I originally wrote this, or at least a variation of it back in 2007. It was based on a discussion thread on an Evangelion Message Board I was a part of in which we'd give ourselves daft challenges to write in an hour. This was sparked by a discussion of who would win in a battle between NERV and the Borg from Star Trek. So we had a bit of a debate and someone asked me to write it, I of course needed a way to bring the Borg into the world of Eva and what better way than using Q?

I was admittedly never completely happy with it and I've been wanting to rewrite it for quite some time. Obviously with it being done in an hour I didn't get a chance to expand on things as much as I'd have liked to. I didn't get the chance to do proper research on certain elements. So I've decided to rewrite it, add more to it as well as a little bit of fluff.

Gendo stared forward from behind his desk. A stack of reports lay to his right, he didn't need to read them. Fuyutsuki could deal with that little inconvenience. There were more pressing matters at hand, his meeting with the committee would be happening soon and they would be pressing him on the recent Angel attack.

An Angel that had managed to infiltrate the NERV complex, it was not like the others. It was miniscule, a collection of highly adaptable micro-organisms. It was the first Angel that could not be defeated by the Eva's instead having to rely on Ritsuko developing a program that would lead the Angel into believing killing itself was the best course of action for evolution.

The important thing was that they had defeated it, it had not been easy and it had been risky but defeating them was the priority and it was expected that as time went on the Angels might adopt different tactics than strolling into the city and waiting to be destroyed.

"So what will you tell the old men?"

"I will tell them exactly what they want to hear, and what we need to tell them. I will inform them that the rumours of the Angel invasion of our headquarters are just that, rumours. I will tell them that we are on track for the Human Instrumentality Project and that there is no cause for concern."

"You do not think they suspect our true motives, or that we have Adam?"

"It matters not what they suspect or what they question. They are unable to do anything against us, they need NERV and they know it. All they can do is level empty threats at us."

"I'm not so sure, I think it would be wise to exercise some caution. These are powerful men."

"True but we have power of our own, we have the Evangelion Units, we have Lilith, Adam and soon we will have the Lance. SEELE will not dare to interfere but at the same time we will not give them reason to want to interfere, leave the old men to me. The power of God is within our reach Fuyutsuki, don't worry about it."

"As you wish."

Asuka threw herself down on the couch in the front room and lay back sighing in the darkness. She hated the darkness like this, the image outside of the window of no lighting, the lack of light even from the smallest source. Another test for the city of Tokyo-3 to undergo, it wouldn't be so bad if there were people here but of course Shinji had got himself hurt during the cross-compatibility test and Misato was of course looking after him.

She forced the thought from her mind and mentally kicked herself for being so stupid, she didn't need them here. She was staying here because it was convenient for her, if she could she would be living on her own. She especially didn't need to see Shinji, the useless idiot only ever got in her way.

Yet deep inside her she was a little bit concerned for him. She might have thought he was spineless, wimpy and not worth her time but she didn't want to see him get hurt.

'Idiot, why does he always have to do stuff like this?'

She again forced that thought from her mind, she didn't need to burden herself with being concerned for him. What she was concerned about was that she would once again have to go without lunch the next day because he wouldn't be there to make it for her. That she would once again have to face the dumb questions from his friends of 'Where's Shinji?'

'Everyone is always so concerned for poor Shinji. Every day it is Shinji, Shinji, Shinji, everyone just coddles him. If he needs that much support why is he even an Eva pilot? I can easily handle that on my own, I don't need the likes of him holding me back!'

Then of course there was Rei, the other pilot. Wondergirl, the commanders favourite. It was her Eva that Shinji had had the accident in. Asuka remembers the scene vividly, watching as the Unit suddenly went out of control. Forcing itself out of its restraints and aiming a fierce punch directly towards the observation deck, directly at…

'The First Child… Rei Ayanami… just who the hell is the First Child anyway?'

Gendo returned to his office after the meeting just in time to receive confirmation that Rei had retrieved the Lance of Longinus and placed it through the chest of the Angel buried in Terminal Dogma. Everything was going to plan.

"Rei has retrieved the lance, it is where we ordered it to be. How was your meeting with the committee?"

"As expected they asked for clarification on the rumours of an Angel invading NERV Headquarters. I was able to convince them that it was just that, a rumour. They have however requested more frequent meetings."

"Between the events of the last few days, their lance going missing, they must be getting quite anxious. Ikari are you sure of what we're doing, that it is achievable?"

Gendo smirked behind his glasses, "As I've said before SEELE are a minor inconvenience. We hold all the cards, as long as we stay the course there is little that can stop us. Soon we will have the dummy plug system online which wil-"

Gendo stopped himself from speaking as he looked up at his second in command. There were few things that could leave the man speechless but the image of Fuyusuki in a sombrero was certainly one of them.

'Was he wearing that when I came in?'

"Fuyutsuki take that ridiculous hat off!"

Fuyutsuki eyed him curiously wondering what he was talking about. Looking up he saw it, the rounded edges. That was strange, he didn't remember putting a hat on and certainly not a sombrero.

"Sorry sir. I… don't remember... putting it on…"

His voice trailed off as something caught his eye in the corner of the room. He was a plant, a cactus to be exact and he didn't remember it being there previously.

"When did you get a new plant?"

"I didn't get…"

Gendo now saw it, the five foot cactus in the corner of the room. Was that there when he had come in? Was someone playing a joke on him?

"Fuyutsuki what is going on here? Get Section 2 in here immediately."

"Yes sir."

Fuyutsuki made his way over to the door and tried to pull it open only to find it locked.

"Ikari the door is locked."

"Then unlock it, we have little time for these distractions."

"I can't, it won't unlock!"

Gendo sighed and tapped the button on his intercom, all he received back was static. Something very strange was going on indeed, it seemed they were completely cut off.

"I'm afraid Commander that that won't help. You aren't in NERV anymore."

Both Gendo and Fuyutsuki turned to see this new voice belonged to a man unknown to them. He appeared to be in his mid-thirties, had short brown hair and brown eyes. He was wearing the standard NERV Uniform but neither of them had ever seen him before. Nor did they know how he had gotten in here and both could swear that he wasn't there when they had arrived.

Gendo was the first to speak up, "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

"My apologies for the sudden intrusion, where are my manners. I am here with an offer of assistance. As for who I am, I am known throughout time and space under many names… some of them not very pleasant I'll admit but in the interest of keeping things simple you can call me… Q"

"I'm home!"

His voice echoed through the empty corridor and received no reply. In the shoe rack he could see Asuka's shoes kicked to one side, she was never one for replying to the greeting. She was probably still mad that she had been sent home. Shinji of course felt bad about it, it wasn't his fault but he had heard about it shortly after he had woken up in that hospital bed.

He quietly made his way into the front room, it was dark. Half eight at night and the sun had already set, he turned the light on. Asuka had been in here but the room had been undisturbed making his way into the kitchen he saw no signs of disturbance here either.

'No takeaway boxes, no dishes… she come back but hasn't eaten yet. Is she okay?'

He shot a glance to her closed door and contemplated knocking on it for a moment to see if she was alright. She would probably just yell at him if he did that for no reason, instead he listened carefully. There were a few sounds of shuffling about from within and he was sure he could hear music playing. She was in, was she in that much of a bad mood she had just locked herself in her room without getting any food first?

'I guess… I'll cook us both something.'

He checked the fridge for anything he could make quickly and settled on a simple omelette. It was getting late and he was too tired to prepare anything big or that'd take too long. Within a few minutes he had grated some cheese, chopped up the ham he had gotten from the fridge and cracked a few eggs into a frying pan. He added a few extras to give it a little bit of flavour and waited for it to be complete.

The kitchen was one of the few places he felt comfortable. He had always known how to cook but it was only when he had started to live with Misato that he had started to really embrace it. At first it was out of necessity, it was cook for himself or face Misato's food which he struggled to call food. So time had passed and he realized he actually enjoyed the act of cooking, it gave him a purpose outside of piloting the Eva. He loved hearing Asuka and Misato compliment his food, especially Asuka. He always knew outside of everyone she would be the one to be honest with him, so her compliments meant the most. Since coming into his life he had found himself drawn to the fiery German redhead.

It was strange. The others Touji and Kensuke would often complain about her. About how obnoxious and bossy she could be yet Shinji found himself attracted to her. Maybe it was because out of all of them she wasn't afraid to be honest with him, maybe it was because he felt they were similar in many ways or maybe it was because he found her so beautiful he could barely describe it.

With a smile on his face he slid the omelette onto the plate and prepared to deliver it to her.

"Q?"

"Yes, it's a simple enough name. Please don't tell me I have to repeat it."

Gendo finally rose from his desk and walked over to the door himself. He gave it a sharp pull only for it to not open. It was just as Fyutsuki had said moments before. The door had somehow locked, yet Gendo had not been the one to lock it. He took the key out of his pocket and inserted it into the hole, turning he heard the click and tried to open the door. Once again he was met with resistance. He could feel himself starting to get angry.

"What is this? Some sort of trick?"

"I assure you it is no trick, but let me assure you even if that door were to open you won't find anything out there."

"Open it!"

"As you wish, my dear Commander."

The man known as Q snapped his fingers and the door finally opened. Gendo went to take a step outside of his office but stopped when he suddenly realized he was about to step into nothing. Literally nothing, complete darkness as far as the eye could see. He quickly stepped back and closed the door, locking it and turned to the man who simply held up his hands.

"As I said, you won't find anything out there."

Gendo narrowed his eyes behind his glasses and fixed his gaze upon the man calling himself Q. He was beginning to get a sense that there was something very wrong here. There was much more to this man then he first suspected. This was no ordinary intruder.

"Who are you? Beyond your name I mean."

Q smiled, "I am a mere passing stranger with an interest in your species. You see I was just passing through Wolf 359 and I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. The power of God. So I thought I couldn't pass up this opportunity, to witness humans attempting to reach Godhood, the next stage in their evolution. I thought here… here is a variation of humanity who could really benefit from the guidance of a Q."

"Guidance?"

"Well yes, of course. What better person to get guidance from then a representative of a civilization who have already ascended past that threshold."

Gendo smiled, "We do not require your guidance."

Q's rounded Gendo's desk. "No you're right, I already looked into it. Using tools of the 'First Ancestral Race' as you called them, boring, kids' stuff really. Adam, Lillith, death and rebirth. You know I knew the First Ancestral Race before they all decided to disappear, strange story really I can-

"You can leave, you can return us from wherever this place is. I am a busy man and we do not have time for distractions.

Q lowered his head down to meet Gendo's stare. The smile on his face had gone, only to be replaced by a menacing glare. "No of course not, nothing must deviate from your scenario must it Ikari? Tell me before I go, do you believe those words that are spoken in those meetings of yours? That humanity has reached its peak? From where I'm sitting you're still primitive."

Gendo did not reply, Q continued.

"There is more out there Ikari, would you deny your race an opportunity to grow? To reach what? Some misguided idea of Godhood? No, there is so much more out there and you're only at the start of it."

"What do you want?"

"I want nothing, I have an 'interest' in humanity you could say and I owe it to a friend of mine to ensure at least one branch of your primitive species doesn't prematurely end themselves."

"We do not require your help."

"No you don't but tell me are you not curious about what is out there? The origin of those beings you call Adam and Lillith? The Galaxy itself? Are you not curious at all? Are you willing to throw it all away?"

"We are throwing nothing away, humanity will ascend to the realm of God in the form of the Eva."

"And what about the things out there that take exception to your ascension? How do you know they won't just destroy your previous 'Eva'?"

"Eva is the power of God, it will not be destroyed so simply. Even now there is nothing that can stop us."

"Really? Well Gendo, it seems you and the rest of NERV do not require my guidance but let me explain one thing. You will receive it regardless. I owe a friend a favour and I hate being in someone's debt. Goodbye Ikari."

With a snap of his fingers the man known as Q vanished from the room leaving Gendo and Fuyutsuki looking at each other in astonishment.

"Fuyutsuki, get Captain Katsuragi and Dr Akagi here immediately. Find out what that thing was and prepare to lock down Tokyo-3."

Holding the plate in one of his hands he gently tapped against Asuka's door.

"Um… Asuka, I… I don't know if you've eaten yet but I made you something to eat. I… If you want it that is."

There was a click as whatever music she had on was turned off, a brief shuffling and eventually her door slid open. Shinji nervously took one step back and held the plate up for her.

"Well look who is back, I thought you would have been enjoying the company of Wondergirl and Misato at the hospital after your 'incident.'"

"I... "

Shinji paused for a moment wondering if he should tell Asuka the truth about why he wasn't still in the hospital right now.

"I... kinda snuck out and discharged myself. I didn't want to be there... so I came home."

Asuka stared at him both shocked and surprised and if she admitted it even a little bit of concern.

'Idiot discharged himself, what an irresponsible little br...'

Her eyes wandered down to the plate Shinji was holding out for her. Her stomach growled in response to seeing the omelette. She took it from him and stepped out of the room.

'He even cooked for me... suppose the least I could do is take it and eat with him.'

"Well I have to admit I'm impressed. The Third is finally growing something of a backbone but aren't you worried about what Misato will say."

"A little bit I guess but... I couldn't stay in there."

Asuka gazed at the boy for a moment, he was pale. There was an urge within her to force him to go back but she wasn't going to interfere with his choice. She probably would have done the same. She did however decide it'd be a good idea to get him off of his feet. She gestured towards the table.

"Well are we going to eat then?"

He nodded with a smile, "Yeah."

The two of them ate mostly in silence. It wasn't an awkward or an uncomfortable silence like he might have had with Rei or Misato or even his own friends it felt comfortable. He was however trying his hardest to not keep looking at Asuka for any sort of response as she ate. Trying to figure out if she liked it or not.

"Is there a reason you keep on looking at me Shinji? I'd rather you not have one of your little perverted fantasies while I'm eating."

"No I-I-I was just... wondering if you liked it, that's all..."

'Hmph... Idiot, he could have just asked.'

Finishing the final bit of it, "Yes, it was very good. It seems that you might have some uses after all. Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to..."

She stopped herself as she noticed Shinji's plate was only half finished. She hadn't eaten that quickly so he shouldn't be that far behind her. They hadn't spoke during the meal and aside from glancing up at her every so often there was nothing that should really have distracted him. She noticed again the paleness of his face. For a moment she forgot about making any snappy comments or her own concerns.

'Is that idiot alright? Should he even be here right now?'

"Hey Third... are you alright? Just..."

She stopped herself from what she was about to say. She couldn't let him know she was concerned.

"Just... I don't want you being ill and dragging me down if an Angel attacks. I can't be expected to carry you all the time you know."

"I... I'm fine, just a little bit tired that's all."

Tired was probably an understatement. He had walked back from the hospital after his ordeal and he had barely slept the night before due to worry about the tests today. He felt like he was going to pass out at any moment and his head was hurting.

"How did you get back from the hospital?"

"Oh... I err.. Walked."

"You walked from the Geofront to here? Are you stupid? Are you that irresponsible? What if an Angel attacks tomorrow you're not going to be able to fight... Not that I need your help of course but aren't you concerned about Misato or…"

"I don't care... I didn't want to be there, I hate it there and I wanted to be here..."

'...with you...'

Asuka nodded glaring at him. She had half a mind to applaud him for his decision and another to berate him for being so stupid. She wondered what she should do. The more she looked at him the more ill he seemed to look to her. Maybe she should take him back.

Yet there was a part of her deep down for which the words 'I hate it there' resonated. There was a flash of a memory. She understood that statement so much, she couldn't send him back. No she would deal with the consequences tomorrow if there were any.

"Well I'm going to do you a favour and take note because I don't do things like this often. When you're finished you are going to leave the plates and I am going to stoop down to your level and wash them. Then you're going to bed, we can't have the invincible Shinji being ill and dragging the rest of us down."

"Yes... thank you."

With that Asuka returned to her room closing the sliding door behind her. She left it open just a little bit so she could keep an eye on him. Just in case he needed her.

Shinji finished the rest of what was on his plate and stood up. He looked towards the sink and lifted his plate only to remember what Asuka had told him. He looked towards her room, the door was open a slight amount. For a moment he thought he could see her figure peering through at him but when he blinked it was gone. She had been right, he really didn't feel well at all. Maybe he had been stupid to discharge himself from the hospital but he couldn't face a night there on his own. With a yawn he walked to his small room and pulled the door aside.

He closed the door behind him and turned his eyes widening at the sight of the man sitting on his bed.

"Well… Shinji Ikari I presume."

Shinji took a step back resisting the urge to scream out.

"I admit I could have chosen a better time to greet you, my name is Q."

"Q?"

"Like father, like son… why is it so difficult to grasp, it's one letter. Even that idiot Worf understood it quicker than this."

Shinji felt his heart beat faster in his chest, who exactly was this man and how did he get in here?

"My… father?"

"Yes, not calm down I'm not here to hurt you… in fact quite the opposite. I'm here to help you or should I say I'm here to ask for your help with something."

Shinji wanted to scream out for help, the rip the door open and run away but the tiredness and the aching in his body had set in. All he could do was stand there and hope this was some strange hallucination.

The man calling himself Q snapped his fingers. In an instant Shinji found himself sitting on his bed, Q was sitting in the other corner of the room on a large leather armchair. Q found himself studying the boy, in fact he had been studying him all day before his meeting with the older Ikari. He had found him to be a most interesting individual. By human standards he came across as fairly unremarkable, he didn't excel in any sporting or academic situation. He seemed quite nervous and shy around people but there was potential there for great things. He had studied the past, present and future of Shinji and he knew what was in store.

Q had always found humans to be remarkable little creatures. He had out of all of the species he had encountered been fascinated by them the most. There was an untapped potential within them for great things, maybe even one day to reach the realm of the Continuum. Such things were not for him to know, what he did know however was that sometimes they needed a gentle nudge in the right direction. He had done it before, and he was ready to do it again. In this case there was something else at stake, he had seen what lay ahead for the humans of this timeline and he didn't like it. They were meddling with forces that should be left alone.

He looked over at Shinji and realized the kid was probably terrified at this moment in time. Q had of course expected this to happen. The humans of this world were not like the others he was used to. These had not tasted the fruits of what was out there, they could barely comprehend the idea of an omnipotent being. There was also the age of this particular human. When interacting with humans and species Q had a few self-imposed rules. One was to not interact with children and animals the other was a much more serious one.

He gave a mischievous smile as he realized that he was about to break both of his self-imposed rules.

Shinji had not blinked or moved a muscle since being swapped to the bed. He was hoping this was some bizarre hallucination that he was just lying in bed having some sort of fever dream and eventually he'd wake up all sweaty. Yet something in his mind told him this was very real.

Q finally spoke again, "I appreciate that this seems very sudden for you but I come to you with a request. I need your help."

"You… need my help… but you just…"

"Oh the chair and bed thing? That's easy. I do it all the time, party tricks to be honest with you. You should have seen it when I swapped two systems planets. I'll tell you they didn't know what day it was on that planet's surface anymore… probably because…"

He stopped when he saw Shinjis eyes growing wider, "Probably best I save that one for another time. Point is, I need your help with something and you with your status are the perfect person to aid me…"

Shinji looked down. Even someone in his dreams only needed him because he was an Evangelion pilot, "I… I don't think I'd be the right person… Asuka is a better pilot than me… or even Re-"

"What the living doll or the red-head? No, it has to be you. You misunderstand me though I don't need your help because you're a pilot. I need your help because you're his son."

"His… son?"

Q nodded, "Yes, my grand plan involved your father being taught a valuable lesson about human capability and arrogance. I however need your assistance with it… in exchange I can offer you anything…"

Shinji looked up, "Anything…?"

"Anything, name it… I can even arrange a romantic date with the red-head you care about so much."

Shinji felt himself blush at Q's mentioning of that, "I… I… She probably wouldn't…"

"Want to? I wouldn't be so sure. I think a vacation for the two of you would be a good thing. I can take you to Risa in its peak… or I can take you back or forward to any time on Earth… just name it."

Shinji thought about it for a moment. It did sound nice, but Asuka hated him. She'd never agree to something like that and besides this was a dream, it was a hallucination brought on by exhaustion and the cross-unit test earlier today. It wasn't real. With that in mind he nodded at the man.

"What do I have to do?"

When Shinji awoke he felt himself feeling very refreshed. The headache was no longer present, the aching in his body wasn't there and there was a strange feeling of calmness. After the bizarre dream involving the man named Q he was surprised. He had expected to wake up covered in sweat and nauseous but instead he felt happy. That was until he made his way into the front room to be met with the glare of Misato.

"You discharged yourself from the hospital."

It wasn't a question, it was a statement and all Shinji could do was lower his eyes in embarrassment.

"Yeah…"

"Do you mind telling me why?"

"I…

"You were in an accident Shinji, you could have been seriously hurt. We had you there for a reason, what the hell did you think you were doing? I was worried sick when I found out you weren't there anymore, the nurses said you just got up and left."

"I…"

Shinji tried to scramble for a reason to give her but all he could do was muster a weak apology, "I'm… sorry…"

"You can't do this Shinji, I kno-"

"It was my fault."

Shinji looked up in shock at the source of the voice and saw Asuka stood in the doorway to her room. Misato shot the German a glance, "Your fault?"

Asuka nodded with her eyes full of defiance. "I phoned him and asked him to come back. I was… having difficulty working the oven here. He could have told me over the phone but I told him it'd be better to do it in person. I was hungry and I didn't want to order anything and…"

"Enough, so you knowing what had happened to him asked him to come all this way back?"

"Yes."

"Shinji is this true?"

Shinji gazed between the two of them. The warmth and happiness he had felt earlier had all but gone. Asuka had lied for him and her facial expression was telling him that if he went against that he'd be in for a lot of pain. On the other hand he hated lying to Misato.

"It's true."

"Very well, Shinji seeing as you're dressed and look well rested can you take the trash downstairs. I want to have a word with Asuka."

Without any further words Shinji grabbed the trashbag and exited the apartment leaving Misato to glare at Asuka.

"You're covering for him."

Asuka gave a laugh, "Why would I cover for him of all people?"

"Because the great Asuka Langley Sohryu wouldn't ask for help from Shinji Ikari to cook an omelette of all things. I'm not stupid. Why are you covering for him?"

"I'm not, that's what happened."

"Asuka, don't make me regret inviting you to live here. I need to know the truth, something serious could have happened to Shinji yesterday and even you can see that. So why are you lying for him."

Asuka gazed towards the door and back to Misato. Her expression dropped, "I guess I felt sorry for the idiot. I had a moment of weakness…"

Misato nodded, "Go on…"

"I heard him come back yesterday… and he made us dinner. I saw how ill he looked Misato so I asked him why he had come back and how."

"What did he say?"

"That he discharged himself. I called him an idiot, I was even tempted to call you take him back but then he…"

Asuka paused for a moment, "He said he hated it there, in the hospital."

"And you were unable to send him back?"

"I told him to go to bed after he was done eating and I said I'd clean up."

Misato's expression softened considerably at hearing Asuka's words. It was so easy to forget just what this girl had gone through in her short life and why Shinji's words about hating hospitals might resonate with her. Misato still wanted to be the stern guardian but that could wait until later.

"Asuka you… I understand but he could have been hurt or more. Next time something like this happens contact me alright. We'll arrange something else, I don't want to see Shinji in the hospital either and I know your feelings about that place."

Asuka lowered her eyes saying nothing, "I… he's an idiot."

"Yes… he is but we'll deal with this later. I have to go to work."

The day had gone downhill from there for Misato Katsuragi. She stormed into the command centre of NERV immediately barking orders to the technicians.

"Status report, tell me what we know."

"MAGI picked it up a few minutes ago approaching Earth's orbit. Our satellites are transmitting the data now."

"Good put it on screen as soon as we have it."

A few moments later the tactical display changed. Misato fixed her gaze on the object that lay before them. It was a cube, silver to grey in colour but with what looked like an intricate design of pipes or some sort on each surface. It wasn't moving, only slowly rotating on its point in space. To her right Misato could hear Maya relaying information about the object.

"It's huge, MAGI are estimating an internal volume of twenty seven cubic kilometres. That's three kilometres a side. I've never seen anything like this."

"Is it an Angel?"

"MAGI are still debating, what should we do?"

Misato waited a moment for any instruction from behind her. She was aware of the gaze of Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki and Commander Ikari. She looked towards Ritsuko who didn't seem to have anything to say either.

"Have the pilots report to the cages and prepare to launch the Eva's. Don't launch until we know a little bit more, we don't want a repeat of the fifth Angel."

"Aye Captain."

Misato stared up at the object again. It had stopped rotating and instead was just still. Every so often she'd observe a green glow run across one of its sides. She wondered what exactly it could be. As of now she was certain it was an Angel. It bore a lot of the trademarks of one. Appearing suddenly, no communication and an obtuse design. If it was it wouldn't be the first Angel to appear in orbit but it did make finding solutions to fight it difficult.

'Something is wrong here...'

"So what are you going to do Katsuragi?"

She turned to where her friend and colleague was standing and simply shrugged, "I'm still thinking, if it stays in orbit we're a little bit limited. We could always shoot it using the Eva's sniper rifles but something of that size..."

"I'd recommend withholding any attacks until we learn a bit more."

"Agreed."

"Uhh… Misato what's happening?"

"Don't worry Shinji, you three are just going to have to sit tight for a few moments longer while we try to learn a bit more about this thing."

"Sit tight! What do you mean? Let us at them, it's only a big cube! Attack is the best type of defence right?"

"Asuka, remember what happened the last time you took that approach? We don't want to have to spend a week giving you and Shinji dance lessons again."

"Oh right, blame me for that will you! Maybe if he wasn't so clumsy we wouldn't have-"

She was quickly cut off by Shinji interjecting.

"Me! You rushed in that time and besides if you hadn't of..."

"Silence! You three are here to pilot the Eva's and beat the Angels, not to argue over who did what right and make more of a mockery of this organization than you already have done in the past. Follow Captain Katsuragis orders and stay quiet."

They both replied in unison, "Yes sir."

Misato gave an embarrassed smile to Fuyutsuki, it was rare to see the old man interject like that but when he did he could be formidable. It was the man next to him that concerned her though, Commander Ikari rarely interjected.

"Captain the MAGI have some information for us."

"Go on Maya."

"MAGI are 87.324% sure that this object is not an Angel. Sensor scans indicate the lack of any sort of core commonly associated with the Angels we've seen previously. Due to the sheer size of the object we're unable to confirm that hence the 12.676% level of uncertainty coming from MAGI-Melchior. A brief sensor sweep indicates the object is made out of a theoretical alloy known as Tritanium."

"Tritanium? I've never heard of it."

Ritsuko stepped in, "Hence the term theoretical. It's primarily the domain of Science Fiction writers but of course as with most Science Fiction there is some basis in truth."

"So what is it?"

"An alloy that is tougher than diamond."

"Is that possible?"

"Of course the fifth Angel itself was an example of this, we'd be fools to believe that everything in the Universe is confined to our planet. Of course humanity at present lacks the resources to search for or confirm the existence of such a material. After the Second Impact space programs took something of a hit as money was invested in not only getting the world back on its feet but also our little project here."

"So how tough are we talking?"

"Impossible to say really without analysing it and seeing as that thing is up there and we're down here. To date the toughest material we have dealt with would be the fifth Angel but without examining this Tritanium Alloy we can't say anything else."

"I see… what else can the MAGI tell us Maya?"

"Nothing of consequence unfortunately. I'm getting some readings on the interior but they're minimal. Humidity of 92% and a temperature of 39.1 degrees Celsius."

"Quite warm then."

"It would seem so Captain."

Rei sat alone in the silence of her Evangelion's entry plug. She had been listening to the chatter from the Command Centre. Each word that was said made her heart beat a little bit faster in anticipation of the inevitable launch of the Evangelion Unit. She gazed at the small glasses case that she had brought into the Unit. She could feel the soul within the Eva threatening to take over again, it was always like that. One slip from her and it would take over but she knew she wouldn't slip. The Commander had promised he would look out for her and that he would protect her and that was all she needed.

She had the others too. The pilot of Unit 02, Asuka Langley Sohryu. A capable pilot, out of the three of them the most naturally gifted. Yet there was something lurking behind her confidence and arrogance. A pain which Rei could sense, the same pain that inhabited all of the people within NERV.

Then there was the younger Ikari. She felt a bond with the younger Ikari that was hard to explain. Like she had known him all her life, like they were connected in some way beyond just being pilots.

She breathed in and gently exhaled some of the LCL within the Entry Plug. This object that had appeared, they said it wasn't an Angel. She did not sense the same thing from it that she did the other Angels, yet there was something. It was faint but there was a voice.

'No… there are many voices… acting as one.'

"Umm Captain, something is happening to the Cube."

"Put it on the screen Hyuga."

Misato watched as the display shown the Cube again. On one of the sides she saw it, a small circular hatch opening. She continued to watch as a spherical object made its way out of the hatch and immediately started descending towards Earth. A second later there was a green beam from the Cube and the video feed was stopped instantly.

Almost immediately the sirens in the command centre sounded and the familiar hexagonal emergency logos spring into action.

"MAGI are reporting the satellite has been completely destroyed. The spherical object is on a direct course to Tokyo-3."

"Get it back on screen, I want to track its every movement. Launch the Eva's."

"It's about time, I was starting to get bored down here."

Shinji felt himself sink back in his seat as his Eva shot up through the access tunnels towards the surface of Tokyo-3. It was a feeling he would never get used to, and not one he needed so shortly after having breakfast. Eventually the Eva came to a forceful stop on the surface, he immediately attached the umbilical power cable, grabbed one of the nearby assault rifles and crouched next to one of the buildings.

In the distance he could see the Red Unit 02 also finish launching. It too attached its power cable and grabbed a weapon. Asuka favouring a longer range scout-like rifle for this operation. Looking around Rei's Unit finally popped into place, like him she grabbed an assault rifle. With the three of them in cover they watched eagerly as the Sphere finished its descent and settled above Tokyo-3s highest building.

Shinji took a few deep breathes as he watched it gently rotate. It was mostly dark-grey with green smoke emanating from sections of its body. It made no noise and didn't seem in any rush to attack. He waited for further orders from Misato.

"Okay kids, this thing in orbit has already destroyed one of our satellites. I'd say that's provocation enough. You're free to engage but be cautious, we don't know what this thing is capable of yet."

Shinji nodded, stepped out of cover and aimed his rifle at the sphere. He watched as the Evangelions aiming systems came to life. The Sphere was dead centre, the two aiming reticules quickly converging letting him know he could fire. He sent a volley forward towards the sphere and watched as his bullets scored a direct hit on the armour. Small explosions could be seen as each bullet collided.

"Direct hit… well done Shinji."

The pride he felt at being congratulated was short lived. The smoke from the rain of fire cleared to reveal the Sphere still floating motionless with no visible signs of damage. Almost immediately he stepped back out of cover and fired another volley. Across the other side of the city he saw Rei doing exactly the same.

Bullets impacted upon the spheres surface creating more smoke and more explosions. He unloaded two rounds into the object before dropping back into cover and watching.

'That has to be it… me and Rei unloaded at least five rounds into it.'

Peeking over the cover his eyes widened. The Sphere was still there, it shown minimal if any sign of damage at all. He stood to unload another clip into it only this time he wouldn't be given the opportunity. He fired a few shots off from the rifle only to see them bounce off of a shield in front of the Sphere.

Misato watched in shock as the bullets from both Rei and Shinji were no longer hitting the target but bouncing off.

"An A.T. Field?"

Maya shook her head, "The Magi are saying no, they don't know what it is."

"Asuka, what is your status?"

"I'm lining up a shot now, damn rifle took longer to come online than I had hoped. I see Shinji and Rei couldn't get the job done, should have just left it to the professional."

Misato had no time for the girls boasting, "Just get in position and help them out. I want this thing go-"

Misato was cut off in mid-sentence. A green beam had shot out of the Sphere and was now completely enveloping Unit 01.

Shinji had tried to dodge out of the way of it but it had appeared too quickly. Now it had him caught and he couldn't move.

'Come on… move! Move! MOVE DAMNIT!'

He jerked the controls back and forth willing his Eva to move. Backwards, forwards, sideways in any direction but no matter how hard he tried it just couldn't move. Over the comm he could hear Misato barking orders to her staff and to Asuka.

"Asuka get him free, what the hell is that thing?"

Asuka nodded and grinned, "Save the invincible Shinji eh? No problem."

With ease she spun the Eva round and backed it out of the city giving her a direct shot at the source of the beam. She crouched next to one of the buildings resting her scout rifle on it and lining up her shot perfectly.

'Eins… Zwei… Drei…'

A shot was released from the rifles chamber. Almost immediately she began the reloading procedure and readied another shot. She had practiced these sort of long range shots plenty of times after reading about Shinji's fight with the fifth Angel. Within seconds another of the high-power shots had been sent towards the Sphere colliding perfectly with the source of the beam and shutting it off instantly.

"You owe me for that Shinji, now… I'll show you how to finish a job."

She sent a third shot towards the Sphere and watched as it collided once more causing a larger explosion than the first. In the distance she could see Rei continuing to send volley after volley of shots from the rifle at the Sphere. Each shot still bouncing off of the shield but hopefully creating enough of a distraction for Asuka to line up her fourth shot.

'And this is for the kill…'

She grinned as she lined up the shot and squeezed the trigger. Everything from that moment seemed to happen in slow motion. The bullet was sent forward, over the buildings, through the skyscrapers and towards the damaged portion of the sphere.

'This…'

Thirty metres.

'Is…'

Twenty metres.

'So…'

At ten metres the bullet was halted by the same shield. She immediately felt the grin drop from her face and her heart rate increase.

'Impossible.'

She immediately lined up a fifth shot only to receive exactly the same results. A sixth shot followed, then a seventh and an eighth. Each one only ricocheting off of the shield that had appeared around the Sphere.

'It's cheating! How unfair…'

"Asuka, I'm giving the order to pull back. Get to the launch pad."

"Like hell am I going to retreat! Shinji, Wondergirl… cover me!"

"Asuka what are you-"

Asuka released the progressive knife from her Eva's shoulder compartment and immediately reached for it. She stood up over looking for the Sphere and quickly scanned the maze of buildings. Almost immediately after standing another green beam was sent out from the Sphere, she had anticipated it and deftly dodged out of the way.

As quickly as she could she began to sprint towards the Sphere, closing the gap between her and it. She weaved in and out of the buildings with ease ensuring any further attempts from the Sphere to ensnare her. When she reached a suitable gap she leapt up into the air using one of the small buildings to springboard her. She tucked in the Eva's legs and arms until she was just over the Sphere and immediately spread out her own Eva's A.T. Field and arms. She gritted her teeth in concentration as she unfolded the Eva and brought the knife down on the Sphere slicing through it like it was paper.

Small explosions from the object rocked the Eva and created a cloud of dust all around her. Slowly she raised her Eva to full height and grinned.

"I told you it'd be easy. I guess we'll call that a win for Asuka."

Misatos face suddenly popped up on the internal video feed. She angrily yelled towards the three of them.

"All three of you retreat now! Asuka… we'll discuss this later but for now, well done."

"Discuss it later? I beat it didn't I, now for the bigger one up th-"

There was a loud burst of static as the video feed from Misato suddenly dropped out. Asuka looked around at the other two Eva's. Shinji and Rei had already retreated to their respective launch pads. Asuka did the same and waited to be pulled back in towards NERV headquarters.

"Asuka!"

"Ah the Third Child, you see Shinji. That is how you defeat something."

"I… Thank you for rescuing me."

"Just doing my job, like I said. You owe me for this though!"

"S-Sure…"

"Pilot's Sohryu and Ikari… I believe we have an issue."

"What is it Wondergirl? Are you feeling an emotion?"

"No… We seem to have lost all communication with NERV Headquarters… and the launch pads are no longer working."

"I fail to see the problem, it just means we…"

Asuka was once again cut off mid-sentence. This time it wasn't silence that followed. It was a voice, distorted and broadcast loudly into their Units.

"We are the Borg. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Lower all defences and surrender yourself. Resistance is Futile."