try blowing this place up right now. We have too many things they need to do that now." Ikari leaned back in his chair to contemplate his options. "Sir, its no use. Who ever it is can see right through the dummy programs. One minute until full access is gained." "Rewrite access programs for Casper and Balthasar. We've lost this one. Make sure we don't lose another." Ikari's command was executed at once. Time. A few moments after Melchior recommended self-destruct, there was a call made over the emergency line. When it was answered, Misato appeared on the screen. "Commander Ikari. I hereby request your resignation as Director of NERV. Your actions are inexcusable and therefore you must be relieved of duty." Misato was trying to sound professional. "Relieved by who? You? You are not fit to command NERV or the Evangelion Project." Commander Ikari could play her little game. "In that case, I will be forced to self-destruct the Magi super- computers and NERV as well." "I know you won't do it. Imagine, the thousands of innocent lives. You couldn't sleep at night with the screams of all those people going through your mind..." "You asshole! How dare you say such a thing when..." Misato's poise had broken down when Maya suddenly broke up the argument. "Sir, there's another intruder attempting to hack into Balthasar!" Maya was looking at his terminal go crazy. "Run dummy programs! We can't allow the other two Magi to be compromised." He was already going through the procedure when the Magi made its trace. "This one is gaining access locally." "Trace to the exact location. I want this stopped immediately." Fuyutski was shouting, he did not like this situation at all. "I can't trace it, it appears to be coming from everywhere in the system." Maya didn't look up to report this. He was too busy fighting to keep the intruder out. "Could this be..." The deputy commander was whispering to Ikari. "An angel, I suppose it is." Ikari didn't allow Fuyutski to finish his question. TO BE CONTINUED War of Evangelion Episode 4: The Magi System "Could this be..." The deputy commander was whispering to Ikari. "An angel. I suppose it is." Ikari didn't allow Fuyutski to finish his question. Ritsuko was also there to hear what was happening. She was just as alarmed as everyone, knowing that half of Tokyo-3 could go up if they didn't do something. "Right now saving the Magi is more important. What's going on over there?" Ritsuko began asking important questions, looking for a way to stop the invader. After a sigh, Misato concurred. She had a personal conflict with the angels that has lasted longer than Ikari's. The matter she seeked to resolve now had to be set aside to try and save thousands of lives. "I've made a successful trace. It appears to be in Complex-B. Balthasar will be taken over in 30 seconds." Maya was frantically looking for a way to at least slow the hacker's progress. "What are you doing over there? Shut off the power." Ritsuko was determined to help out in any way to sure _her_ computers were not going to be destroyed. Keyboards were frantically clicking when Maya gave up on the order. "The commands aren't working. Balthasar is now recommending self destruction." Fuyutski was not happy about this. Two of the three computers were ready to turn the entire base into dust. "Isolate Casper the best you can. Close off all connections between the three computers." "No effect. It has begun deciphering the codes to Casper." "It appears the angel is particular to its environment. See how it's avoiding certain areas of the deep facilities." Gendou was keeping quiet through this stressful situation was analyzing the angel's movements." Upon hearing Gendou's words, Ritsuko noticed what the angel was doing. "It appears it's avoiding the areas of high oxygen concentrations. Flood Complex-B with pure oxygen." On the commands, there was a noticeable difference in the angel's activity. Although it continued working on Casper, it's progress was slowing down. "Target's activity is decreasing. No wait! Its now feeding off the oxygen! Target's activity is now increasing!" "Hrm...it seems to be evolving." Gendou quietly said to his deputy. "Yes. The more we attack it, the more adept it becomes to living." Maya broke in, shouting, "Sir, there is abnormal activity coming from Casper. Source unknown." A few seconds later, there was no activity by the angel at all. Although relived, NERV had no explanation for this. "It stopped. But how?" Maya continued searching for an answer on her consul, but she couldn't find anything. Sitting in his chair, Gendou began rubbing his chin. With a grunt, Gendou terminates communication with Misato. The argument that would have escalated after the incident would have only wasted his time. "Well what now, Misato?" Ritsuko used an 'I told you so' tone. Hacking into a second Magi computer revealed a vulnerable weakness that could easily be exploited by a third party. Misato was trying to be a savior, not a destroyer. The scientist felt this was a danger that should be avoided at all costs. After a sigh, Misato finally admitted the need to retreat on her strategy. "Ok, just keep our access to Melchior so we can use the databanks for our purposes. I guess we have to leave Balthasar alone." The strategy had to be changed, but there were still other ways to get to Gendou. After class, Touji and Kensuke approached Rei's desk. They wanted to find out how Shinji was doing. No word got out that an angel had attacked NERV HQ so everyone else went about their business. Before Rei got up to leave, Touji got her attention. "Rei, I was wondering, do you know how Shinji's doing? He hasn't been around for two months. I figured you would know better than anyone else." "I don't know." The words came out in a calm, soft voice. "You mean they won't even tell you? Is he dead or something?" Kensuke was suprised by her answer. "He's alive." Her face still showed no emotion. "Then where is he?" Touji was asking in almost a shout. "I cannot say." "What do you mean you can't say? What do you mean by that?" Touji was definitely shouting, frustrated by Rei's calmness and vague answers. "I cannot say." Again with a motionless voice. The probing was ended by Hikari breaking in at Rei's defense. "Will you leave her alone already? Can't you see she doesn't know? I'm going to see Asuka now so are you coming or what?" As they headed toward the apartment, Touji, Kensuke and Hikari were silent for quite a while. It was Touji that finally spoke up. "You know, that Rei girl seems stranger every time I talk to her." Although influenced by Asuka's opinion of the "wonder girl," somewhat, she came to her defense. "Its just probably the way she is. What were you two talking about anyways?" "Well I tried to find out how Shinji was doing, but she kept blocking me. I think she knows, but won't tell me." His calm voice broke out into a much louder one, but just a serious. "Its been two months! You'd think she could at least tell us how he is." Kensuke broke in at this point. "Well you know how NERV keeps everything classified. When we see Misato, she'll probably tell us." They went up the elevator and down to the corner on the right to the apartment of the three NERV personnel. Oddly, there was no answer at the door. With Kensuke's curiosity aroused, he decided to try the door which was also oddly unlocked. "Huh? This is weird, they always have their door locked. I wonder what's going on." Kensuke had thrown the door open despite protests from Hikari. Inside, everything was thrown about and things trashed. This wouldn't have been much of a suprise since they've heard Misato was quite messy, but how things were dumped out of drawers made things suspicious. This was done by NERV security, unknown to the three children. It appeared they had searched to apartment for anything NERV wanted kept secret and left. Only a penguin gave the ransacked apartment any touch of familiarity. "What the?! Something's definitely wrong." Kensuke went around frantically searching through things. "Oh man! Somebody trashed everything." Touji became worried about everything and just wanted to leave. "I don't want to get involved with any of this. I think we should leave." Hikari agreed and soon Kensuke gave in. But before leaving, Hikari picked up PenPen to take home. He would have to have a place to stay until they figured out what had happened to the three NERV personnel. Ten days later, Asuka was feeling this rebel stuff very boring. She thought this was going to be fun going off with Misato while leaving Commander Ikari and his favorite "doll" behind. She couldn't go up above ground, Misato and Ritsuko were busy all the time, and the only one left to even talk to was Shinji. After spending days doing nothing, she finally felt it might be alright to at least talk to that pervert again. Asuka thought about this for a little while and soon found she couldn't get Shinji off her mind. For some reason, Asuka found him interesting. He was definitely not normal, even before the accident. She continued to stare at an unnoticing Shinji who had found himself a book and was sitting in the corner reading. Finally, curiosity overcame her. "Shinji, come over here." Asuka was still demanding, even after she had thought through what she was going to ask him. "Why?" "Let's kiss." Shinji thought of images of Asuka's hands and feet landing on him. Finally he was able to mutter out, "Why do you wanna kiss now?" "Because I'm bored, dummkopt. Why else would I kiss a male?" Shinji thought of her infatuation with Kaji. It was something he could remember, but it seemed a long time ago. "What about Kaji? You wanted to kiss him, right?" Shinji wanted to find out exactly what she wanted because the last time he tried kissing her, it ended pretty ugly and he didn't want to relive that experience. "What?!?" He face turned beet red. Despite her embarrassment, she was still able to retaliate, "Kaji's a man, there's a difference." "Man, male...seems like the same thing to me..." "Wha?" She was defeated. She couldn't stand it, but there was only one thing left to say to limit his victory. "Are you going to get over here and kiss or not?" Asuka was red, mad, and screaming. Shinji didn't know quite what to do. Besides the fact he hated to make others angry, he hated to make Asuka furious for there was an uncertainty to what she would do. He still liked her, but as angry as she could get, she was libel to beat him again. So cautiously, he went over to her , hoping this would end the ordeal. A few seconds after their lips touch, Asuka realized Shinji was quite apprehensive about the whole situation. His lips were quivering, for some reason. Asuka couldn't figure out why. After all, he did try kissing her just yesterday. She still wondered what it would be like to kiss him for real, so she forced her tongue in his. Shinji was quite suprised at this action, but despite his uneasiness, he showed no disapproval. He liked the fact that they were together like this. But soon Asuka got disgusted with the sensation. She breaks away and tells Shinji, "There you got your kiss. Now don't bother me with another one." Although disgusted, she couldn't help herself to give a very slight grin. As disgusting as it was, it was a sensation she kind of liked. Shinji smiled back. After all that had happened, she wasn't angry at him. In a conference room, UN officials and Gendou were discussing the current situation. Obviously, they were unhappy about recent situations, but they were satisfied by Gendou's explanation that Misato will be stopped soon. But there was another situation that needed discussion. "As you know, the Second Branch in Nevada has been destroyed by some unknown cause. Unit-04 has also disappeared in the incident. Because of this, we will need to transfer Unit-03 to Japan so another incident like this won't happen again." Another UN official spoke up. "We were contemplating sending it the the Third Branch in Germany due to the unstable situation in Japan, but we feel that it is important to get rid of the rebels. I hope you understand that." Gendou sat there and with a voice of assurance, "Don't worry. I will make sure everything's taken care of. There will be no Third Impact or overthrow of NERV. I can assure you." "I hope you're right. Unit-04 has an S2 engine. We cannot let something like that fall into the hands of enemies. You can't allow the Eva to lead toward the destruction of mankind." "We'll leave everything to you, but we expect results." "We are the last and only line of defense against the angels. We will defeat them." After leaving the conference room, he once again redrew the plans in his head. SEELE was nothing more than a group of naive old men. That conference I had a few days ago along with this one only confirms my opinion. They didn't understand what really should happen, what he wanted happen. Yet they were above him and beyond his grasp. An outright assault on Tokyo-2 to leave SEELE in chaos and ruin would draw too much attention on him and NERV. The Instrumentality Project had to be completed at all costs, but the UN may not feel the same if SEELE were attacked, no. However, a group of rebels in an Eva could do something like that without too much heat from the UN. SEELE could merely be written off as a tragedy in a struggle to reobtain the Eva. With SEELE off his back, he would not have to move about as secretly as he has been. This would also help to speed up the process because the tactical maneuvering would not be needed as much... After a short while, Gendou made a phone call to Fuyutski. "Commander, we are going to need the fourth child. We will discuss this in detail later. First I would like you to have someone approach him and find out if he will cooperate." "Yes sir." Misato finally entered the room. She had seen what had gone on, but decided to keep it quiet for the time being. She already made her tease today, it could wait for a short while when things slowed down and she needed a laugh at their expense. "Shinji, I'd like you to join me in the hanger for an activation with Unit-02." This was not something Asuka wanted to hear. Shinji in _her_ Eva was something obscene. Never mind the first time they met and fought an angel, that was an emergency. But now that they were here and she could be ready to pilot, there was no way she was going to let that male in her Unit-02. "Now wait a minute! Shinji is _not_ getting anywhere near my Eva." Her eyes narrowed as she turned her scowl from Misato onto Shinji, almost daring him to make a move so she could have an excuse to clobber him. Misato had to defend her decision. "You have to realize that NERV still has 2 Evas against our one pilot. We need a backup." "Over my dead body!" Suprisingly, Shinji spoke up despite Asuka's nonvocal admonitions not to. "Its ok Asuka. You'll probably pilot it every time we need to anyways." This was something Asuka hadn't expected. She had suspicions that Shinji was going to replace her. This, added to the disgusting thought of Shinji in Unit-02 made her fight tooth and nail. But now despite these thoughts, Shinji was actually deferring to her. Well maybe it wouldn't hurt to let the activation happen so long as it made Misato happy and Shinji wasn't going to be in her Eva after this one time. "Well ok, but if you mess up my Eva, I'll kill you." These words were directed primarily toward Shinji. She hadn't been defeated, it was a retreat just enough to see that she would be the only pilot in the future while making it seem like she was cooperating. It did not take long for NERV security to get to Touji. Touji, Kensuke, and Hikari were sitting on a bench near school talking about how worried they were about Shinji and Asuka. Rei was no help, all she would say was "I cannot say." It frustrated Touji quite a bit and Hikari was the only one who listened to his frustrations. Out stepped two men in suits and sunglasses. One of them addressed Touji, "You are Touji Suzuhara, correct?" "Uhhh....yes sir." "We will need to speak to you alone." The three got into the car, leaving Hikari and Kensuke behind, confused. "I wonder what that's all about?" Hikari was questioning. "Maybe it has something to do with being in Misato's apartment..." About a minute longer, the car sped away without warning. Kensuke watched as the car left their sights. "I think we're really in trouble now." Inside the car, the conversation continued. "So if you agree to pilot the Eva, we will transfer your sister to the NERV facility where she will obtain better care." "That's all I ask. My sister is very important to me, you see..." "Then it's agreed upon. Remember, the information we will be giving you is strictly confidential. You cannot tell anyone of the current situation of NERV..." Shinji was quite apprehensive as he settled into the seat of the entry plug. Although he hated the idea of piloting the Eva, he had no wish to disappoint the Misato. He didn't want to disappoint her, so he felt this was something necessary for him to do. "Shinji, how do you feel?" Misato was trying to make him comfortable inside the entry plug. "It feels like...Asuka." Asuka, there to make sure nothing happened to her Eva, was not the least happy to hear this response. "That pervert. I'll kill him when he gets out. He'll never get in my Eva again." As Misato and Ritsuko initiated the activation sequence, they noticed the synchronization ratio was quite low. "Only 8.5%? I'm afraid he just can't pilot it like that. He couldn't control it if he had to." Ritsuko was suprised by this. She had expected a lowed synch ratio, being in a different Eva, but this was so low, he could not be useable as a pilot. They had expected a lower synch ratio since he was in a different Eva, but not as low as not enabling him to pilot. Asuka saw this opportunity as a way to regain ground on Shinji. "You see, he just doesn't have the skills to pilot a real Eva like mine." Ignoring this, Shinji spoke up. "Can I get out now? I knew it was a waste of time." "Alright. You can return now." Upon these words, the entry plug was emptied of LCL, ejected, the hatch opened, and Shinji carefully got out and stepped onto the umbilical bridge. "I can't understand why his synch ratio was that low." Misato was confused. He was accepted by Unit-02 before. He even broke his synch ratio momentarily with Asuka while fighting an angel in the Eva. "I think it might be that he didn't want to synchronize with it. He was fighting it mentally." Just as a large screen at the front of the Ritsuko, Misato and Asuka flashed a report, NERV was already making preparations for the landing of the next angel. As personnel scrambled to their stations, Rei was getting prepared to be launched in Unit-01. It seemed there were few problems with her activation. Once ready, she sat down in the entry plug and awaited the final preparations to be complete and for the command to launch. In Tokyo-2, everyone was also scrambling. Misato had ordered Asuka to get ready for launch which was gladly carried out. This was her chance to show once and for all that she was the superior pilot. Ritsuko was less enthusiastic about the orders. "You mean you are going to fight angels even when we don't have have the facilities for repair?" "Defeating the angels is my first priority. That will never change." "That's what NERV is for. They still have 2 Evas to operate." "But they only have one pilot. Rei will need all the help she can get." While Asuka settled into the entry plug and turned on the radio, she couldn't help but overhear the conversation. "That's right, Rei will be there. This will be more exciting than I thought." Her sly grin betrayed her intentions, but no one noticed it. TO BE CONTINUED EPISODE 5: ENEMIES Unit-01 was launched 10 minutes before Unit-02. This was because NERV had more personnel to tend to Unit-01 than Asuka had for her Eva. The landing point of the new angel was on the outskirts of Tokyo-2. Rei's ability of a pilot enabled her to get into position before Asuka, despite having to come all the way from Tokyo-3. Although she expected help from Asuka, she was warned to watch out for problems of an uneasy, temporary truce. Over Unit-01's radio, Asuka offered her help while Maya was ringing off the details of the enemy. "Hello wonder girl. Long time no see." She made her tone as polite as she could. Rei disregarded the greeting and continued with the business at hand. "Target's altitude is 10 kilometers. Estimated landing time is 1 minute." The two waited a few seconds before Ritsuko broke in over the radio. "Something's wrong. Clear away from the landing area." What she saw was the large, black circle shifting it's trajectory. There was also something odd about the target's height. It appeared it was getting thinner. Asuka, ready to attack was confused by the order to withdraw. "What? You mean run away?" "Just do it! Move!" The two Evas started to clear from the angel's path, but its descent accelerated faster than predicted. The shift in the landing site fell upon Unit-01 and three blocks of Tokyo-2 that surrounded it. Once the angel had reached its landing point, Rei as well as the Eva was completely engulfed. "Damn!" Misato didn't like the situation. An Eva had been engulfed by the angel and she could not think of any solutions. Maya, looking over her instrument panel, could not find any solutions either. "Readings on the pilot are unknown. The umbilical cord was cut when we lost contact with the Eva. Four minutes, 45 seconds left of Eva activation." Asuka was just as suprised by the angel's method of attack. "What the hell happened?" Asuka stood a mere 10 meters from the angel, but she couldn't find a core to attack with the prog knife. Combined with the shock, the affect was a pilot who was unable to think of anything to do. "What the hell is happening?" Misato turned to Ritsuko for answers. "Interesting. The angel is only 3 nanometers thick. It appears the angel is using an inverted AT Field to maintain its structure. It also appears the inside of this angel is a portal of some sort." "So how do we defeat it?" "I'm not sure yet." Three minutes, forty seconds left of Unit-01's internal battery pack. At this point, the angel began to move slowly toward the city of Tokyo-3. Sensing the danger, Unit-01 came to life. It lit up in berserker mode, swinging at nothingness, running in no particular direction. But somehow, it was able to effect the angel. >From the outside, the perfectly circular disk began to warp at the edges. The circle soon lost it's shape and began to collapse upon itself. As the angel closed, Rei and the Eva appeared through the top half of the enemy. Now that the immediate danger was gone, Unit-01's savage rage then turned against the intruder inside. Ayanami's nerve pulses were rejected and LCL pressure increased. With the pilot being rejected as well as damaged pilot sensors from an unknown cause, there was no way for NERV to determine the status of the pilot or do anything about it.. Finally, the Eva calmed down and ceased its attacks. Because there was no more of a threat, the Eva no longer carried out its menace. This was the opportunity Asuka had been waiting for. She despised Rei, always showing her up. Now that she was an enemy, this was the perfect opportunity to get her back. She moved in and began striking at Rei repeatedly. The armor was beginning to wear at the continuous strikes. Only the brief moment it took to activate the prog knife paused the attack. Misato and Ritsuko saw this and didn't like what they were seeing. Asuka's annoyance had turned to anger as she attacked Rei, screaming insults as she assaulted her enemy. There was no use getting to her, she was in a berserker mode of her own, visualizing anyone from NERV as the enemy. NERV was also helpless to do anything. Still unsure that Rei was even alive, they had no options. Unit-03's pilot had yet to synchronize with it, and the dummy plug was not ready for use. Rei sat there listening to the screams from both commands, but mostly to Asuka's voice. "I won't let you be better than me! You are just a puppet for NERV..." She still had some composure in the entry plug when she looked over her options. There were few, berserker mode had drained the internal battery down to 15 seconds, Unit-01 had rejected her, the high LCL pressure kept her from even moving in the entry plug. The only conclusion she could come up with was to await her death. Only the automatic ejection system stopped Asuka's pounding and Rei's fate to die. The buildings in the city made the entry plug difficult to track as it landed harshly on a street corner. The initial jolt of the bottom end striking the ground and the tube falling to its side gave Rei a sharp sensation of pain in her left arm. The pain soon went away as everything went black. Misato only saw the ejection of the entry plug on Unit-02's monitor. With the intent on saving Rei, she promptly shouted commands to Ritsuko to get Asuka back down and to retrieve Unit-01 as well. She hastily left the command center and rushed through the hall, passing a confused Shinji. Rei had woken up in a plain, white room, lying on a bed. She tried to stretch to get rid of the stiffness in her muscles, but found her left arm immobilized. She looked town to see her arm in a crudely made cast. Ayanami recalled the events that occurred before she had passed out and came to the conclusion her arm was broken. There were many times she had had something like this happen, so nothing much was thought of it. As she sat up and blinked, a woman was seen through her peripheral vision. "Good. You're awake. So how are you?" The injured girl turned to look at Misato, but gave no answer. "I'm sorry about Asuka. She will be scolded as soon as I have the chance." "Why?" It was all she was going to say. Rei knew Asuka disliked her, but had no idea why. It was something she simply dismissed as part of Asuka's personality. "Don't be nervous. You can move about if you wish. We're not going to lock you up in here." Misato tried to change the subject. She wasn't going to be too militaristic with the children. "Why would I be nervous?" Misato thought about telling Rei to stop acting that way, but thought of Shinji's personality and how she couldn't change him. Instead, she decided to let her get out of the room so she could see the Shinji. "Shinji is in the room down the hall if you would like to see him. I'm sure he wants to see you." "OK" The First Child got off the bed and left the room. It was more to get away from Misato's questioning than anything to see Shinji. It had only been 6 hours, but SEELE had demanded a meeting with Gendou. The loss on one Eva was not appreciated. The loss of two was something he had to have a good explanation for right away. "Ikari, you have lost not only Unit-02, but now Unit-01. How much of our resources must we have to spend to get progress from you?" "Don't worry. We are taking measures right now to get both Evas back. The Human Compliment Project is still my first priority." "But still, you have two Evas that are beyond your control. Why haven't you acted on your promise to get rid of the rebels?" "We still have to deal with the angels as well as the Instrumentality Project. There will be action as soon as we can get Unit-03 activated and its pilot trained." "Alright. But we expect results, not excuses. The rest of this meeting does not concern you." At the cue, the SEELE members at the table disappeared, leaving Gendou alone. "Don't worry. I fully intend on getting Unit-01 back. It's time the rules change..." The rest of the SEELE meeting concerned their confidence in Commander Ikari. There was something wrong here, but they didn't know what it was yet. "Well what do you think?" "He should be replaced. He is becoming too much of a maverick, like he was several years ago." "I agree. He's up to something. There are two Evas in Tokyo-2 right now. He is cooperating with the rebels when fighting angels. Who's to say he has been in contact with him all along?" "Well there does seem to be a dissidence between him and Katsuragi. The last incident clearly showed Pilot Asuka's intention to kill Pilot Ayanami." "Also, Ikari is the only one who can carry out both projects. We will have to use him until the schedule is completed." "We do have to acknowledge that. But should we increase surveillance?" "No. We have ample security as it is. Too much more will make him grow suspicious." Touji was finally able to get back home after the long hours of briefing. He didn't understand it. Not at all. His newest and best friend was now his enemy? Sure Asuka was a true bitch if he'd ever seen one, but Misato and Shinji leaving NERV? There was something missing. Although relieved to finally know some news of Shinji, but was it really worth it? NERV didn't want any of it leaked so he couldn't even tell his friends. Now he was stuck in the middle. On one side, his sister was getting the care she needed, but on the other hand, he was now at odds with Shinji. The phone rang, leaving the bells in his mind. Touji the only one home had lost his thought and finally got off the futon to answer it. "Suzuhara? How are you?" "Oh. Hikari. Why are you calling me at this time?" "I was worried. You suddenly leaving with NERV and all. I thought you were in trouble or something. What happened?" "I...I'm working for NERV now. Now my sister can have better care and..." The class rep cut him off. She wanted to know how he was doing. "You sound nervous. What's wrong? Can we talk about it?" This was a suprise. But it only made things worse. "That's the problem. I can't tell anyone." "Are you sure?" "Ya." There was a long pause. Neither knew what to say. "Listen. I need to get some rest. Tomorrow I'm going to see my sister and with NERV and everything, I..." "Oh, Sure. Can we talk later?" "Um...ya I guess." There was a click and a dial tone followed. She slowly put the phone back on the hook and wondered what was wrong. Touji lied down to sleep, but sleep didn't come easily. All he could think of was the time he had beaten up Shinji. He too was forced to pilot the Eva. He didn't understand that before, the helplessness of not having a say. But now that he had to do this for his sister, Suzuhara felt like he was the only other person who understood how Shinji could have felt when he had first piloted. It took a while, but the darkness of sleep finally overcame his worries. But there was nothing to keep his feelings from invading his dreams. When the door opened, Shinji looked up. It was Rei. Immediately he stood up with watery eyes showing his suprise and relief. "Ayanami. You're all right." "I was told you wanted to see me." Disregarding Shinji's concern for her well being, she spoke as if she was ordered to see him. "Well...yes..." Shinji went over to give the blue haired girl a hug. "I'm just glad you weren't hurt badly. I'm sorry about Asuka. She's just...well you know." Ayanami couldn't understand why Shinji had his arms around her and his head on her shoulder crying. Apparently this was a way he needed to let out his emotions, so she just stood there obediently waiting for him to release her. It seemed like a long time, but the pose was finally broken by a door sliding open. "Shinji, you'll never believe what Misato was screaming at me about. All this crap about..." Asuka's complaints were stopped cold and a scream ensued. "I can't believe you, you pervert! With the First Child no less. I knew you two were having secret meetings..." Shinji quickly pulled away to defend himself. "Asuka, its not like that. Really." Asuka wasn't in the mood to hear any explanations. She had come to relieve some of the tension she had built up after an argument with Misato. But to see Shinji here. With _that doll_ of all people. She was through listening, it was time for her to dish out some of her own. "Shut up! I know what you two are doing. I can't believe I kissed you. And now you go off with this, this doll..." In contrast to Asuka's screaming, Rei spoke quietly, but she had a vastly greater effect. "Why are you angry?" "Angry? Angry? What do you know about angry? You are just a doll that just does anything that Commander Ikari tells you. I'll bet you'd kill yourself if he asked you to." "Yes" "You see! Just a doll and nothing more. You can't think for yourself can you?" Rei was silent. "Answer me!" Again she said nothing. Asuka became even more angry at her silence. Shinji was still in shock from the situation and before he could react, Asuka had taken her hand to the other girl's cheek. The slap had created another unexpected occurrence. Asuka had seen tears form in Rei's eyes. Yes they were definitely tears. However, the red haired girl wasn't able to see the full effect her slap had as Rei seeing that she was no longer needed in the room calmly left as the clear liquid fell from her eyes. "Tears." This had confused Asuka. To her knowledge, Rei had never shown any emotion at all. "Asuka...you hit her..." Shinji knew Asuka didn't get along with Rei, but there was never physical violence. Sure, he also heard about the whole scene from Misato, but to see Asuka slap Rei right in front of him had a whole different reaction. There was no longer any disbelief. Now that her attention was drawn off Rei, she began the next necessary step of defending her actions. "Of course. She stayed with NERV. That makes her the enemy. You can't show sympathy to the enemy." "But, Rei is my" "Ya, I know, I know. You think Rei is your sister. But I have news for you. Your father was trying to kill you and Rei is...oh never mind. You'll never get it will you?" With a gruff sigh, she too left the room, leaving a confused Shinji behind. Underneath Tokyo-3, Fuyutski and Gendou were talking in a laboratory few had entered. The laboratory was filled with clones, all in a stasis. "Ikari, I never thought we'd have to do this so soon." "Yes, but it is necessary. The dummy plugs are coming along too slowly and with Ritsuko gone, I'm afraid it will take even longer. SEELE wants results, this will keep them quiet for a while." "And what about Unit-01?" "Pilot Ikari thinks of me favorably. I'll inform Ritsuko to get him reactivated with Unit-01 and I'll have him in my hands. Three Evas should be enough to get those old men off our backs." "...and you are sure about this?" They had come to a stop at one of the clones. This was the one they had chosen to awaken. "Of course. There's no other way." Rei continued to walk down the hall. Despite the tears, there was no sign of sadness in her face. There was something she had sensed, a familiar presence, but there was no real explanation. She had always known there were others to replace her, but it was something she never could understand until now. Was this the feeling of rejection? Of obsolescence? It was now apparent that she was no longer needed and so there was the wonder, What ever it was, it was an emptiness feeling she had never felt before. The only thing to do was take it in with the other problems the mind brings. Once she reached a door with the note "Rei" posted to it she entered and the door closed behind her. Asuka was fuming. She knew she was better than Rei in every way. There wasn't anything going on between her and Shinji, but for a reason Asuka couldn't figure out, seeing Rei with him just made her go off. It wasn't because she was jealous, how could anyone like someone as stupid as he? This was it. There was another promise she had made to herself a long time ago, but that promise was something she could forget, at least until she carried out this one thing. Of course she didn't love Shinji, this was just to get back at Rei. In a way, she could keep both promises with this reasoning. Shinji sat in his room for a long time, seemingly hours. He sat there thinking. He didn't like seeing Asuka so angry, especially over nothing. He thought about talking to Rei about it, but there was something that kept him from going. Was it Asuka? But there was no reason that should have kept him in the room. It was more like he was not sure what was right. Whatever his conclusion was, it had to be postponed by a knock at the door and a figure entering the room. "Shinji, how are you doing?" Ritsuko voice sounded pleasant, a contrast to all the arguing earlier. "Oh, hi Ritsuko." This was a suprise, but his voice didn't show it. His mind was elsewhere. "Did you know that we recovered Unit-01 soon after the battle today? Well, I want you to see it soon." "You want me to pilot it. But I can't do it." "Yes you can. You just have to work at it." "What about Rei, wasn't she piloting it? Why me?" "Rei's injured. She can't work for a couple weeks at least. You can't expect Asuka to do it alone. Besides, it's what your father wants." "My father?" This whole time, all he heard was how bad his father was, but this was the first time he has heard of what his father wants him to do. This was all he needed to hear to change his answer. "Alright. I'll do it." "Good. In that case I'll see you in the hanger at eight o'clock tonight." Just as quickly as she had entered, she exited the door, closing it softly behind her. "Father..." "Commander" Ritsuko thought about the conversation she had had shortly before seeing Shinji. "Doctor. I have an important assignment for you. I need you to get Shinji to pilot Unit-01" "That's not as easy as it sounds. He doesn't want to pilot an Eva." "I've read his evaluation before. He'll do it, tell him I want him to. We will need him to help us fulfill our plans." "And what about Rei and Asuka?" "I have already replaced Rei and Asuka is expendable. But we need Unit-01..." Not far away, Asuka opens a door wide, revealing Rei sitting down. She didn't appear to be doing much, just staring into midair. "Well, if it isn't wondergirl..." Rei's attention turned toward the open door. She was now composed, seemingly unaffected by their prior meeting. There was no particular interest in seeing the second child, but there was no avoiding conversation with her. She was not as angry as she was earlier, but there was a determination she was hiding. In Asuka's face, she could tell she was after something and she was not leaving until she got it. "So, you like Shinji huh?" The tone of her voice was not in any way friendly. "Yes. I do." "I knew it. So he _is_ faking everything! Well I have news for you, he won't be yours for long." There was no doubt she liked him. Shinji taught her how important emotions can be. She got along with him, he had qualities that made her comfortable to be around, but whatever Asuka was shouting about didn't make any sense at all. What did she mean about not being hers for long? There was nothing to say until she could make some sense of all this. "Did you hear me? I said Shinji's gonna be mine and there's nothing you can do about it. Naturally he'll choose me because of all my superior abilities. And you, you can just get used to it." This was getting more confusing the more she spoke. From what she had observed from other classmates, Rei suspected Asuka was jealous of being close to Shinji. The only thing was, none of them were ever as confrontational as Asuka was, so she could have been wrong. There wasn't any harm in asking Asuka, the least it could do is get her out of her face much sooner. "What do you mean?" "What? So you're covering for him too huh? Well I guess its only natural for you to do as you're told. But he'll be mine. I'll show you. I'll show everybody." It was obvious she wasn't going to get any spark out of the first child so she turned around and slammed the door. Shinji was faking everything, she knew it. And now it was time to put her charm into effect. A ways down the hall, Shinji had opened a door and was coming her direction. "Shinji. How are ya?" "Um...I'm ok." "You know Shinji, you know how you always say you're my boyfriend, well..." "Huh? Well...ya, but..." "I was thinking, lets make it official. You know, like go out for real." "What?...But.." Before Shinji could say anything else, Asuka was grabbing him. "Don't worry about Rei, I've already talked to her." Rei was not someone she should have mentioned. Shinji cared about her. Maybe not the way Asuka had suspected, but certainly as a sister. It was only hours ago Asuka had tried to kill her and later striking her. This Shinji did not approve of at all. "Why'd you hit Rei? I mean she hasn't done anything to you." There they were, stuck talking about Rei again. She let go of him and gave out a sigh. He was really stubborn about not admitting he was faking everything. "I thought you were supposed to like me, not Rei." "I do like you, but why do you have to be so mean?" For one of those few times in her life, she was speechless. She never could understand what he saw in Rei, there was nothing there she found likable. She just took orders without questions. She had tried before to become friends with her, but found her strange right from the start. There was no real reason she saw of why Shinji always defended the first child. "I have to go. Ritsuko's waiting for me in the cage. Can't you try to be nice?" With that, he disappeared. A little while later, Shinji had found his way into the entry plug of Unit-01, fully dressed for the activities. He saw no point in trying this again, after all, he had failed in the earlier attempt. The reason he decided to go along with all of this was because his father had wished this. It was something he couldn't say no to. He even began to believe he once piloted one before, the familiar feeling he got sitting inside, seeing Asuka and Rei as pilots, and everyone insisting he was one himself was beginning to sway his thoughts. It seemed a distant, vague feeling, that of piloting one. It was still so distant he couldn't say for sure he actually had. But still, he couldn't run away from the expectations people had placed on him. All of this influenced him, but most of all, he didn't want anyone to hate him. To hate him for being a failure and running away. "Shinji, how are you feeling?" "I'm alright, Ritsuko." "Are you ready to start?" "I guess so." "Alright." Once the entry plug was filled with LCL, the activation of the various monitors activated and the nerve connections were established as the countdown to absolute borderline continued. "Approaching the third stage. Zero point eight, zero point 6 to absolute borderline. zero point four, zero point 3, zero point one." Shinji and Unit-01 sat momentarily at the edge of the critical mark, then cleared. But it was then that the Eva awakened. "There's something wrong! Unit-01 is moving without the pilot's control!" Misato was watching over this experiment, but now she was concerned. "Is it berserker?" "I think so. I'm aborting the activation test. Cutting off the primary power supply." The glass on the consul was shattered and the handle inside was pulled. Almost simultaneously, the umbilical cord broke from the Eva and fell to the floor of the hanger. "What is the status of the pilot?" "Unknown. It appears he reached a synchronization of 400% and all monitoring stopped." Unit-01, in its savage rage, twisted its torso to the left ripping out of the restraints. A similar motion to the right quickly removed any remaining restrictions imposed upon it. There would never have been enough locks on the body to control the Eva in this state. After giving out a loud, horrible wail, it began driving its fists through the glass to the control room. Over and over again, it pounded, trying to get through to the humans inside. "Stand clear, 38 seconds left of activation." Again it pounded. The glass was lying on the floor in shards now. The only protection the Ritsuko and Misato had were the metal ceilings and wall which prevented the berserked monster from putting its hand freely into the room. Another scream came from the giant golem, fully audible now that there was no glass to dampen out the horrible sounds. 20 seconds. It seemed like an eternity for Ritsuko, frozen in fear. The doctor knew who it wanted. Her. She had awaken and now enraged in the entity that was the slave of NERV. She was the one who had protected her son so many times. Now it seeked the life of an enemy. 5 seconds. The control room was hardly recognizable due to the large shreds of twisted metal created by the havoc of an Eva. Only the back wall was intact as it had yet to be reached by the massive fists. That was what Misato and Ritsuko huddled against, lying in a fetal position for the little protection it provided. Finally after what had seemed more than an eternity for the fear stricken control operators, there was silence. The Eva had stopped and finally, the deafening silence had settled over base. TO BE CONTINUED Note: Dream sequences are done in script format to try to stay away from confusion. War of Evangelion Episode 6: Dreams It had been hours since the berserked Eva had demolished the control room. It had also been hours since Shinji's disappearance inside the Eva. Since then, both Asuka and Rei had fallen to sleep after a very long day of work and stress. It was during these hours after that Misato and Ritsuko searched long for clues on the disappearance and for theories to get Shinji back. "So this is what happens at 400%." Ritsuko was still flustered at the whole situation. They needed Shinji to pilot out the Eva. But most of all, they needed Unit-01 for the project. "What do you mean by 400%? Can you return Shinji or can't you?" "I'm not sure. It's not that simple. I've got an idea, but it will take some time." "I guess that better than not having a clue." A few moments later, Misato began to feel herself slipping off to sleep, but quickly caught it and jerked back to a state of alertness. She had been up longer than any of them. Almost a day and a half. She was determined to make sure Shinji would be ok, but the power of sleep was beginning to catch her. "You're exhausted. You need to get some sleep." "No I don't. As long as Shinji's inside the Eva, I'm going to make sure he's alright." "You can't be much use if you aren't awake. When you're tired you make mistakes. That's something we can't have happen right now." "Alright." Ritsuko was right. They were working for hours and little progress had been made. If she made any mistakes, it could have been costly. "I'll wake you up if I need you." Ritsuko continued to type away as she received data. The control room had been damaged greatly, but luckily rerouting information to other computers was fairly easy to do. A few minutes later, after Misato had long left, Ritsuko pulled out her cellular phone and dialed a few numbers. "Commander, it happened again." It took a lot of tossing and turning before Asuka could finally get to sleep. She was tired, but there were too many things on her mind. But even in sleep, she couldn't rest well as Shinji, Rei and herself as well bothered her in her sleep. It was all black, with figures that surrounded her. Occasionally moments of her past could be seen. Like a screen in a cinema that replayed events in her life, the window of her life opened only for her. She made promises to herself, but now they were returning to haunt her. They came in the embodiment of those around her, of the silverscreen of her life, but most frightening of all, the embodiment of her mother, Kyoko. Asuka: Go away. I don't need you. I don't need any of you. Rei: Why? Asuka: Because I just don't. Another Asuka appeared in front of her. Asuka 2: Because of this? The scene was her home back in Germany. Asuka as a little girl was running throughout the house. "Mama! Mama!" She opened the door to see her mother, hanging on a rope. There she dangled, neck elongated and barely attached to the limp body. Little Asuka stood there in shock. Though she was very young, she still knew what it meant. The large smile on her face went as limp as the body and the head sank. Tears fell as she tried to hide her face from the horrible scene, but it was too late to keep the image from invading her mind. It was an image that still haunted the Asuka of older. Asuka: No more! Please! I don't want to see it again! The body of the hanging mother lifts to look Asuka in the eyes: But you will always see me this way. Rei: This is who you are. How you always will be. Asuka: No! I'm grown up now! Nobody will be close to me again. I won't lose anyone again! I grew up as fast as I could so I don't need anyone else. Shinji: But what about me? Silence. Shinji: Why do you need me? Asuka, more quieter: I don't. Its just that... Rei: Is it me? Am I why you need Ikari? Asuka: No! I don't need anybody! You are just in the way. Asuka 2: But what about this? The screen changed to one of only a few days ago. Asuka was kissing Shinji. It was obvious that she had enjoyed it. Asuka: You are lying! Shinji, tell her! Shinji: But it's the truth. Asuka 2: You like him. Rei: You like him. Kyoko: You still need love. Asuka: I don't! I don't need any of you. I'm grown up now and I won't be close to another person again. Go away! All of you! The cinema screen starts up again. There are flashes of Shinji saving her from falling into the volcano, Rei finding headquarters when the power had gone out. Shinji saving Asuka from the angel that had cost him his memory. All: This is who you are. It is who you always will be. Asuka: No! That's not right. I'm better than him. Another scene: One of earlier in which Shinji reaches into the molten lava without protection from the heat to save Asuka from sinking to her death. Asuka: No, I'm not weak. Why are you doing this? Shinji: Don't you need someone? Everybody needs help to continue living. Asuka: I don't! I'm strong. I don't need anybody. I'm...I'm...No! No more! All: This is who you are. This is who you always will be, but this is what you can change. In Tokyo-3, it was business as usual. Touji arrived at school, extremely tired. Upon his entrance Hikari immediately stood up. "Suzuhara." "Hello Hikari." His attempt to utilize a cheerful tone failed horribly. Class hadn't started yet, giving them enough time to have a short talk so the class rep went over to his desk to continue the conversation. "Touji, you haven't been yourself. What's wrong?" Touji couldn't keep everything in for much longer. He had to talk about it. "Its just that I've had a lot on my mind lately." "What do you mean?" "I don't want to pilot the Eva, but I have to. If it weren't for my sister, I'd..." He fell silent. "You can't keep everything inside you, you know. You have to let it out." Touji looked around. Their conversation was attracting the attention of their classmates. "Could we talk about this sometime tonight?" He was more pleading than requesting. For all he had been through these past few days, he was ready to cry. But for all his might, he held the tears back, trying to prove he was a man. Back in Tokyo-2, Misato grudgingly went to sleep. She wanted to be sure Shinji was alright, but finding there was nothing for her to do, she hoped she could get her mind off of things through rest. Although she was relatively successful keeping Shinji out of her thoughts, other memories penned up in their stead. The accident that had occurred September of 2000. Being put into the escape tube by her father. Seeing the deteriorating face of a dying man before everything went white, then darkened. The dying man collapse over the tube as it closed. Everything turned white. Everything turned dark. Black. The face of a dying man. White. Black. Sound. Silence. Dying man. Death. Life. "I am alive, but am I? For a couple years after that episode, she never spoke a word. Seeing the faces of strangers, mostly scientists, doctors, and shrinks. "What happened?" They'd ask, but she refused to live that death again. The dying man. White. Black. Kaji, the man she loved back in school. They had even reached the point where they stayed together. But it wasn't to be, even after seeing him again after all those years, she loved him, but couldn't imagine living with him. Living. Kaji's face had turned into the one of the dying man. White. Black. Shinji. Asuka. Two children who stayed with her. It was like a family. Father. Shinji had forgotten. Asuka, arguing with her to no ends. The family was deteriorating like the face of the man. Father. Her father. White. Black. Sound. Silence. Death. Life. Gray. Is there a gray between death and life? A dream? Whose dream? God? The angels want to end the dream, one she had spent her life trying to sustain. Her dream. Her father's. That of mankind's to continue to exist. Existence. A gray here too? Another dream. Another life. Rei had felt differently, she had her soul, but the presence of another, sharing that soul. But what was with all the tears? Ikari has abandoned her for this other? No, that couldn't be it. Nevertheless, another Rei was awakened, one that was to pilot Unit-00 most likely. It was a strange thing, worry. But who is this other? It was similar to the time when she was "born," the feeling of another presence. Not like the one she had always experienced, but one of having another life, where people acted out of anger because of a word. But now it was a feeling of neglect. She was never treated well by NERV, but she was never treated as useless either. Yet nothing has changed. The pilot of Unit-02, pilot Ikari, Major Katsuragi, nothing. It was not only the awakening of the other that bothered her, but it was that angel, what it had said. Angel: Who are you? Rei: I am I. Rei Ayanami. Angel: There is another, yes? Rei: Yes I feel another, but this is Rei, that is I Several Rei's appear before her. Rei 2: But this it Rei. Rei 3: This is Rei. Rei: No, I am not you. An image of Yui comes before her, suprising the usually unmoved girl. Yui: Or am I Rei, Commander Ikari's wife? (Tears again fell from Ayanami's face.) From pain? No. Loneliness. Yes, it is loneliness, something among all, but I most of all. Ikari's plan includes you, not me.> Yui: You are a doll. Join us and be much more. Rei: I am not you. Yui: You are more than you know. Shinji will join us as well. The conversation ended here, with all images destroyed by the mind of Eva. Each image, twisted, contorted or crushed at the hands of Eva as the walls quickly deteriorated. The image of Yui was the last to go, crushed by the hands of Unit-01 until the head came completely off, leaving behind a crushed pulp. Unlike the other images, this one bled, an image that continued to disturb Rei. "What do you mean, 'It happened again?'" Gendou wanted to know exactly what was going wrong with his plan. The increased problems with berserking Evas was against the advances they made in domesticating them. It was also throwing off their plans as key tasks had been put into disarray. "Unit-01 has absorbed Shinji. I'm working on getting him back, but you know the last time we failed." "Yes. Unit-01 must be brought back never the less. I trust that you will retrieve the pilot soon." "Yes sir." The phone hung up on the other end as Ritsuko went back to work, dead tired. This wasn't going to be as easy as the commander made it sound. "Where am I? Inside Eva? Am I alone?" Then others stepped forth, not speaking to him, but merely acting out events in his life without words. The actions of the past three years were made within a matter of seconds, but for Shinji, everything could be seen. Then everything went dark. "People. People I know? Everything. But things, people I don't know. I don't understand. Father. Asuka and Rei. Misato and Ritsuko. People I know, but they are different. The figures reappeared in a line before him. This time there was sound to their words. Asuka: Stupid Shinji! Can't you understand anything? Rei: This is who you are. Shinji: But what about all the... Asuka (cutting him off): You idiot! All that crap you think about. Its all wrong. Kensuke: She's right. This is you alright. Shinji: But where am I? Yui: You are with me. You can stay if you wish. Shinji: But I don't understand. This is all wrong. Gendou: You run away. You always run. Shinji: But you are dead mother! (Turning to his father)You killed her! Isn't that right? I mean... Rei: We are those inside you. Everyone perceives an image of those they encounter. Shinji 2: Including me. I'm the Shinji you perceive as yourself. Shinji: I don't understand. Yui: You are within Eva, but this is your mind. Fuyutski: You do understand, but you choose not to believe. Shinji: Father. Gendou: What? Speak up! Shinji: ... Gendou: What are you waiting for? Rei: Why do you hate your father? Shinji: But I don't. Misato: You don't, but you feel like you should. Shinji: If all this is right, then....this is right isn't it? Rei: Yes. Gendou: I'm waiting. Shinji: You did abandoned me! How come you did that? Rei: But it was you who left. Shinji: He made me! Its all your fault father! Touji: Nobody makes you do anything. These are your choices. Shinji 2: Yes. You are a coward, you always run away. Shinji: But I have to to... Asuka: Because you're afraid. Shinji: Yes! Because I'm scared! I'm a coward! Are you happy now? Shinji 2: You say you won't run away, yet you always do. Misato: Even from kindness, you run away. Yui: Are you alone? Shinji: Yes, with all these people, I'm still alone. Gendou: We are kind to you, but you don't believe it. Asuka: We are here, but you wish to be alone. Rei: You believe your dreams are more real than reality. Fuyutski: You understand, but you run away from understanding. Shinji: I know. Yui: You can stay here if you wish. This is what you want, your dreams. Shinji: I mustn't. I mustn't run away. I mustn't run away! Yui: I understand. Then this is all I can do for you, my son. Everything became a blur. Colors began to mesh as his material state began to return. After a brief moment of disorientation, Shinji found himself naked, sitting in the seat of the entry plug, looking out at a badly damaged hangar. Ritsuko almost fell out of her chair as monitors went back online. Immediately she went to a state of alertness as she went through procedures to retrieve the pilot as if they were going to lose him again. A phone call immediately had Misato out of her bed. Not even bothering to change, she was running for the hanger. The commotion woke Asuka who slowly got up to see what was with all the movement. Rei who was awake the whole time, stood up and followed. When the two had left the room, Asuka laid back down. "Stupid jerks...have to wake me up...don't they know I'm tired?" In the hangar, the entry plug had just been drained and the door opened. Shinji had found his plug suit floating around earlier and put it on beforehand. As Misato rushed to greet Shinji, Rei stood at the doorway watching. Misato was excited as she practically jumped on him. "Are you alright? I thought we'd never get you back." All Shinji could say was, "I understand now. This time I won't run away." TO BE CONTINUED