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Evangelion: Resonance

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Kouzou Fuyutsuki lowered his head ever so slightly. He hoped to catch a glimpse of Gendo Ikari's eyes. They were concealed behind a glare of light, which reflected off his orange tinted glasses. When he had moved just enough, he saw that Gendo's gaze was fixed upon the Shogi board on his desk. However, he seemed disinterested in the game. He appeared to look through the board rather than at it.

Fuyutsuki guessed what preoccupied Gendo's mind, and said, "The committee thinks we are like the tiles on this board. Scattering us about any way that pleases them. The Old Man isn't taking this lightly, either. He's already hinted at your dismissal."

Fuyutsuki shifted his eyes toward the Shogi board as his opponent moved the next tile into place. Gendo positioned his Gold tile on position 4d. He emitted a somewhat audible breath, and then folded his gloved hands in front of his face.

While he considered his next move, Fuyutsuki continued, "SEELE is afraid that any delay may cost them the chance for full control of the project." Then, almost as if to emphasize the point, he moved his Rook to take Gendo's Bishop at 7e.

"There are no delays. You know as well as I do, that the project is proceeding as scheduled," Gendo replied gruffly. He released his fingers from their interlocked position, and then moved his right hand toward the Shogi board. He continued, "In any case, the King is protected by three Generals. In this game, sacrifice is the key to obtaining victory." Gendo's cold words were punctuated by his removal of Fuyutsuki's Knight at 6c. Fuyutsuki scratched his head. One more move and the game would belong to his opponent.

"Knight may like to be sacrificed, but for every tile lost, the retribution can be ten-fold. The committee will soon deliver its Pawn…remember that even a Pawn can cause checkmate," Fuyutsuki said. He moved his Bishop into position 4d, and ousted Gendo's Gold.

"Soon, this annoying game will reach its climax. But for now, let the old men at SEELE think what they want. It doesn't matter what they send us as long as we hold the trump card," declared Gendo as he retrieved Fuyutsuki's 4e Pawn. The Shogi board looked suddenly bare, with a particular lack of defenses around Fuyutsuki's King. Upon this realization, the old professor's shoulders slumped and he slouched in his chair.

Checkmate.

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Episode 17' – Part One

A Dark Welcome

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Ritsuko Akagi took a sip of her lukewarm coffee and grimaced. She put the mug back down on the desk and debated whether she should finish it or dump the remaining contents. She sat at her computer, and from the monitor a number of open files stared blankly at her. She activated the most recent document and started to type.

She blocked out the dull rushing noise generated by the whir of the computer's fan. Routine announcements filtered through the PA system. Her mouth soon became dry and she considered taking another sip of coffee, but ultimately decided against it. She would get a drink of water later to wash away the bitter aftertaste. As her fingers clattered against the keyboard, she hardly noticed the sound of approaching footsteps.

Her mind faltered for a moment, and, distracted, she shifted her eyes to a manila folder that lay to the right of the keyboard. When her train of thought eventually returned, she looked back up at the monitor and noticed Misato Katsuragi's figure reflected in the glass. Ritsuko swiveled her chair around and let out an audible sigh. She instinctively knew that she was not particularly in the mood for whatever Misato wanted to discuss. While she waited for a reponse, Ritsuko picked up the coffee mug and downed the remainder of the vile liquid.

Misato looked at the floor, surprisingly uncomfortable. Knowing she would never be able to get back to work with Misato here, Ritsuko asked, "What's wrong?"

Misato kept her gaze firmly toward the floor and said, "Thing are becoming less like they used to be. I just don't understand this anymore. Shinji, Asuka…even Rei. They're all different now. Ever since the last Angel, things have been…different…"

"You're right, Misato. Having spent such an extensive amount of time in the Sea of Dirac won't be beneficial for Shinji. In fact, the experience is likely to have a negative effect on his synch ratio. I'm concerned that this will interfere with his effectiveness," Ritsuko said.

Misato looked up at Ritsuko now. Her face was contorted into something resembling half-anger and half-confusion. Ritsuko was slightly unnerved when Misato said, with a raised voice, "It's not Shinji's effectiveness as a pilot that I'm worried about!"

"Please keep in mind that he's still in the early stages of his recovery. It's only been a few days since we retrieved him. With a little luck he should make a full recovery."

"I hope your right…for his sake."

"However, you must understand that due to the psychological stress he endured, he may be inefficient in the Eva. Right now there is nothing we can do, but…" Ritsuko trailed off, unsure of how much information she should let slip.

"But what?"

"Nothing, don't worry about it."

Ritsuko put the coffee mug back on the desk and turned her chair around to face the computer. Instead of entering even a single keystroke, she watched Misato's reflection on the monitor. She folded her arms across her chest, stepped forward, and said sternly, "Ritsuko, what's going on? If you know something that could endanger my pilots, I demand that you tell me what it is!"

Ritsuko smirked at Misato's performance. She was just like a mother hen trying to protect her chicks. "As you know, only very specific people can synchronize with Eva's. And even then the synchronization process is not always successful," Ritsuko began. She reached to her right and picked up the manila folder. She held it back over her shoulder for Misato to take. Once it was snatched away from her, she finished, "Well, we are currently investigating ways to circumvent those problems. That dossier contains one very promising lead."

The volume of Misato's voice dropped as she opened the folder. "Who is this?" she asked.

"It's the personnel file for a new transfer. He'll be assisting me in the Research and Science Division effective immediately tomorrow. His recommendation to NERV is quite an interesting one."

Misato examined the dossier and responded quizzically, "Ichiro Sagiri. He has this kind of record? It's almost too good to be true. Wait…he's only 16? And he's married?"

Ritsuko smiled openly now and finally turned back to face Misato.

"He's 16 and he's married?" Misato continued on in a state of disbelief.

"That's right."

"But how? It says here that he got married six months ago. Legally, he's not old enough."

"Of course he is. Don't you remember the changes the government made to the age of consent and marriage laws? It was while we were in college. Oh wait, that might have been at the same time you and Kaji spent the whole week–"

"I get it!" Misato interjected, her face flushed red with embarrassment.

The electric hum of the Maglev system resounded through the train car where Ichiro Sagiri sat. His thoughts switched back and forth between anxiety and excitement from his recent assignment to NERV Headquarters. The opportunities ahead of him were both incredible and frightening. Although it was a cliché to think it, he truly hoped that he would be able to help mankind in his own small way. The task was daunting and he hoped he would not disappoint.

A black fabric laptop carrying case sat on the empty seat to his right. Ichiro unzipped it and removed the small computer. Although he had a number of weeks to review the personnel files of the people with which he would work, he had not yet reviewed them. As the computer powered up, he became lost in thought. He had been so caught up in his research the past few weeks, he had put this annoying task on the back-burner of his mind. In truth, he was disinterested in his co-workers. He typically did the majority of his project's work on his own. Ichiro would say that it was a desire for perfection in his work, but his wife would argue that it was due to obsession. Still, the only person he was interested in meeting was Dr. Akagi. As one of the world's leading experts on the Evangelions, he hoped to learn much from her.

When the operating system was fully booted, he opened the personnel files, and quickly and absentmindedly scrolled through them. The people in the dossiers seemed rather normal and boring. He stopped skimming the data when he reached the section that described the Eva pilots. A number of prying questions entered his mind as he perused this section: Why was there such little data on the First Child? Was the Second Child some sort of prodigy? Wasn't it a bit irresponsible of the NERV commander to let his own son pilot an Eva?

Ichiro supposed that none of it really mattered. He shrugged the questions away and flipped the laptop shut, already bored. The only thing that was really important was his work. Although unknown to him, his focus and drive to complete his work regardless of consequences, were the reasons why the commander of NERV agreed to bring him in to the organization.

"All rise! Bow! Sit down!" Hikari Horaki, the class representative commanded.

Countless chairs squeaked across the floor, as the bleary-eyed children of Class 2-A sleepily obeyed. It was the routine beginning to yet another day of school. The ancient teacher entered the room and immediately launched into a history lecture. As the children seated themselves, some paid attention, while others immediately dozed off.

Shinji Ikari folded his arms across the smooth surface of his desk. He turned his head to the left and looked at the rapidly darkening sky outside. Although the weather service had predicted a nice day, it appeared that a storm was approaching. Shinji sighed, and buried his head within the creases of his arms. When he had awoken this morning, all he could think of was his recent, terrifying experience in the Sea of Dirac. Now he hoped to get some sleep, and push it out of his mind.

Rei Ayanami sat a few seats away from Shinji. She barely listened to the old teacher as he rambled on about the years before the Second Impact. She looked off to the left as the wind outside howled. Trees swayed in the breeze. Then, after a moment, it subsided. She turned back to the teacher, and then, like Shinji, decided to drop her head into the folds of her arms.

Asuka Langley Soryu sat a few seats away from Rei. She had slid halfway down in her chair, and her legs were sprawled out in front of her. Although her eyes were open and pointed at the teacher, she did not really see him. She was lost in her own thoughts. Why was Misato so worried about Shinji lately? She should have been angry at him, instead. And what made Shinji think he was so great anyway? Just because he managed to activate his Eva even after it had run out of power? That kind of thing only fueled his ego. Asuka couldn't stand him. What was running through his mind right now anyway? She glanced to the left and saw Shinji asleep on his desk. "Baka Shinji," she thought.

The morning passed quickly and it was soon lunchtime. Shinji was awaked by a hand squeezing the back of his head and a voice that boomed, "Wake up, sleepyhead!"

Startled, his head snapped up. Toji Suzuhara loomed over him and began to laugh heartily. "What time is it?" Shinji asked with a yawn.

"Lunchtime, of course," Toji replied. "Whad'ya bring?"

Shinji shrugged.

Kensuke Aida, who sat backwards in a chair in front of Shinji, had already dug into his own lunch. He looked up and caught a glimmer of Shinji's depressed look. With a mouthful of food, he asked, "What's wrong, Shinji?"

He shrugged again.

"I bet I know," Toji said with a sly grin.

"Huh? You do?" Shinji asked as he looked up at Toji.

"Yeah, you and your wife have been fightin' again, right? Trouble in paradise? Trouble in the bedroom?"

"What was that, dummkopf?" a piercing cry emanated from the other side of the room.

The heads of the three boys turned simultaneously as a red blur rushed toward Toji. He cringed and began to raise his arms in defense, but was too slow. Asuka clobbered him over the head with her fist, and knocked him backwards against Shinji's desk. His body flipped onto the desk, and shoved Shinji out of his seat. In a feeble effort to not fall, Toji's arms flailed and attempted to grab at anything. They inadvertently smacked Kensuke's food out of his hands, and sent it raining down on top of him. When the attack had ended, Asuka shouted, "Don't insinuate that I'd ever do anything with a little weasel like Shinji!"

"A-Asuka," Shinji said lowly as he picked himself off the floor.

Toji bolted off of the desk and wiped the food from his shirt and hair. He took a step forward and, face to face with Asuka, stared her down. "Oh yeah? Listen up, ya little bitch. What makes ya think that anyone would wanna do anything with you?"

"Hmpf. Like I have to explain that to you," Asuka said snobbishly.

"You've gotta be the most disgusting per— Ow!" Toji screamed as he was suddenly dragged away from the scene by Hikari, who squeezed his left ear tightly. He pleaded and apologized to her as she pulled him out of the room, undoubtedly to scold him for being mean to her friend.

"Wow," Kensuke said as he watched Hikari and Toji exit the classroom. "Class rep really has an iron grip. Eh, Shinji?"

Shinji didn't respond. Kensuke looked back toward his friend and saw that both he and Asuka were at the window. The sky was dark and filled with menacing clouds. The wind had picked up again, and the outside temperature had dropped significantly. In the distance they could see a small, round object. It was red, and made a striking contrast against the darkened sky.

"Another one so soon?" Asuka asked rhetorically.

"What is that?" Kensuke asked.

Shinji turned around and meekly said, "Ayanami, I think we have to go."

"We will arrive in Tokyo-3 in fifteen minutes. I repeat, we will arrive in Tokyo-3 in fifteen minutes," the conductor called out through the speakers of the train.

Ichiro removed his cell phone and a folded piece of paper from a pocket in his jacket. He unfolded the paper and concentrated for a moment while he deciphered the sloppy handwriting. He then proceeded to dial the number that had been scrawled next to the name: Major Misato Katsuragi.

He waited a moment as the phone rang. When the phone on the other end was picked up, a rather disinterested voice answered, "Yeah?"

Caught off guard by the apathy on the other end, Ichiro stumbled, "Er, uh, Major Katsuragi?"

"Yes?"

"This is Ichiro Sagiri."

"Oh! Hello, Ichiro!" the voice said as it suddenly became cheery. "Have you arrived?"

"Actually, the train should be arriving in a few minutes. Will you be picking me up at the station?"

"Well, no, but we'll have a car waiting for you."

"I see. Thank you."

"Ichiro, I'm very sorry, but I'm in the middle of something. We'll talk more when you get to Headquarters, ok?"

"Sure," he said just before he pushed the "end call" button.

Ichiro shifted back in his seat and closed his eyes. He would soon be paraded around the huge NERV Headquarters complex, and would be forced to meet dozens of forgettable people. No doubt it would be exhausting. He had to get whatever sleep he could now, because he would undoubtedly need the rest.

"He will not be much longer, I assume?" Gendo asked.

"Yes, sir," Misato replied. Just one minute ago, during her meeting with NERV's commander, she had been embarrassed by the ringing of her cell phone. When Gendo discovered the call was from the new addition to the Research and Science Division he seemed pleased. At least as pleased as Misato had ever seen him before.

"Good. You are dismissed," he said coldly.

"Yes, sir."

Misato exited Gendo's office and the door quickly shut behind her. She took a few steps down the hallway, and then, weary from the encounter, leaned her back against the wall. She closed her eyes and let her head drop. A few silent moments passed before she heard a familiar voice, "You don't look so good."

Misato looked up and saw Ritsuko.

"Oh, hi. Yeesh, well, I just a meeting with the commander. What do you expect?"

"What's bothering him?"

"Surprisingly he's actually in a good mood right now. It's just that he's so hard to deal with. You know…why can't he act like a normal person around anyone except for Rei?" Misato wondered.

"I don't he's even been that kind to Rei lately," said Ritsuko.

"Poor Rei," Misato mused. "He's all she has, and now even that is fading."

Ritsuko said nothing, but returned a look of agreement. Misato folded her arms over her chest and proceeded to go outside, her head lowered slightly. Ritsuko did not follow, but instead turned and entered Gendo's office.

Outside, the air of the Geofront was abnormally still. Misato looked at her watch. Ichiro should be off the train in a few minutes. She took a moment to glance around the Geofront, and absorbed its tranquil and protected, yet eerie ambiance. After all the time, she was still in awe that a place like this could even exist.

Her thoughts were shattered by the blare of nearby sirens.

"Not an Angel," Misato gasped. The serenity she had enjoyed was dead. She turned quickly and dashed back inside. She fumbled in the pocket of her red jacket for her cell phone. When she finally grasped it, she quickly dialed Shinji's number.

"Hello?" Shinji answered, sounding slightly out of breath.

"Shinji! Where are you? Are Rei and Asuka with you?"

"Yeah, we're on our way. We were in class when we saw that red sphere. We'll be there in a few minutes," Shinji replied.

"All right. Be careful," said Misato, before she abruptly hung up. She had to call Ichiro next and warn him. As she cycled through her contact list, her phone started to ring.

"Hello, Major Katsuragi. What's going on?" Ichiro asked, his tone of voice somewhat shaky. Although he had read about Angel attacks, and seen footage on new broadcasts, he had never been so close to one before.

"Everything's fine down here. How about you? Are you hurt?" Misato asked.

"I'm fine, but I'm stuck on the train."

"Are they taking you to the shelters?"

"No, I'm not sure what's going on. The train just stopped, and I heard some people talking about an Angel. Should I get off and head for a shelter?" Ichiro asked.

"For now, just stay where you are. I'll check on you in a few minutes," Misato replied.

"Alrigh–"

Ichiro's voice was cut off as Misato ended the call. Right now her priority was to reach the Command Center, not conversation.

Ichiro remained seated on the train. A few minutes ago he had concluded the hurried conversation with Misato. He now typed away at his laptop, attempting to plot a course through Tokyo-3 from his current location to NERV Headquarters. He tried his best to remain calm, but it was difficult while the other passengers clambered about and shouted about the imminent Angel attack. Just as he settled upon the fastest route, an automated female voice came through the train's loudspeaker.

"At 4:10 this afternoon, a special state of emergency has been declared for the Kanto and Chubu regions, surrounding the Tokai district. All residents must evacuate to their designated shelters immediately…I repeat, at 4:10 this afternoon, a special state of emergency…"

The announcement threw the other passengers into a frenzy. Some of them beat against the doors of the train, and tried to pull them open. Meanwhile, Ichiro hunkered over his laptop and concentrated on the map of Tokyo-3, as he committed it to memory.

"Look! There it is!" a female passenger shouted.

Ichiro glanced up and saw that a woman, two rows up, pointed at something outside the window. He stood half upright and leaned forward in an attempt to catch a glimpse of whatever it was that she had seen. Although he knew the Angels were a deadly and destructive force, he still could not curb his interest in seeing one in real life. He leaned forward slightly more and finally saw the object. It was a large red orb, not quite perfectly spherical, but rather more egg-shaped. Although it was currently on the outskirts of Tokyo-3, it advanced toward the innermost portion of the city. It moved in and out of view as it passed behind the tall buildings of the city.

"I have to get out of here," Ichiro said to himself. He shut off the laptop and quickly packed up his belongings. While he threw the strap of the carrying case over his shoulder he noticed that three men had now congregated around the doors of the train, in an attempt to pry them open. Right now, they seemed to be his best chance.

Ichiro joined the other men and grabbed hold of the lower part of the automated doors. In unison the four men, two on either side, pulled opposite one another and the doors slowly began to budge. As he pulled, Ichiro felt a tugging on his jacket. As he strained against the door, he turned his head and saw a young girl, no older than four, attempting to get his attention. "H-hi there," he said as he tried to ignore the exertion in his arms.

"Whatchya doing?" she asked as she stuck a finger in her own mouth.

"Just…trying to get us…out of here," he grunted.

Ichiro heard a heavy metallic clunk, like an enormous deadbolt lock being opened. Before he had a chance to wonder what the noise could be, the two automated door flew open. Ichiro fell on his butt, and the man who had pulled the door with him staggered backwards, although remained upright.

"Yay! You did it!" the little girl said with an applause.

The automated female was heard once more through the loudspeaker, "Attention passengers. Do not panic. Please exit the train in an orderly fashion. Once you have disembarked, turn to your left, and follow the track for approximately one mile where an escort will take you to the nearest shelter. Thank you for your cooperation."

As the message repeated, Ichiro stood up and said, "I have a feeling I didn't have much to do with that door opening."

The little girl's mother appeared now and swept the child into her arms. "I'm sorry, I hope she wasn't bothering you," she said to Ichiro. Then, to her daughter, "Let's get our stuff and get going, ok, sweetie?"

As she walked away, the little girl grabbed from Ichiro once more, but took away only handfuls of air. Her face glistened with an innocent smile. "Bye bye," she giggled, blissfully unaware of the gravity of the situation.

Without so much as a return smile, Ichiro turned around and took a step off the train. Outside the wind blew hard, it ruffled his hair, and made him shiver. For a moment he questioned whether or not the plan he had in mind was the best course of action. He craned his neck around and watched as the other passengers made their way down the tracks, toward the shelter. As they left Ichiro's sight, the wind blew again, more fiercely this time. The cold wind bit his skin and he shivered once more.

Ichiro sighed. This was not the welcome he had hoped for. He jammed his hands into his pockets for warmth and proceeded forward, toward the center of the city. As he walked, he tried not to look at the Angel that floated over Tokyo-3.

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Episode 17' – Part Two

Trust

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Shinji sat in the locker room with his plug suit half on. Although he had put his legs into the suit, the top half had fallen into a wrinkled mass around his waist. His head hung low. He was still lost amidst images of the Sea of Dirac. He had almost died there, suffocated in a freezing pool of waste. And now he was about to step onto the battlefield once more. What if he didn't return this time? Perhaps it would be for the best. He hardly seemed to care for life anymore. He was a prisoner of loneliness. Death could be a reprieve. He sighed. His chest felt heavy.

"Why aren't you dressed yet?" Asuka shouted.

Shinji looked up. Asuka was fully dressed in her red plug suit. She stood beside the lockers, with a fist pressed against each hip. She leaned forward, and Shinji caught a blazoned annoyance in her eyes. Frightened, Shinji quickly looked back down at his lap.

"Are you still depressed?" she asked with impassioned frustration.

Shinji opened his mouth to reply, but found no words. In his mind he told her to shut up, to leave him alone, but he could not find the strength to actually do it. A hot, stinging sensation boiled in his stomach. Under the weight of Asuka's menacing glare he felt as if his whole body shrank.

"Baka Shinji, get over it!"

"Ikari, we must be going," said a solemn voice from behind.

Asuka whirled around and saw Rei, dressed in a white plug suit, behind her. For a moment Asuka's jaw dropped. Was it possible that meek Wondergirl had actually spoken? Asuka pushed away her shock and again brought forth her irritation. "What did you just say?"

"I was telling Ikari that we are needed," Rei responded.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean? Am I not even here?" she screamed.

"Ikari," Rei said as she looked past Asuka.

"Sie meckern…" Asuka's voice trailed off as she lost the capacity for words amidst her swirling rage.

Shinji looked up at Rei, bewildered, unsure what to think of the exchange he had just witnessed. He shivered and brought his arms close to his chest. "A-Ayanami?"

"Ikari, we should go to the command center."

"…okay."

He pulled the top of the blue plug suit over his upper body. He depressed the button on his wrist and the synthetic material quickly tightened, fitting to the form of his body. Shinji looked over at Asuka who now stared at the floor. Her hands were tightly clenched into fists. Her entire body shook with anger. Would she finally lash out at Rei? At himself? He couldn't be certain, but he decided it would be best to leave the locker room as soon as possible. He hoped that, on the battlefield, Asuka would set aside her fury and help Rei if she was in any danger. As for himself…Shinji didn't care. Life or death, it made no difference to him.

Rei stepped around Asuka and exited the locker room. Shinji rose from the bench and walked to the doorway. He turned back to look at Asuka. He felt like he should say something to comfort her. Yet, he knew that any words coming from him would only enrage her further. She trembled now. Her fists were clenched so tightly her knuckles had turned white. She muttered something under her breath. Shinji couldn't make out what she said. He thought it might have been something in German. Then, just before he turned away, he saw tears well up in her eyes.

"This is the video feed we received from the scout helicopter. It's just after the UN forces dropped a N2 Mine," Maya Ibuki said. She pushed a few buttons on the computer terminal before her, and the video popped up on a large view screen in the command center. She looked up and watched it along with everyone else.

The silent video feed was choppy and broken with intermittent static. It showed an orange fireball on the outskirts of Tokyo-3. After a few moments, the heat and light of the explosion dissipated. All that remained was charred ground, and a substantial crater. Then, through the thick plumes of smoke, the Angel moved out slowly. It approached the scout helicopter. The red object shimmered, and a nearly translucent wave flew outward. Power lines swayed and toppled over. Grass and dirt were ripped away from the ground. The helicopter was hit by the wave and the entire video feed went to static.

"What happened?" Misato shouted.

Ritsuko took a step forward. She dropped both hands into the pockets of her lab coat, and said, "From the analysis, it can be concluded that the Angel emitted a high pressure wind current. The wind is on the level of an F3 tornado."

Shigeru Aoba spoke up as he read data from his own terminal, "Target is moving at 42 kilometers an hour. It will reach the center of Tokyo-3 in 25 minutes."

Fuyutski and Gendo had taken up their usual positions in the back of the room. Gendo had locked his hands before his face, and Fuyutski stood at Gendo's side, with his hands behind his back. "What did the MAGI determine?" Fuyutski asked.

"The MAGI have already sent out instructions for a general evacuation of the city," Maya answered.

"And a battle strategy?"

"The MAGI propose a defensive attack formation, two affirmative and one priority affirmative."

The video looped back and they all watched once more as the Angel slowly moved out from the destructive force of the N2 Mine, with hardly a scratch on it.

"So far, we can confirm that 6 of the Angel's structure has been incinerated by the attack," Makoto Hyuga said as he read data from his terminal.

"How did the N2 mine get past the AT Field?" Misato asked.

Silence fell over the room for nearly ten seconds, before Ritsuko offered an explanation. When she spoke, it was with confidence, as if there was nothing mysterious about their enemy, "This Angel's AT Field is not all encompassing, as we have seen before. There appear to be a number of small linear breaks in the field, which allow for the passage of matter, or, in this case, fire."

"Breaks in the field? But why?" Misato asked, perplexed.

"Maya, replay the post-explosion sequence, at slow motion speed 200," Ritsuko said.

"Yes, ma'am," Maya replied. She hurriedly entered the commands on her terminal, and the video looped again, albeit much more slowly.

The men and women of the command center watched the video as it played at an agonizingly slow pace. Nevertheless, they looked on in amazement at what took place. The Angel had just moved out from the inferno of the explosion. In real time, it had briefly shimmered, however, now, in slow motion, the AT Field flashed bright orange and rotated counter-clockwise. A rush of wind kicked up and pushed outwards in all directions. The earth was torn asunder, and the video went to static once more.

"So that's how," Misato said softly.

"Yes. It is able to generate wind currents through the alternating breaks in its AT Field, using it like a fan," Ritsuko stated matter-of-factly.

"So, we can get past its AT Field," Misato said as a hopeful confidence rose in her voice. "Anything else?"

"It's comprised of a substance very similar to our own flesh," Ritsuko explained. "However, unlike us, it appears that the Angel's epidermal layer has few reticular fibers."

"What does that mean?" Misato asked.

"There is the possibility that its skin is very weak, and if we can penetrate the AT Field, it may be quite easy to damage the Angel," Ritsuko answered.

The video looped for a fourth time as the men and women of the command center deliberated. In the far corner of the room the three children stood and watched. The dialogue had been so frenzied it seemed that everyone had forgotten about the pilots of the Eva's.

Shinji stood between Asuka and Rei with his head lowered. He had already forgotten about the incident in the locker room. His thoughts had refocused on his own misery. It seemed as if he would never find an escape from this mental oblivion.

"Will there be an occurrence like last time?" Gendo asked.

"No, sir," Ritsuko replied. "Based on the video feed alone, we are fairly certain that this Angel can not access a Sea of Dirac. It is similar to the previous Angel in appearance only."

"Good," Gendo said coldly, his face still partially hidden behind his hands. "Sortie the Evangelions."

The sound of his own pulse thumped loudly in his ears, and had nearly overtaken the wail of the air raid sirens. Sweat ran down the sides of his face, and his whole body felt as if it was on fire. He moved at a rapid pace and, with the heavy laptop case slung over one shoulder, Ichiro found he was already overcome with fatigue.

With the map of the city engrained in his mind, he traversed the outskirts of Tokyo-3. In the distance he saw the ever-present Angel as it crept closer to the center of the city. He hoped he could make it to NERV before the Angel unleashed its attack. He wasn't sure what he could do to help, but he knew he couldn't sit idly in a fallout shelter and wait for the battle to end. He had to do something. But first he would have to make it through the barren streets of Tokyo-3.

The sky overhead was still covered with dark, heavy clouds. Wind whipped across the landscape. Dirt, tree branches, garbage, and all manner of debris rolled across the streets. The air raid sirens died off, and Ichiro came to a stop. Between two large buildings he could still clearly see the Angel. Why had the sirens ceased?

He heard a heavy thump.

Ichiro looked to the left and saw a purple behemoth step out from behind the shadow of a skyscraper. It took a second step forward. When its foot made contact with the ground, Ichiro heard another heavy thump.

"Wow," he said with amazement. He had never imagined an Evangelion to have such a presence. Although he was well versed in their technical specifications, all of his experience was confined to schematics and a laboratory. But now he would be able to witness their power first hand. If one step could cause the earth to tremble, what would it be like when it unleashed the power of the AT Field?

Flanking the purple Evangelion, two other units, one blue and one red, now came into view. They took up a triangular formation in front of the Angel, which was approximately 300 yards away from them. The Angel halted and hovered in place. Ichiro swallowed hard and his body began to tremble. Perhaps he should have gone to the shelter after all.

Asuka's hands rested lightly on the controls of Unit 02. She had enhanced the magnification of the Eva's optical cameras so she could have a closer look at the Angel. Indeed, it looked quite similar to the last one, albeit red this time, instead of black. Every Angel she had seen so far had taken on one more ridiculous shape after another. "Have they finally run out of ideas?" she thought with a smirk.

Misato's face filled the communications window in the corner of the view screen. Asuka tuned out the instructions given by the tactical officer. The last thing she needed right now was some no-brained military brat telling her what to do. She could handle things on her own just fine.

"Asuka?"

"Huh?"

"Asuka, do you understand?" Misato asked with a grimace.

"Sure, sure," Asuka said as she feigned attentiveness. "Wondergirl and I will lend support while the great and powerful Shinji destroys the Angel. Just like always."

Asuka wasn't sure that had been the thrust of the plan, but it seemed likely. She couldn't remember the last time they fought an Angel where the entire strategy didn't seem to hinge entirely on Shinji. What was the deal with him anyway? Why did everyone think he was so great? She could have defeated the other Angels just as easily as he had.

"Good," Misato said. "You will begin the operation on my mark. Stand by."

The communications window blinked out and Asuka was left alone with the company of her thoughts. The entry plug was silent except for the constant hum that seemed to emanate from everywhere. She noticed the noise the first few times she piloted, but after that, it had become nothing more than ambiance.

Her grip around the controls tightened as her thoughts continued to focus on Shinji. That idiot. What was it that he did that made him so great, anyway? And why was Misato always defending him? She always took his side. And he always got all the credit. Good job, Shinji. Way to go, Shinji. What about her? She was just as much a part of every mission, but nobody even cared. Nobody ever told her, "good job" or "nice work." Never. It was always Shinji. That stupid idiot Shinji. It didn't matter that he was always depressed and always whining. They all loved him. Her grip tightened even more and the control levers began to tremble. Today was her chance. Today she would make Misato notice her. Today she would be the one to save everybody. This Angel would be easy. She could defeat it without that idiot's help. And then everyone would have to praise her. And they'd forget about how great Shinji was.

"Shinji," she said into her communicator.

His face appeared in the communications window. "What is it, Asuka?"

"I'm going to take care of the Angel. You'd better just stand back."

"But Asuka, that's not the plan! You could get hurt!"

"Hurt? By what? That big egg? Some puffs of air? Ha!"

"Asuka, please!"

"Watch how it's done, Shinji," she said with a menacing smile.

The communications window blinked off as she put Unit 02 into motion.

Ichiro watched with disbelief as the red Eva charged at the Angel. This was their plan? He cringed as the inevitable occurred.

Unit 02 charged forward with the fully-automatic pallet gun in its hands. As it raced forward the ground shook and its footsteps echoed like thunder. The umbilical cable waved side to side behind it. The behemoth aimed its weapon and let loose a torrent of bullets. Simultaneously, the Angel shimmered for a brief instant, and a wave of air burst outward. The barrage of bullets was caught up in the wave. They slowed, held still, and then were blown back against Unit 02, where they harmlessly bounced away. The Eva was halted mid-stride by the force of the wind. It tottered back and forth for a moment, as the pilot tried to keep it from being pushed back. The effort, however, was futile. In the next moment, the Eva was swept up by the gust of wind and thrown back across the city skyline. Unit 02 was airborne for nearly three seconds before it collided with a skyscraper. Chunks of the building exploded in every direction as the Eva tumbled back toward the ground.

As soon as the Eva was out of sight Ichiro heard the rush of wind. He braced himself. He was hit head-on by a blast of air. He reeled backwards and crashed into the concrete wall of the building behind him. Fortunately, the power of the wind had been greatly reduced by the number of structures between himself and the Angel.

His body ached and burned. He breathed in and felt a sharp twinge of pain radiate across his back. He hoped he hadn't broken a rib. Ichiro had also smacked the back of his head against the concrete wall. He felt somewhat disoriented and saw stars for the next few moments. Eventually, they went away, only to be replaced by a headache.

He looked down at the laptop case that was still slung over his shoulder. It, too, had struck the building. It was probably broken, but he didn't have time to check. He had to press on, and get to NERV as quickly as possible, before the situation got any worse.

Asuka's mood was thrown, just as the Eva had been, and now it sank to an even darker level. When the rumbling vibrations of the impact subsided, Asuka found herself staring up at the cloudy sky in relative silence. She sighed.

The communications window blinked on and Misato's irritated face appeared, "Asuka! You had explicit instructions to not engage the target until I gave the order!"

"Yeah, well I didn't think it would be a problem."

"Not a problem? Look at the damage you just caused!"

"Give me a break, Misato," Asuka said in a detached voice. "Half the building is still standing." She turned her face to the right, away from the communications window, to avoid eye contact with Misato.

"This is no time to be facetious. The Angel has presumed us hostile. You need to—"

Before Misato could finish her statement, the Angel shimmered again. Another burst of air flew outward, this time toward Unit 01. With the speed of the attack, Shinji could do little except prepare himself. His Eva held its ground for less time than Asuka's had. It was soon in the air. It sailed backwards and crashed to the ground just beside Unit 02. Now, the only Eva that remained upright was Unit 00. Inside of her Eva, Rei dutifully awaited orders from Misato to begin the assault.

Asuka cried out. Her left arm ached with pain. It felt as if someone had dropped a million tons on it. She looked to her immediate left and saw the hulking visage of Unit 01. It had barely missed her. Yet, her arm pulsed with an indescribable feeling of pressure. She bit her lower lip and tried to bring her arm close to cradle it. Although her arm moved, the Eva's didn't budge. Unit 01 had landed directly on Unit 02's left arm, effectively pinning it.

"Baka Shinji! Get off my—"

Asuka caught movement out of the corner of her eye. Momentarily forgetting about her pain, she looked up and watched as the Angel floated toward her. "—arm," she finished meekly.

Inside of Unit 00, Rei watched as the Angel altered its course. Before, it had been headed for the center of Tokyo-3. Now, it moved toward Shinji and Asuka. According to Misato, the Angel perceived them as a threat. Therefore, it would now attempt to finish them off. Rei knew she had to do something, or her fellow pilots would be killed.

"I'll divert its attention," she said.

"Rei, wait," Misato cried out into the communicator. Rei paid no attention. She had to help them.

With the Angel's attention focused on the other Evas, Rei was able to maneuver Unit 00 to a new location. She positioned her Eva perpendicularly to the path of the Angel. Shielded between two large buildings, she readied her pallet gun and waited. Slowly, the target moved into view. When it was fully in sight, Rei opened fire. Her bullets struck the Angel's AT Field, which flashed bright orange.

Rei released her finger from the trigger and waited a beat. The Angel hesitated.

Then, its AT Field shimmered. Quickly, Rei spun her Eva backwards and to the right. Unit 00 ducked and took cover behind the adjacent skyscraper. A burst of wind pounded the building, and sent huge chunks of glass, steel, and concrete flying into the distance. Unit 00, however, was left undamaged.

"Ikari," Rei said rapidly yet calmly. "Now's your chance."

Rei's voice sounded bleak as it came through the communicator. Shinji watched in horror as he saw Unit 00's cover decimated. His self-deprecating thoughts were momentarily forgotten, and replaced by something new. A desire to help Rei.

Unit 01 rose effortlessly from the ground. As Shinji uprighted the Eva, he made it grab Unit 02 by the wrist. He yanked the red Eva to its feet and shouted, "Asuka, we have to save Ayanami!"

With its own weapon still on the ground, Shinji's Eva rushed toward the Angel. Although unarmed, he was lit by a fire of determination. He had to save his friend. How many times had she saved him already? He didn't care if he threw himself in harm's way. If he died, so be it. But he couldn't let someone else die while he stood by and did nothing.

Asuka watched as Unit 01 charged toward the Angel. With its focus on Unit 00, Shinji might be able to reach it. But even if he did, what could he do? Just then, as if reading her thoughts, a new voice spoke through the communications window.

"Rei! Asuka! Shinji!"

Asuka looked down and saw Ritsuko. She looked back up and saw that Shinji neared the Angel. She had to move quickly to lend some aid. After all, she couldn't allow him to get all the credit for destroying yet another Angel.

"What is it?" she asked as her Eva ran forward.

"I've analyzed the data from the two attacks," Ritsuko said quickly. "It appears as though the Angel can attack in only one direction at a time…"

Unit 02 had caught up with Unit 01, and both closed in on the Angel. Any second now it would notice them and change the direction of its attack. Suddenly, Unit 00 moved out from its hidden position. The blue Eva stepped into the open area between the two buildings and let loose a quick volley from its pallet gun. Anticipating a counter-attack, the Eva jumped to the left and ducked behind the other skyscraper. The Angel blasted Unit 00's new shield with greater ferocity than before. The wind ripped the skyscraper to shreds, and nearly leveled it.

"…if it can attack Rei, you and Shinji can grab the breaks in its AT Field and keep it from rotating. That should neutralize its weapon."

"Have it attack Rei? I like this plan," Asuka sneered.

Now, the Eva's were almost beside the Angel. Unit 00 stepped out into the open area once more. The Angel's AT Field shimmered for the last time. The hands of Units 01 and 02 shot out and grabbed the AT Field. The field flashed orange but did not rotate. It held the color as the Angel continued its attempt.

Asuka's hands burned like fire, and her arms shook, already weak from holding back such a powerful attack. She looked up and saw Shinji's Eva struggle as well. No matter how much it hurt, she had to hold on longer than him, if only for a second. She gritted her teeth, closed her eyes, and held fast. Meanwhile, Unit 00 dropped its gun and raced forward to aid the other Eva's. It dug its hands into the Angel's AT Field and began to pull in opposite directions. Although Asuka did not know the reason why, she suddenly felt the force of the enemy's AT Field weaken. She smiled and knew she had almost defeated it.

The Angel's AT Field began to blink intermittently. There was a low rumbling from somewhere deep within. The ground shook again. Asuka held tight. She opened her eyes and watched as the AT Field was broken into thin strands of light, and then whimpered out of existence.

"I got you, bastard!" she shouted.

"Asuka, we did it!" Shinji's said through the communicator.

"That's right, we sure—"

Her confident voice was cut short by a new complication. The red covering of the Angel began to slough off. From top to bottom, it oozed downward, until it all lay in a heap on the ground. What remained hovering in the air now was a nearly translucent version of the egg-shaped object. Their victory had done nothing more than force the Angel to shed its skin.

"Can you still see it?" Shinji asked.

"I believe so," Rei replied.

"Me too," Asuka said. "And I'll be the one to take it down."

Asuka flipped a switch on the control console, and her Eva's pylon opened, revealing its progressive knife. As the Eva grabbed the weapon with one hand, the Angel silently hovered in place. Units 00 and 01 stood off to either side, and waited for Asuka to land the final blow. Asuka unleashed a roar and thrust forward with the knife.

Inches before the knife penetrated the Angel, a blazing light appeared. The light, a beam small in diameter, swept from the top of the Angel, downward. It passed through Unit 02's wrist without resistance. Asuka shrieked in pain. Blood sprayed forward and splattered onto the Angel. Unit 02's severed hand fell to the ground. Then, just as abruptly as it had appeared, the beam of light vanished. All that remained was a dark pinpoint where the beam had originated.

Inside the entry plug, Asuka continued to scream and cradle her wrist. Although she could not hear the sound over her own screams, Ritsuko's voice filtered through the communicator, "Cut one half of the pilot's synch circuits!"

Misato's voice came now, "Everyone, get out of there!"

A multitude of dark pinpoints suddenly appeared across the body of the Angel. Units 00 and 01 each grabbed Unit 02 under one arm. Together, they hoisted the red Eva and retreated. As they scrambled to get away, more beams of light emitted from the Angel. Each beam that touched the ground or a nearby building, shook it with devastating force. Fortunately, the Eva's managed to retreat unharmed until they were out of Angel's line of sight.

Ichiro watched with disbelief as Unit 02's hand was sliced off. The Eva curled its arms up to its chest and cowered like a child in fear. Blood splattered onto the Angel, and quickly started to coagulate. The blood seemed to float in mid air, as it dried on top of the nearly transparent Angel. "At least now they can see it better," he thought morbidly.

A moment later the Eva's started to retreat. Ichiro had to hurry to reach NERV Headquarters. He ran faster and hoped that the fighting didn't move in his direction.

His mind raced back to the beam of light. What had that been? Then, as if offering an opportunity to answer that question, the Angel unleashed a series of light beams, which swung in all directions. One of the beams passed through the street just in front of Ichiro. It dug into the concrete and ripped the ground in two. Debris burst out in every direction, and Ichiro shielded his face as he continued to race forward. In another instant, the beam was gone. It had left a deep impression in the ground, approximately six feet in width. Ichiro knew that he could jump over it if he kept his momentum up. As he ran, he heard the sound of Tokyo-3 exploding all around him. The air quickly filled with smoke, dirt, and dust. As he breathed it in he choked and his eyes watered. Nevertheless, he had to move forward. He was almost there now. A few more feet and…he leapt. He sailed over the gap and effortlessly landed on the opposite side.

Before he had a chance to revel in his success, he saw another beam. This one swept horizontally above his head. "What the?" he muttered. He heard the crash of glass and scrape of steel from the skyscraper to his right. He looked up and felt his body go cold with fear.

The top one third of the skyscraper popped off the rest of the building and tumble downward. Ichiro found himself directly in its path. He could no longer see the sky, but only the top of the building as it plummeted toward him. He immediately flung his laptop carrying case to the ground, and pushed his legs to run faster than ever before. As he ran he felt strangely light. The sluggishness he had experienced earlier was suddenly gone. All he could feel now was the hard slap of his feet on the pavement below. His arms and legs pumped rapidly as he ran for his life. He closed his eyes and moved even faster.

The building crashed to the ground and plumes of dust and dirt rushed outward. The shockwave blew Ichiro forward. He flew through the air for a moment, landed hard on the street, and rolled forward. When he finally came to a stop he opened his eyes and watched as the sky above him spun out of control. He tried to stand but found he was too dizzy to do anything but sit upright. "I'm still alive…"

"Block all c-fiber afferent signals from upper thoracic dermatomes, and reset all the synch circuits," Ritsuko ordered.

"Yes, ma'am," Maya replied. Her fingers became a flurry on the computer terminal before her. When she finished, full synchronization had been returned to Unit 02, with the exception of longer lasting, post-trauma pain.

Asuka raised the arm of Unit 02 into view and inspected the damage. Her stomach burned nervously as she waited for some kind of smart remark to come from Shinji or Rei. Certainly, one of them would have to gloat over her recent failure. As if neither of them made any mistakes. With her Eva in this condition she wouldn't be able to defeat the Angel. The best she could hope to do was lend support. She narrowed her eyes and spoke venomously into the communications window, "Well, what do we do now?"

Misato answered, "We aren't sure yet. The Angel's AT Field is gone so we think it should only be a matter of time before it can no longer live. However, we can't allow it to go on such a destructive rampage. We have to stop it."

"Misato, what should we do?" Shinji asked through his own communications window.

"We're sending some more pallet guns. Try to disable it from a distance," Misato said.

"Okay," Shinji replied. And then, "Asuka, are you ready?"

"…sure," she answered reluctantly.

Shinji hoped Asuka would be all right. To have suffered again, when she had been so confident beforehand…it had to be difficult for her. If they could just get through this battle, then he would do something for her. He would try to cheer her up. Somehow. Although, accomplishing that could be just as daunting and difficult as fighting an Angel.

Shinji's thoughts were broken by the whir of a nearby device that opened to reveal a rack of fresh pallet guns. He reached out with Unit 01 and grabbed one. Unit 00 did the same. Unit 02 approached the rack, grabbed one, and tucked the stock of the weapon beneath its arm.

Shinji maneuvered Unit 01 out from its hiding place and took aim at the Angel, which was now a great distance from him. He brought the weapons screen online and waited as the targeting reticle centered onto his opponent. Before he could fire, the Angel unleashed another attack. Unit 01 side stepped as another beam of light blasted forward. The ground on which the Eva had stood was torn to pieces.

"Bastard!" Asuka screamed.

Suddenly, Unit 02 stood out in the open and returned fire. With only one arm to control the pallet gun, the barrage of shots quickly went off target. A new beam of light appeared on the right side of the Angel, and swept left toward Unit 02. Asuka saw it and piloted her Eva farther left, in an attempt to outrun the attack. As the Eva moved, not only did the beam follow it, but it quickly approached. Unit 02 ducked just before the beam could make contact. It swept over the body of the Eva, paused and then swept back in the other direction. Already, Unit 02 was up and desperately headed toward the right. The beam neared again. Then, just before it touched the back of Unit 02, the red Eva was knocked to the ground by something heavy and blue.

Asuka found herself looking up at Unit 00. She had been tackled by Rei. Asuka looked toward the Angel as Unit 00 unleashed an attack with its own pallet gun. A series of light beams spread out just in front of the Angel's body and incinerated every bullet.

"Damn, how do we kill this thing?" Asuka asked.

Ichiro nervously watched the light beams of the Angel follow the red Eva with precision. He breathed a momentary sigh of relief when the blue one rescued it from near disaster. The way that the Angel detected every movement, the way it followed its attackers, it was almost as if the dark pinpoints that littered its body were something else.

Ichiro slowed to a trot. He reached into his jacket pocket and retrieved his cell phone. Although he had taken a significant tumble, the phone appeared to be in working order. He dialed Misato's number and hoped she would answer. Perhaps she had already discovered the same thing he had observed. But, if not, she had to answer the phone…

The phone rang…and rang…and rang…

"What is it?" an impatient voice asked from the other end of the line.

"Major Katsuragi, it's Ichiro. It's about the Angel. Have you noticed anything unusual about those black spots all over its body?"

"You mean, other than how they fire lasers?" she asked, annoyed.

It became clear to Ichiro that the last thing she needed right now was to waste time talking with him in the midst of an Angel attack. He decided to get to the point. "They aren't just weapons. The Angel is using them as a means of tracking the Evas. Those black spots, I think they are the Angel's eyes."

"Eyes? Are you sure?"

"Yes. And, if you can find a way to blind it, then the Eva's might be able to kill it. Major Katsuragi, it will work, you just have to trust me."

"…okay. At this point, we'll try anything. Thanks."

The line was abruptly cut off. Ichiro dropped the cell phone back in his pocket, and increased his speed. This had to work. He had no desire to be a witness of the defeat of humanity.

Once again, the Evangelions had been forced to retreat and take shelter behind the few remaining skyscrapers of Tokyo-3. The pilots had been instructed to wait, under cover, for further instructions. If no instructions came soon, it would only be a matter of time before there would be nothing left to protect them.

Asuka sat in the entry plug of Unit 02, and her thoughts fumed over her rescue by Rei. She had intended to do great things in this battle, but instead, she had simply blundered her way through it. Everything that could have gone wrong for her had gone wrong. Wondergirl and Baka Shinji would never let her live it down.

The communications window blinked on and Misato's face appeared. "Everyone, listen up!"

"You'd better have a plan," Asuka spat toward the window.

"We're sending up a large supply of magnesium and ammonium perchlorate from the NERV Research Labs. With a little luck, the amount we have should be enough. It will be coming up on a lift that is almost directly in the path of the Angel."

"Then what do we do?" Shinji asked through his communicator.

"Shinji, we need you to fire a few rounds into the chemicals, which should cause them to ignite. The reaction will be similar to that of a stun grenade. Hopefully, the Angel will be blinded long enough for all of you to take it out with your pallet guns," Misato explained. "Stand by."

The window blinked off, and Asuka was once again left to her thoughts. In the distance she could hear the steady whir of the lift. It grew gradually louder as it approached the surface. As the intensity of the sound increased, Asuka felt something within her stir. This could be her chance. She could push Shinji aside, and she could be the one to ignite the chemicals. She could be the one responsible for blinding the Angel. She could do it. Her breathing became heavy and she felt a nervous fluttering inside her stomach. The sound of the lift grew ever louder.

Shinji's face suddenly appeared in the communications window. "Hey, Asuka."

"What?" she replied coldly.

His head drooped forward, and his voice became weak, "I…I know you're upset. If…you want to do this…you can. I don't want to, not really."

Her opportunity had arrived. Her mouth opened and closed again without uttering a word. Her throat constricted and the nervous flutter of her stomach became a violent churn. The trunk of her body began to shiver uncontrollably. All she had to do was say yes, and she would become the hero of the day.

Her hands slipped from the Eva's controls.

"Asuka?"

Misato's voice suddenly shouted through the communicator, "Now, Shinji! Fire!"

"Asuka?" Shinji asked anxiously.

"Shinji! What are you waiting for?" Misato screamed.

A weak sigh escaped from Asuka's mouth, and then she felt tears return to her eyes once more. "I'm…pathetic," she whispered.

"Shinji!" Misato cried out.

Asuka brought a hand up to the controls and manually cut off all outside communications. Through the Eva's optical cameras she watched as Unit 01 strode out from its hiding position. It raised the machine gun in its arms and aimed. A moment passed. A beam of light grazed the side of the Eva's helmet, yet, Unit 01 did not flinch. In the next second, the pallet gun came to life. It was followed by a roaring explosion. The sky was lit up, awash in a pale white-yellow light. The purple Eva changed targets and fired again. Next, the blue Eva moved out from under its cover and joined in with Unit 01. They fired a seemingly endless barrage in tandem.

Meanwhile, inside of Unit 02, Asuka had dropped her head into her open palms. She sobbed. She was so overcome with grief that she failed to notice when the Angel exploded in the form of a giant, luminous cross.

Ichiro lurched down the debris-covered road. Fatigue had nearly overcome him as he slowly approached the entrance to NERV Headquarters. His body was racked with pain from numerous close calls throughout the battle. Although he had been a bystander, he had experienced his fair share of danger. And when the Angel had been defeated, the final explosion had thrown a number of large, heavy objects in his direction, which had been difficult to avoid. The adrenaline that had pulsed through his blood vessels was now gone, and he found that his joints were stiff and his muscles burned.

His steps degenerated to a wobbling shuffle. As he ambled towards the bay of metal doors he had to summon all of the remaining strength in his body just so he would not fall down. But, if all of these doors were shut, how would he get inside? Fortunately, he did not have to worry about that. When he was five yards away, the leftmost door slowly rose to an open position. Two guards in NERV uniforms stepped outside and noticed him immediately. "Major! It's the boy! He's here!"

As Misato stepped outside, Ichiro suddenly lost the last bit of strength in his legs. Misato rushed forward to catch him, but wasn't quite fast enough. He collapsed in a heap on the ground. Once at his side, Misato wrapped an arm around his shoulders and said, "Ichiro, I was about to go out with a search party to look for you. But I guess you made it on your own."

"Uh-huh."

"Your plan worked. Thank you."

Misato helped the boy to his feet and led him inside. As the metal door closed behind them she said, "Welcome to NERV."

"Thank you, Major" he replied.

She smiled warmly and said, "Please, call me Misato."

-----------------------------------

To Be Continued

-----------------------------------

Fly me to the moon
And let me play among the stars
Let me see what spring is like
On Jupiter and Mars
In other words, hold my hand
In other words, darling kiss me

Fill my heart with song
And let me sing forevermore
You are all I long for
All I worship and adore
In other words, please be true
In other words, I love you