Alerted Snakes of Consequence

By: BMATSEA

Disclaimer: I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion, The Seikai Trilogy, any other anime, or book characters. They are the property of their copyright owners and are being used without permission. Also, I want to say 'thank you' to Pat Cadigan. I borrowed, without permission, the title of this from her book "Mindplayers".

Chapter 1

Shinji screamed for someone to help him as he slowly sank into the "shadow" of the 12th angel.

"Rei… Asuka…. Misato… ANYONE… Help me. I can't get free. It's got me."

Rei was torn. On one hand was the one person that actually talked to her, not just at her but to her, the one she had promised to protect with her life if need be. And that very person was slowly being sucked into the angel. On the other hand was her sense of duty to follow her orders, to retreat to a safe distance from the angel, from Major Katsuragi.

Shinji screams became more frantic as he sunk ever lower.

"I can't feel my legs… get me out of here… Rei… Asuka… Help Me… I don't want to die."

Rei quickly came to a decision. She tossed down her weapon that Unit-00 was holding and ran up to the edge of the shadow. Grabbing Unit-01's power lead and throwing it over Unit-00's shoulder she turned and started to try and pull Unit-01 out of its murky grave.

"Rei, what are you doing?" yelled Misato. "I told you to get out of there and retreat to a safe distance."

"I will not let him die, Major. I made a promise," Rei stated in her quiet voice.

"Rei, do as you are ordered," Gendo's cold as ice voice came over the radio. "I will not repeat myself. Understood?"

"I un-" the rest of what she was going to say was interrupted by Shinji voice's calling out to her.

"Rei, you're doing it! I'm pulling free! Wha-"

Rei felt a quick unexpected brief slacking of the lead, causing her and Eva Unit-00 to stumble in its step. In that half second required to keep herself from slipping, the Angel attacked once again, slipping its deadly shadow under her Unit's feet. Slowly, it began to deliver upon the blue behemoth the same fate it had to its purple counterpart.

"Ikari… Shinji…Forgive me…I could not protect you as I had promised…" Rei whispered as she watched Unit-01 slip out of sight into the angel. A few minute later Rei's Unit suffered the same treatment.

Rei and Shinji slowly opened their eyes.

"Unfamiliar ceiling…" Shinji said

"Yes, it is."

"Do you think they painted it for us?"

Both children were staring up at a pale blue ceiling that appeared to be metal.

"No, I do not believe so. The color does not appear to be fresh, Ikari."

Shinji started to sit up, but didn't manage to get very far before his body began its protests against the sudden movement. He did however get far enough up to be able to look around the room. If he didn't know any better he might have sworn that he and Rei were on the set of an old Star Trek episode. His ringing ears dully registered the steady rhythm of the beeping monitors above his and Rei's heads in the background.

"Uh, Rei, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore," Shinji stated as he stared about the room.

"We were never in Kansas, Ikari," Rei replied, slightly mystified by the unfamiliar reference as she to attempted to raise herself up enough to get a good look at her surroundings.

The boy blushed slightly in embarrassment. "Gomen, I was trying to make a joke."

Turning his head to look over at Rei, he failed to notice the new figures enter from behind him. Rei, on the other hand, had a perfect view of them over his shoulder. And to say the least she was quite surprised.

Shinji caught the slight widening of Rei's eyes and asked her. "W-What's wrong?"

"I believe you might want to turn around slowly, Ikari."

"Why?" he asked, appearing quite puzzled by her statement.

"Because I do not appear to be unique anymore. Turn around."

To be continued…..

Author Rant

Please review (be gentle, I'm a virgin at this). Also no pre-reader was harmed in the writing of this chapter. At least not that I know of.

Dean