CHAPTER 1

Jean ran out of the school gate ecstatically, this was her last day at her Junior high school and she was jumping for joy, for she was finally going to the school she had always dreamed of going to thanks to a computing scholarship.

"See ya Jean!" her friend called out and she waved walking backwards grinning.

"See you later Dania!" Jean called out in Italian walking briskly down the streets of Venice. Her long brown high ponytail swished along as she walked as did her tartan tie that was done up loosely around her neck. Her skirt was flapping in the light warm breeze as she rolled up her long blouse sleeves evenly. Boats went by as she walked over bridges with her knee high leather boots clunking along, and mothers hung out their washing on small clotheslines hanging out windows.

Jean couldn't help but feel free. She was finally leaving Venice and heading for Rome to continue her studies there. She was one in about 1000 children who had been given the opportunity for a scholarship as she completed the tests with a result of 98.6%.

She swung her bag over her left shoulder and walked down a quiet alley where a few kids were sitting playing jacks. She stepped around them before heading back into the sunlight.

"Hey Jean come and give us a hand will ya" Luca called out from the shop. Jean had worked in a hydraulic repairs shop for the past 3 years, as she was able to repair things easily thanks to a trait from her father.

She dropped her bag in the corner and walked over to where Luca was repairing a part of an engine. She took a look at it and immediately noticed that a part of the hose had become unhooked and waited for Luca to ask her to fix it.

"Jean." he paused and his wrinkles appeared as he frowned handing her the engine piece. Luca was just like a father to her as her father had died when she was only three. He was perceived as an old grumpy man when he was actually just an old man who never took life for granted.

"No worries Luca" she smiled reattaching the hose and handing it back to him. She wiped the grease off her hands and on his pants smirking maliciously.

"Gees we are all gonna miss you sweetie" he hugged her tightly and she felt like crying.

"Luca I will be back in the holidays" she pushed him away friendlily and smiling. "But I will miss you when I am in Rome" she laughed tormenting Luca because she new how much he wanted to see Rome.

"I want billions of photos do you hear me?" he said sternly and she laughed.

"Of course" she laughed.

"Off you go don't miss your flight" he pushed her away and she ran back and hugged him one last time before leaving the store and going up the road a few more houses.

She reached her home that was just like every other home in Venice: small but spacious. It was like an old terrace home that rode three floors.

Jean walked inside pushing the heavy door open and shutting it behind her and dropping her bag in the corner. She looked around her kitchen looking out the stained glass window at the boats traveling by. Her home smelt of fresh spices and of musk. Her fists clenched as she felt a few burning tears building up inside her and running from her dark brown eyes.

"Honey" her mother dried her hands on her apron and hugged her. "What's wrong?" she asked and Jean wiped her eyes.

"I just feel like I am deserting my entire life," she whispered and her mother laughed and suddenly Jean felt as if everything would be fine.

"You always wanted to go to school at Rome, Rome is your dream and Venice is your home. Both will be your life from now on" her mum hugged her and Jean hugged her mum back tightly.

"Thanks Mamma, I nearly reconsidered going," she laughed and her mum smiled back with warm eyes on her.

"Just promise me that you will never have a thing to do with NERV or with Interscope" her mum said sternly and Jean nodded, she knew how much her mother was afraid of NERV and of Interscope as they murdered thousands of people by their reckless battles with Evangelions.

"Mum you know I will never work for NERV or for Interscope" Jean answered back. Suddenly the door knocked and she looked puzzled. "It isn't 4 o'clock yet"

"I'll get it" her mother walked to the door and Jean pushed in front of her.

"No, it will probably be Luca anyway" Jean said opening the door. Standing there were two men dressed in beige suits and dark glasses. "Can I help you?" she asked in English.

"Jean Marchetta?" one of them asked and she nodded.

"Yeah?" she replied and one of them grabbed her arm. "Let go of me!" she shouted as one entered her house and grabbed her suitcase.

"What are you doing?" her mother asked with a shaking English accent.

"Your daughter is to come with us to Nerv, the rest of the details are classified" one answered. All that Jean's mother picked up were the words Nerv and Jean and she became hysterical.

"NO!" she screamed and Jean kicked around as they held her around her waist.

"LET ME GO!" she screamed as they carried her down the stairs. She started screaming at them in Italian and crying to her mother who was trying to push past they other man who was holding her back as the one that was holding Jean tried to force her into the awaiting car.

All that Jean heard was screaming as she was thrown into the car with the door shut behind her. She tried to open it but the child lock was on so she banged her fists on the window.

The men got into the car and shut the doors as her mother pushed her hand up against the window. Jean continued to bash it unsuccessfully as they drove away. For a few meters her mother chased after the car crying with Luca running up beside her and holding her as she cried.

* * * * *

Meanwhile in the Soviet Union in the Heart of Russia, Kaiyura Zietsev was sitting in a simulation tank similar to that of an Evangelion's. Her short gold hair was spiked out in many directions and her bright blue eyes were flashing as the simulator lit up around her. Her eyes narrowed as she readied herself to accept the synchronization.

"All systems are breaching, we're at the borderline." one of the personnel said as the simulation Eva accepted and Kaiyura was now piloting against a computer interpretation of an Angel.

"Yes" Kaiyura whispered to herself grabbing the handles in front of her equipping her double edge weapon. She swung it hard hitting the simulation of an Angel straight across its middle. She then swung the double edge around so that the laser stabbed right through the middle of the Angel.

She leant back in the seat with a sigh of relief escaping her lungs. She glanced over at the timer of how much power her 'Eva' still had and the reader said 3:43 minutes.

"Kaiyura that was brilliant, you defeated the simulation of Angel 13 in 1.57 minutes" one of the personnel said and she smiled half heatedly. It was too late now to be defeating the angles when all of them have been destroyed.

The doors opened into her small confined hatch letting the brightness of sunlight flood in stinging her eyes.

"The commander wants to see you as soon as possible" the soldier said sternly and Kaiyura pushed herself out of the hatch using only her arms. She got up and adjusted her white short sleeve blouse that was on top of a black sleeveless skive before putting on her knee length black blazer.

Her black dock martins clunked along as she crossed the metal bridge towards the commander's office. She watched as people's eyes looked up at her and when she returned their glances they looked away quickly as if ashamed to have her see them. She knocked twice before awaiting a response.

"Come in" a deep voice said slowly and she entered standing behind a chair facing the commander who looked tired and stressed.

"You wanted to see me commander Volkanov?" Kaiyura asked and he motioned for her to sit so she did so.

"Ms Zietsev." he began and she interrupted him.

"Kaiyura" she said almost confused, he hadn't referred to her as Ms Zietsev in a long time so she was quiet stunned.

"Kaiyura." he began once more. "You have been a pilot for simulated Eva's for 10 years now am I correct?" he asked and she nodded running her hands along the thick pin striped in her pants.

"Yes sir" she nodded raising an eyebrow. "Permission to speak freely?" she asked and he nodded taking his glasses off. "What the hell is going on? You haven't treated me like just another soldier for years" she snapped and he breathed deeply.

"You are being transferred," he said sharply.

"To where?" she asked standing up.

"Tokyo 3, Nerv base" he answered looking up at her.

"No, I can't go to Nerv. You PROMISED me!" she snapped back running her hands through her hair.

"They gave me an offer I simply just couldn't refuse." he replied quietly.

"So I can be sold?!" she slammed her fists on the table.

"Pull yourself together soldier!" he stood up with his hands shaking. "You have been given a transfer due to the requirement of someone with your skills at a particular base and you will follow out those orders!" he shouted and she threw the papers and stationary off the desk and they landed in a heap on the floor.

"The time of the Angles is over! I am only required for programming and battle techniques" she said and he picked up the phone whispering so that she couldn't hear.

"Angle may be over yes, by Interscope isn't and you will go to Tokyo 3" he snapped as two men walked into the room with beige uniforms and dark glasses.

"Lets go" the said sternly in English.

"Fine" Kaiyura said spitting on the floor near the commanders feet. "You will get yours," she hissed with a voice that could cut diamonds following the men as one walked in front of her and one walked behind her.

They led her to her room where she was allowed a few minutes to pack some clothes for her transfer. She opened up her closet and pulled down her school uniforms and some extra clothes. As she continued she didn't realize that she was just throwing things into her bag as quickly as possible before she stopped and looked at an old frame.

She dusted the glass and looked at a picture of her family. One single ear rolled down her cheek as she packed the photo in her suitcase.

Before she went outside to the men she took one last look around her room that was now empty just like her first day at the Russian base. She looked out the window where a snowstorm was blowing viciously outside and where Siberian huskies were tied up and being fed thick chunks of meet. Kaiyura wished that she could be just like a wolf, running free through the forests of USSR living her life as a free creature, but instead she was being sold, just like an item.

"Come on miss" one of them men snapped opening the door. Kaiyura grabbed her bag and walked out the door turning the light off and leaving the room as an empty tomb.