Disclaimer: I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion. The series and its characters belong to Gainax, ADV Films, and Hideaki Anno.

I also do not own Marvel Comics or any of their characters.

Neon Genesis Evangelion:

Savage

Chapter 3 – Behold Now, the Behemoth

Days without incident: 47

Rei Ayanami kept her vigil in front of the enormous reinforced blast door in the lower levels of NERV, as she had done for roughly the last two months. She had not been here every minute of every day, but whenever an opportunity would present itself, the young pilot found herself standing in front of the intimidating barrier and wondering what was going on behind it. Rei did not have the security clearance to access the room beyond; though she had been inside it more times than she could count, it had always been Commander Ikari who had used his access card. The fact that she knew what was in the room did little to ease her mind. Rather, it seemed to make her feel as if the situation were more dire than she was being led to believe.

There had been an incident of some sort on the carrier transporting the Second Child, that much she had been told, but the details remained a mystery. She had been in the room beyond the doors, floating in a glass tube of LCL as part of her routine sessions with Commander Ikari and Dr. Akagi, when the Commander had received an urgent message of some sort. He had ordered the test to end immediately and had Rei extricated from the tube at once. As she was being led from the room by Dr. Akagi, they had brought a stretcher past her carrying what looked to be Shinji's unconscious body. When she had asked about it, Rei had received a stern response from the Commander.

"It does not concern you, Rei."

Under normal circumstance this would have been enough to placate the First Child. But these were not normal circumstances. Shinji had appeared injured, perhaps grievously so, and Rei had not forgotten the promise she had made before their last engagement together. She had promised to protect him.

Now, as she stood outside the massive door that Shinji had been taken through, Rei wondered what she was supposed to do to make good on her promise. Rei turned her head at the sound of footsteps on the polished tile floor and found herself looking up at Ritsuko.

"Rei?" the doctor said questioningly, as if surprised to find the pilot here again. "You're still here?"

"Yes," Rei responded. "I was checking on Pilot Ikari."

Ritsuko appeared confused by this statement. Something passed across her features, an expression that Rei could not readily identify. Worry, perhaps? Before it could be analyzed further, Ritsuko smiled, the same small, almost condescending smile one would use when speaking to a toddler. "Shinji's fine, Rei. We're running some tests to make sure he's fit to pilot."

"I see," Rei said, turning her attention back to the door.

Ritsuko stood quietly for several moments before speaking again. "Are you... worried about him, Rei?"

Rei looked over her shoulder at the blonde doctor. "I am concerned for his wellbeing, yes."

"Why?"

"If Pilot Ikari is not fit for combat, the odds of successfully repelling an Angel decrease significantly."

"You're not confident in our new pilot?" Ritsuko asked with a raised, questioning eyebrow.

"She is inexperienced in the field. Pilot Ikari has more firsthand combat experience than Pilot Sohryu does. Or than I do, for that matter," Rei finished, as if this thought has just now occurred to her.

Ritsuko nodded in approval of Rei's tactical assessment. "You've both had extensive simulator training, though. I'm sure if anything happens, we'll be just fine."

"Understood, doctor."

"When we're done with Shinji, I'll let you know. You should go home, Rei."

Rei nodded imperceptibly. "Understood." The pilot bowed to Ritsuko, performed an abrupt about-face, and calmly walked toward the elevator.

As soon as the elevator doors closed, Ritsuko gave a long sigh of relief. She did not like lying to the First Child; something about her eyes seemed to stare right into Ritsuko's heart, ferreting out any deception the doctor might be planning. Rei was smart, and something told Ritsuko that she would not be able to continue warding off the pilot's inquiries about her compatriot for much longer. With a swift swipe of her access card, the doctor walked through the narrow opening in the large blast doors and into the dimly lit laboratory beyond.

The blonde woman had to pause for several moments as her eyes adjusted to the dim, artificial lighting of the room, computer monitors glowing brightly like lighthouses. A string of green letters spiraled around the room, composed of the four letters of a human genetic code. Gendo Ikari stood in front of a tube in the center of the room, looking at it as if he had thought about nothing else but what lay within. Ritsuko would not have been surprised if that had been the case.

"How is he?" the doctor asked tentatively, attempting to catch the Commander's attention subtly.

When Gendo did not speak, a technician at one of the computer bays did. "Vitals are stable, ma'am. We've detected no abnormal brainwave activity since the last manifestation."

"What about physically?" Ritsuko asked, turning to face the young man at the console.

"All physical attributes are normal, ma'am. No change."

Ritsuko looked over his shoulder at the computer screen, adjusting her glasses as she read the data scrolling across the screen. "Keep monitoring him, as usual. Brainwave activity is priority; see if we can get a decent MRI of the skull. Last time we didn't get anything before we had to shut the test down."

"Aye aye, ma'am."

Ritsuko stood upright and walked back over to Gendo, standing just behind him. She spoke quietly. "Rei suspects something."

A ghost of a smile appeared on Gendo's face. "Of course she does."

"I'm concerned," Ritsuko said, her voice now down to a whisper. "She's exhibiting signs of empathy towards him. I thought we wouldn't have to worry about this?"

Gendo's lips straightened back out into his standard stone-cold visage. "Rei is not without the capacity to feel emotion. Rather, she lacks the necessary experience and socialization to understand what she is feeling." Gendo adjusted his sunglasses, his eyes trained on the tube, which emitted a faint gurgling sound from behind its glass surface. "Obviously, some of this is his doing."

"You think it was a mistake to bring him here?"

"Perhaps, in some ways. But Rei can be replaced, if necessary; her emotional state will not affect the scenario. But him... this most recent turn of events is curious indeed."

Ritsuko simply stood behind Gendo, taking a moment to marvel at the cold, calculating way in which the man spoke. It had always amazed (and disgusted) the woman that he could be so casual about matters of such importance as a human life. "I'm preparing another round of scans to see if we can obtain any more data on any possible physical change to his brain chemistry. Obviously something's going on in there, we just don't know what yet."

"Very well. Contact me as soon as you have some results. I will be in my office." Gendo turned away from the tube, looking directly past Ritsuko, and walked toward the laboratory door. It opened slightly and closed with a deafening boom. Ritsuko sighed and turned her attention back to the fixture in the room's center.

"Lights."

The obsidian surface abruptly flared amber, refracting the LCL inside. In the center, suspended by a network of tubes and a breathing mask, was Shinji Ikari.

"Another day, Shinji-kun."

( 0 0 0 )

Ryoji Kaji repositioned his legs for about the tenth time in the past several minutes. To Kaji, however, those minutes were starting to feel like hours. He sat in the chair across from Gendo Ikari's desk, waiting on NERV's commander to return. Kaji hated this office. It was always kept cold, and the scruffy-looking man was beginning to wonder if the temperature was not another clever device to enhance Gendo's already intimidating presence. If that's what it is, Kaji thought to himself, surreptitiously checking the briefcase by his feet, it's working. This room is giving me the creeps. He looked upward and sighed, the Sephirothic diagram on the ceiling doing little to alleviate his discomfort. Kaji stood, picking up the briefcase and walking over to the window, looking out onto the Geofront below. That's better, he thought to himself, already feeling relieved. Rather than looking at a room devoted to man's insanity, I'll look at a symbol of man's perseverance over adversity. He looked backward at the office. Although, one man's perseverance could be perceived by another as insanity.

Kaji shook himself; that line of thinking was dangerous, especially in an environment that seemed to thrive off of his insecurities. More often than not, Kaji was able to hide those, but this place and its master had a tendency to make him feel rather like a frog on a dissection table, being examined, poked, and prodded. But he was a man of secrets; he thrived on them, and most importantly, he knew how to keep one. Maybe that's why I got picked for this little delivery. Again, he looked at the briefcase.

The door to the office opened, and Kaji turned, smiling at Gendo as he entered the office. "There you are. Starting to wonder if you were keeping me in suspense on purpose."

Gendo looked at him enigmatically as he crossed the room, rather wraith-like, and slid into his chair behind the jet black slab he called a desk. "Now why would I do that, Agent Kaji?"

"I can think of a thousand different reasons, Commander."

"You brought it?"

Kaji nodded. "Naturally." He lifted the briefcase, setting it on the desk in front of Gendo and turning the heavy security key clasps toward the man. "As you requested."

Gendo's eyes examined the case rather clinically, as if looking for any small fault. He nodded, satisfied. "I will examine the contents later. For now, I have another situation that requires attention."

This surprised Kaji. "Really? I was under the impression there wasn't anything more important than what's in that case."

"In the long run, there is not. This problem affects us more immediately."

"You're talking about what happened on the ship, aren't you?"

Gendo nodded. "Yes. Luckily, there was no additional media blackout necessary; one was already in place due to Unit 02's transportation. But the... creature, for lack of a better word, is a matter of interest to me."

"I didn't get a chance to see it, myself. What was it?"

"Shinji."

Kaji did a double take. "I'm sorry?"

"For reasons we cannot fully explain at this point, the Third Child has undergone some sort of metamorphosis." As he spoke, Gendo brought up a small computer console in the desk and opened a heavily encrypted file. It was security footage from the ship, and Kaji watched with some degree of awe as Shinji transformed into the hulking green beast that had destroyed the Angel. Gendo paused just after the transformation was complete and Shinji's altered state reared its head back and unleashed a mighty roar. Kaji looked at the finished product with no small amount of trepidation.

"Jesus," he whispered.

Gendo folded his hands in front of his face, leaning forward. "Indeed. Needless to say, this presents us with a number of problems. We are currently keeping the Third Child quarantined and heavily sedated until the full effects of this development can be examined."

"Like what, for instance?"

"For starters, if these... events are random or triggered by some outside stimuli. Also, I want to know if this will affect his ability to pilot. If the Third Child is unable to activate Unit 01, we will have to find some other way of utilizing it."

Kaji nodded. "It does have the best track record so far."

Gendo nodded. "The Third Child is the only one who has been able to synchronize and control Unit 01 reliably. That leaves us now with two pilots as opposed to the three we were expecting."

"You're already looking for another one?"

"A precautionary measure. With this taken care of," the commander said, adjusting his glasses and resting a gloved hand on the sleek briefcase, "your secondary objective just became your primary one. The Second Child's safety is now your foremost responsibility."

"What about Rei?" Kaji asked, crossing his arms and leaning back in the chair.

"Rei is taken care of. Your old friend Katsuragi has requested that the Second Child be transferred into her care. She did the same with Shinji." Gendo reached into his desk, extracting a piece of paper. "This is your assignment, and your accommodation."

Kaji took the sheet of paper, looking over Gendo's crisp, methodical kanji. His eyes widened slightly. "You want me to live with Misato?"

Gendo nodded curtly. "The two of you should prove capable of keeping the Second Child safe from harm, as opposed to just one of you."

Kaji whistled. "Katsuragi's not going to be happy about this one."

"She does not have to be," Gendo said, leaning back in his chair. "This is not a request."

( 0 0 0 )

A veritable mountain of paperwork wobbled precariously, threatening to empty itself onto the floor of Misato's office. The major reached a hand up, carelessly and automatically, preventing the avalanche of forms and documents that had been growing larger rather than smaller as the day went on. The woman sighed, slowly running her hands through her long, violet hair, her brow beginning to sweat and her eyelids becoming heavy. She had been at this all day, chipping away at the task in front of her, all the while feeling like an ant trying to tear down a house brick by brick. She scrawled her signature onto the piece of paper in front of her, moving it into the tray on her right and taking another from the top of the tower, once again steadying it with her hand.

Misato's vision blurred, and she shook her head, trying to focus on the writing. "I've seen this form before," she mumbled through clenched teeth. "Filled one of these fuckin' things out already, I swear I did." Too tired to search through the completed forms, Misato simply attempted to read through the one in front of her, her mind wandering back to what had happened the day before. It had been a long and painful debrief, as every member of the Over the Rainbow's crew was grilled by military personnel and investigators about the events that had unfolded. Normally, it was NERV doing the interrogating and covering up, which made Misato feel uneasy about the whole business, even more than she would have been otherwise.

Two men argued outside the door, and Misato could hear them both. It didn't sound like the typical jurisdictional pissing match, like the one Misato had entered into with the Over the Rainbow's captain what felt like days ago. In reality it had been less than twenty-four hours, and four of those had been spent inthis very small, dark interrogation room. One overhead light shone almost painfully bright overhead, and the room contained two chairs and a table. The only other object was a security camera in one of the room's upper corners; Misato could see the tiny red light blinking, showing that she was being recorded. She forced one of her winning smiles for whoever was on the other end, feeling slightly better now that she had flaunted whatever authority was keeping her here.

With an abrupt click that sounded like a gunshot in the silent, enclosed space, a man in an impeccably pressed black suit and white dress shirt opened the door and stepped through. He looked at Misato, removing a pair of large, mirrored aviator sunglasses. "Major Katsuragi?"

Misato looked him over; he was average looking, well muscled with extremely short cropped hair and an intense expression. Misato had seen enough men like him in her time. "That'd be me. Who's asking?"

"My name doesn't matter. What does is who I represent." The agent (Misato assumed that he was some sort of agent, anyway) set a manila folder down in front of her bearing an insignia for an organization she did not recognize, with no letter markings of any kind. The logo was a large, spread-winged eagle.

"Inside there," the agent said, "you'll find a list of nondisclosure forms and debriefing information regarding the incident. We've already spoken with Commander Ikari. Long and short of it is that this matter is classified at the highest level. You're to keep all information regarding the events of the last twenty-four hours in the strictest confidence unless speaking to your Commander and Sub-Commander."

Misato raised an eyebrow. "Speaking of them, I'd like to confer with my superior officers. I'm not signing anything or agreeing to anything without their say so."

The man in the suit nodded amicably. "By all means." He handed Misato her cellular phone, which had been confiscated from her shortly before her arrival. She took it, and speed-dialed the Commander's number.

After a few short rings, he answered. "Ikari."

"Commander, it's Katsuragi."

"I hope for your sake, Major, that this is important," he said, his voice gruff, carrying a hint of annoyance.

Misato briefly explained her situation. After a pause over the line, she heard his voice again. "Yes, I'm aware. Major, for now, sign the forms and keep what happened there to yourself. I'm in the middle of a debrief myself."

"You've... heard about what happened then, sir?"

"I have. And I am dealing with it as we speak. For now, offer your cooperation and your assured silence. We can discuss this upon your return." With that, the line went dead.

Misato looked at her phone in confusion. She had never known the Commander to oblige another organization so easily; he had surely not done so with the military branch that worked alongside NERV, and he did not take kindly to being ordered around, especially by an organization with no given name or authority.

She looked back up at the agent, who nodded slightly. Misato sat down and sighed. "You got a pen?"

Since then, Misato had been filling out incident reports and cost assessments from the damage done to the ships in the battle with the Angel, and she had not left the office in several hours. "I need a break," the Major mumbled as she stacked another form on the completed pile.

"Major Katsuragi?"

"Nyaaaaaah!" Misato yelped, taken completely by surprise, absorbed as she was in her current task. She sat bolt upright, her eyes open wide and locked onto Rei's pale face. Several seconds of dead silence ensued as Misato attempted to catch her breath and slow her rapidly beating heart. The stack of paperwork on the desk finally fell over, spilling onto the office floor and cascading off of the desk like autumn leaves. Rei watched them fall then looked back up at Misato. "Have I come at a bad time?"

Misato's eyes darted to the forms and files, then back up to Rei. "No, Rei. I don't think I'm gonna be able to stare at fine print much longer, anyway." She smiled, welcoming the distraction. "What can I do for you?"

Rei's eyes lowered, and she appeared to be in thought, choosing her words carefully. Misato had never noticed her do this; Rei's clipped speech was usually prompt, as if she prepared her responses and her questions in advance. Now it seemed the First Child, for the first time, was having difficulty finding her words. "I believe I am... worried."

"Worried?" Misato stood, wincing as one of her joints popped, a side effect of sitting in her office chair for so long.

"Yes. About Pilot Ikari." The blue-haired girl hesitated once more.

Misato leaned against the front of her desk, folding her arms in front of her and listening patiently. "With Shinji? Why?"

"I have been assured that he is physically well and that he is undergoing tests. However, I do not know why. I believe it to be classified beyond my clearance level."

Misato nodded. "It is."

Rei looked at the floor, as if considering this information. "I see."

"So why come to me?" Misato asked, more than a little bewildered.

"I was unsure of how to approach the situation. You are Pilot Ikari's guardian. I suppose I wanted to see if you... shared my concerns." To Misato's surprise, Rei blushed.

Misato couldn't help but smile about that. "Yeah... look, Rei, legally speaking I can't talk about what's going on. You understand that." Rei nodded at this. "But privately?" Misato said, taking a deep breath, suddenly feeling like she was being interrogated. "Privately, I'm as worried about all this as you, Rei. For a lot of other reasons."

Rei stood there for what felt, to Misato, like several hours. In reality it was only a few minutes, but Rei's absorption in her own thoughts told the Major that she would have stood there for days if she needed the time. "I see. Thank you for your time, Major."

Misato offered Rei a comforting smile. "No problem." Rei turned to go, but Misato stopped her. "Hey... if you need to talk to someone, I'm here."

There was silence as Rei locked eyes with the older woman again, then averted them again, thinking. She bowed, silently, then left, the door closing behind her with a pneumatic hiss. Misato looked at the mess on her floor and rubbed her temples, as if to alleviate a great pressure building up inside her head, then began picking the papers back up and stacking them on her desk, this time in smaller piles rather than one enormous column. As she did so, Misato replayed what had just occurred in her mind. She could not help but feel a certain sense of unease; Rei had never approached her about a situation before.

Then again, Misato thought to herself, Shinji's never been involved before.

The thought, oddly, did nothing to comfort her.

( 0 0 0 )

Days Without Incident: 52

The harsh spotlight flared to life over Gendo's head as he sat at the empty desk in the simple, barren room, causing his skin to itch underneath his shirt and uniform jacket. He knew that the chamber was meant to be uncomfortable, even unsettling, so as to intimidate those who would stand before the council. Many things about SEELE's methods made Gendo question whether the cadre of old men were not as powerful as they led him (and others) to believe; rather, they hid behind veneers of intimidation and subterfuge, operating in shadow so as to seem more imposing than they actual were. It reminded Gendo of an old saying. The devil you know, and the devil you don't. He adjusted his glasses and took a deep breath, wishing to remain stoic and imposing himself when they made their appearance.

It did not take long. A rush of air like the exhalation of some otherworldly specter signaled the arrival of SEELE 01. The black monolith, a holographic image that acted as the councilman's face in these backdoor roundtables, was seven feet tall at least, featureless save for block letters in brilliant, eye-searing red: SEELE 01. SOUND ONLY. 01 was the chairman, the leader, or at least the one the others defaulted to. There were twelve in all, with Gendo making thirteen. This fact always reminded him of his studies of the Bible, of Jesus and his twelve disciples. He had wondered if this was intentional at first, before quickly realizing that it must be.

"Ikari," the monolith's voice rasped, echoing in the immense chamber. "We have heard of your recent troubles. It seems your project has grown more complicated than you anticipated."

Gendo ignored the blatant condescension, instead making a statement of his own. "I do not appreciate yielding my authority to outside agencies, least of all ones I do not know or recognize." He adjusted his glasses. "I assume there is a suitable explanation for this?"

More of the hovering black tablets appeared, the beginnings of a circle forming, with Gendo and 01 at opposite ends of the radius. 04 was the next to speak, his voice grating on Gendo's nerves like the squalling of a spoiled child. "You dare to question this council's decisions?"

"In this case, I feel it is justified. You are asking me to hand over an extremely important matter to an organization I have never heard of. Naturally, I am troubled."

07 interjected, his voice deep and sonorous. "You are not prepared to deal with such a matter, Ikari. Nor do you have the luxury of becoming distracted. The Angels are your primary concern, are they not?"

Gendo had thought of this and planned an argument against it in advance. "Indeed. But in order to maintain a stable pilot roster, the Third Child's condition merits investigation. It could be detrimental to his ability to pilot. Since he is the only pilot so far able to successfully operate Evangelion Unit 01, his status is of the utmost importance."

There was silence in the room for a moment before Gendo plowed on, sensing he had some headway. "So, with that in mind, why should I turn over part of my primary concern to a nameless group of men with only your word to go on?"

"Because those were your orders, Ikari," 01 barked, his voice suddenly loud and irate. "You should not require any more explanation than that."

"Perhaps he is right to ask for it," 03 said, his voice calm, calculating, and cold. "Under normal circumstances I would agree with the council, but these are hardly normal circumstances."

Silence reigned over the room for several tense moments. Gendo felt his forehead begin to sweat; he was thankful no one could notice.

"Very well," 01 intoned authoritatively. "I suppose under these conditions we can give Ikari some information." The monolith did not move, but Gendo could feel the chairman's attention focusing on him and him alone. "They call themselves SHIELD. They are an American security organization with ties to the United Nations."

Gendo bristled. "Americans."

"SHIELD is an acronym for the Stategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division. They are tasked with dealing with threats and problems exactly like the one we are now presented with. They are specialists. Which is why, despite your views on the matter, you are to hand over control to them."

The low hum of the lights and the strange whirling of air currents around the black slabs were the only sounds that perpetuated the chamber for a while after this statement. Gendo understood it for what it was: the end of the discussion. That suited him fine; he had what he wanted. "Understood, chairman. My people will begin preparations for the Third Child's transfer."

"A wise move, Ikari," the annoying, wheezy voice of 08 said. "Expect contact from one of SHIELD's agents within two days." The electronic hum subsided, and the circle of obsidian markers vanished, leaving Gendo alone in the sealed room. He sat there for an extended period of time; exactly how long, he was not sure. Time seemed to stand still in the council chamber, and Gendo was glad, for it was one of the few places he was afforded such a luxury. Thoughts tumbled in his mind, and he inhaled deeply, sifting through and organizing them until a plan began to come together.

Once he had assembled his scheme, he stood, pushed his chair back up against the barren desk, and strode to the far wall, a door sliding open to accommodate him. As he predicted, Fuyutsuki was waiting for him outside, and the older man looked at him expectantly. "Well?"

"Put a call in to Intelligence Division. I want to know everything they can find about SHIELD."

"SHIELD?" Fuyutsuki asked with a raised eyebrow.

"The old men have seen fit to put this matter into another set of hands. They have given me little to no information, but they gave me enough. Whatever they think this is, it is important to them, which makes it even more important to me." He began walking down the hallway, and Fuyutsuki followed. "Meanwhile, send an order to Dr. Akagi to have the Third Child prepped for transport."

"They're moving him? To where?"

Gendo adjusted his glasses. "Intelligence had best find that out, or they'll all be looking for new jobs."

( 0 0 0 )

Days Without Incident: 54

Ritsuko focused on the monitor showing Shinji's life support signs and vitals, relieved to note that everything looked stable. "Absolute miracle," she mumbled under her breath. She was used to working under tense conditions, but the order from the Commander had been made her highest priority, and the doctor had been forced to cobble together a solution in what could only be described as an unacceptable timeframe. The holding unit that housed the Third Child had never been designed to be portable, and it had taken considerable technical expertise from her and her staff to actually formulate a way of keeping their subject sedated (and, more importantly, alive) for the journey to their mystery destination. Ritsuko borderline resented the interference from outsiders in what she perceived to be a matter for NERV's scientists, and no one else. However, that had not been her decision to make, so she did what she always did under such conditions: exceptional work.

Now, with the LCL tank laying down rather like a coffin, hooked up to a small but powerful generator and a number of life support monitors, computer displays, and oxygen tanks to resupply the LCL inside, Ritsuko took a spare few seconds to admire the work of her team. "Well, Shinji," she said, also abandoning her usual detached manner, "I guess this is goodbye. Shame. We barely got to know each other."

A loud click resonated in the laboratory, and Ritsuko's blood ran cold. Only one thing she knew made a sound like that: the sound of a round being chambered in a handgun. Without thinking that such a sudden movement might cause her attacker to pull the trigger, Ritsuko whirled around to face her assailant and almost laughed at the bizarre sight in front of her. Rei Ayanami stood there, her skin glowing under the pale green lights of the lab, her features carved into a determined expression. Yet Ritsuko saw something else in the depths of her crimson eyes, something she never thought she would see in Rei:

Fear.

"Ayanami," Ritsuko spoke, trying to keep her voice calm and level, "what are you doing?"

"I apologize for this, Dr. Akagi," the girl said, her voice quivering only slightly, "but these methods are necessary. I could come to no other conclusion."

"Where did you get that?" Ritsuko nodded to the handgun.

"Your desk. I am surprised you did not recognize it."

Ritsuko was mystified. "How did you-"

"I have been observing you and your team for the last week, doctor. What I have discovered has been troubling, to say the least." Rei looked at the holding tank. "Is Pilot Ikari inside?"

Ritsuko thought it best not to lie at this point in the discussion. Rei had always had an uncanny ability to know when people were lying to her. "Yes, he is."

"Is he still alive?"

"Rei, you think we would -"

The pilot cut her off again. "Answer my question please, doctor."

Ritsuko swallowed. "Yes."

"Very well then. I know that you are preparing to transfer Pilot Ikari into the custody of another organization. I cannot allow this to occur. You will accompany me outside this facility, whereupon you will provide me with a vehicle. I will then take Pilot Ikari with me."

"Why are you doing this, Rei?"

Rei hesitated, her arm wavering slightly, as if the weight of the weapon in her grip was beginning to take a toll on her. "I made a promise to him. I am trying to keep that promise."

"Despite your better judgment?" Ritsuko asked, her voice carrying a little more heat that she had intended. "Rei, this is wrong. You know it is."

"I understand that this is... well outside my normal parameters," Rei said, staring down the barrel as she adjusted her fist, tightening her grip on the handle. "But I believe that harm will come to Pilot Ikari unless I act. Not only did I promise to protect him... he saved my life."

Ritsuko looked over at the holding tank, thinking about the footage from the carrier, thinking about what Shinji had become, what he had done to the Angel. "You don't know the whole story, Rei. We're trying to help him."

"You may be. But these others may not. I am afraid that is a risk I am unwilling to take."

Ritsuko's heart beat rapidly in her throat, unsure of Rei's capability. "You're willing to kill me for that belief? For someone you hardly know? I practically raised you, Rei."

"That is not my choice, doctor. You are the one who decides what transpires. Assist me, and you will come to no harm by my hand."

"And what about the Commander? What would he say when he finds out about this? What will he think of his precious First Child?"

Rei bristled, taking a step forward. "I do not have the time to debate the matter with you further. Will you help me, Dr. Akagi? More to the point, will you help Pilot Ikari?"

Ritsuko's eyes darted over to the casket, her mind racing. On the one hand, she was virtually certain that Gendo would kill her if she allowed Rei to take Shinji from the facility. On the other, the scientist was also reasonably confident that Rei had it in her to kill someone. Disarming the First Child was out of the question; despite her small stature, the First Child was much better trained in combat than Ritsuko was, a product of her rigid, single-minded upbringing. Ritsuko sighed. She was going to have to take her chances no matter which choice she made. In the end, the more immediate danger won out. "Fine. I'll help you, Rei. But you should know they won't take this lying down. They'll find you. Both of you."

"I am aware of the repercussions, doctor. Let us proceed."

( 0 0 0 )

Ritsuko took a position behind the cart, wheeling the metal holding tank out of the laboratory as Rei walked alongside her, an oversized lab coat draped over her slim shoulders disguising the pistol that she still had aimed at Dr. Akagi. The sight of the blonde doctor and the blue-haired pilot drew little attention from the security staff, who had grown used to the comings and goings of the pair over the last two months. Ritsuko's forehead was beaded with sweat as the echoing of her shoes resonated in the corridor and bounced around her eardrums like cannon fire, making her temples ache. For some reason, she found herself unable to maintain her usual level of composure. "Rei, why are you doing this?" the woman asked, finally unable to keep the question to herself any longer.

"If we must discuss this," Rei whispered, her voice almost inaudible over the squeaking of the cart's wheels and the thudding of their shoes, "we must do so quietly. Maintain your bearing."

Ritsuko did not look at Rei as the girl spoke, keeping her eyes front. "Shortly after Pilot Ikari's accident, he indicated to me that we might die in our attempt to destroy the Angel. I promised that he would not die, that I would protect him. I did so, taking a hit from the Angel's energy beam with the shielding you provided to us before the operation."

The First Child paused, blinking her red eyes a couple of times, as if taking stock of herself. "Then something happened that I did not anticipate. Pilot Ikari risked himself to save me. In truth I do not understand why, and I had no opportunity to question him on the matter.

"I was also unable to accompany Pilot Ikari and Major Katsuragi to the carrier to meet the Second Child. Upon their return, it was clear that something had happened. I spent roughly the first month curious yet content to remain ignorant of the circumstances regarding what had taken place. Investigation through the usual channels proved fruitless; thus, I chose a less official course of action."

Ritsuko understood what she meant. "You were spying on us."

Rei nodded. "Quite so."

"The Commander would throw you in the brig if he knew about this," Ritsuko said, unable to keep the small smile from her face.

"I have no doubt. Which is why secrecy was my utmost priority. It took considerable effort, but I was able to access video taken from the Over the Rainbow and see Pilot Ikari's..."-Rei searched for an appropriate term-"... transformation. I was also able to ascertain that he was to be transferred into the custody of someone else."

"If you've seen what he can become, then you know how dangerous he is," Ritsuko whispered, a touch of panic in her voice.

"I do. I also understand that whatever organization he is being turned over to will likely harm Pilot Ikari in their attempts to understand his newly acquired power. Were I to allow this, I would be breaking my vow to protect him."

"That promise must mean a lot to you." Ritsuko's gaze shifted to the casket in front of her. "He must mean a lot to you."

Rei looked over to the doctor. "I am responsible for him." She shifted her eyes, looking around. "We are nearing the vehicle dock."

NERV's Geofront was a subterranean level deep beneath the surface of Tokyo-3, a miracle of modern engineering. Much of the city above had been constructed on a grid system, and the more important or expensive sectors lowered into the ground in case of an Angel attack. From below, Tokyo-3 sat suspended upside down like enormous steel and glass stalactites on the ceiling of an immense cave. The Geofront itself sported the buildings of NERV HQ, the black pyramid of central command standing out in stark contrast to the clear blue lake and the flowing emerald grasses below. What was of interest to Rei and Ritsuko was the vehicle lifts, networks of tubes and cables that ferried vehicles and their passengers from the city above down to NERV's garages.

Making it onto one of the cable cars, however, was no easy task for most. There were stringent security measures in place to prevent unauthorized access and leave, first and foremost being an electronic scanner that read the key cards NERV personnel were issued. This did not worry Rei. What concerned her was the team of Section 2 security agents that were likely standing beyond the terminal to handle the exchange, along with whatever people this other agency saw fit to bring. Her appearance was unusual, and she was known to them. If this plan was to succeed, she could not be seen.

"Doctor. How is this exchange going to take place?" Rei asked, now feeling what she thought to be trepidation. The difficulty of this task was beginning to show itself.

"I don't know how they planned on getting him out of here," Ritsuko responded, swiping her identity card at the door. The hefty metal blast doors vibrated as the locks within unlatched themselves, and the room shook as they drew back. "They'd need a large vehicle to carry this kind of container, though, so I'm guessing it must be a van or armored truck. Probably the latter."

"I see. Then we have no choice. We cannot transport Pilot Ikari in a container this large without being noticed. We have to remove him from the tank."

Ritsuko blanched, her skin turning almost the same color as her captor's. "Rei... I really don't think we should. Shinji's condition is... unpredictable, at best. I have no idea what will happen if we open this thing and let him out."

Rei nodded thoughtfully. "I am aware of that. I am also aware of what will happen if we do not. Inevitably, we will be captured and disciplined, I suspect rather severely." No one stood near the pair, and Rei took this opportunity to remind Ritsuko of her position by aiming the pistol at her. "Open the tank."

The blonde doctor's eyes darted from the tank to the gun then back to the tank. "God help me." She pushed a button on the console mounted to the side of the silver cylinder, watching as air hissed from the vents, breaking the hermetic seal. As she lifted the lid, the LCL inside rippled, murky and dark without the light from the Entry Plug or the main system. Rei peered over the edge of the lid down at the sleeping face of Shinji Ikari, strangely peaceful as he floated on his back, barely breaking the surface of the orange fluid.

"Ikari-kun," Rei whispered, her voice soft and desperate, "wake up. We have to go."

"He's under the influence of about a dozen different sedatives right now, Rei. We kept him under after he almost transformed during one of our tests. Punched through three inches of solid glass before we managed to knock him out."

"Understood. Help me lift him, then."

Rei stood at the base of the container, tucking her pistol into the pocket of her lab coat and dipping her hands into the LCL to grasp Shinji's ankles. It took her a moment to find her grip, the slippery connection fluid making her efforts rather difficult, but she eventually looked up to Ritsuko and nodded, affirming that she had him. Ritsuko reached into the other end of the container and slipped her arms under Shinji's own, and with a silent nod the two women lifted, drawing the unconscious boy out of the tube. Rivulets of goo dripped from his unconscious form and pooled on the concrete under their feet as they lowered his feet to the floor, and Rei drew the lab coat from her shoulders and draped it around the boy's naked form. She tucked the handgun into her vest as Ritsuko brought Shinji's arm around her shoulders, hoisting him into a standing position.

"Great," Ritsuko huffed, "so now we've got him up and about, but we don't have a way out of here."

"We do." Rei reached into her vest and drew out a set of keys that Ritsuko recognized as belonging to a NERV company car.

"Well, well, Rei. Assault with a deadly weapon, kidnapping, and now theft of NERV property all in one day." The doctor grinned sardonically. "If I weren't so angry with you right now, I'd be impressed."

"Your assessment is appreciated, doctor. Let us locate the vehicle."

NERV owned a respectable number of its own vehicles for official use, mostly by the Section 2 security division during their operations. For the most part, they were unassuming black sedans bearing the NERV leaf insignia on the front license plates for easy identification. Something would have to be done about that eventually, but in the meantime, it would do. At least, Rei hoped that it would. She produced her key after stopping at one of the cars and opened the driver's side door, pushing a button that popped open the trunk.

"You're gonna put him in there?" Ritsuko asked, mildly incredulous.

"Do you have a better suggestion?"

Ritsuko didn't. With Rei's help, they once again lifted Shinji off the ground and lowered his legs in first.

Then he woke up.

( 0 0 0 )

Deep within the recesses of Shinji's now fractured mind, something stirred, a hurricane trapped in a cocoon of chemically induced sleep. Some part of Shinji saw this, some small part of his dormant, sleeping mind saw the storm about to be unleashed. Now, as on the carrier, he found himself helpless to resist the coming storm, a prisoner in his own mind. Silence spewed forth from his screaming mouth as he struggled, desperately trying to regain control of himself. His attempts were in vain.

Blurred images ran through Shinji's psyche like a film projector at high speed, images like those from a half-remembered dream. An aircraft carrier exploded, vanishing into the ocean's depths. Purple blood shot from the corpse of a creature as he soared through the air, his fist clutching a crystalline red orb. Doctors stood over him, poking, prodding him. The noise. There was so much noise.

The doctor. He remembered her. She had stared at him through glass and light, tubes protruding from his skin like obscene tumors. Prisoner. He was a prisoner.

The feral part of his mind awoke, that great beast unchaining itself from the delirium. Smash, it rumbled, a great and powerful sound, more like a landslide or an avalanche than the voice of any worldly being, smash, smash, smash...

( 0 0 0 )

Ritsuko did not have time to scream in surprise or make any kind of sound at all before Shinji's arm lashed out, wrapping around her throat like a vice. The scientist looked down into the boy's eyes, their normal deep cobalt color pulsating and shifting into a vibrant, scintillating green. His lips were spread wide, showing her every pearly white tooth like the smile of a rabid dog. Shinji's breath came in short, quick puffs, loud and terrifying. Ritsuko choked, trying to speak or even inhale the slightest bit of oxygen, but the Third Child's grip on her was unshakable and unyielding.

Rei froze, watching what was happening in front of her. Ritsuko had warned her about Shinji's volatility, and she had seen the footage from the battle with the Angel, but it still caught her off guard. Shinji was not himself. She recognized the change in his eye color from when he rescued her from the Entry Plug, and that gave her an idea. It was not a particularly logical one, Rei knew, but it was either this or watch Dr. Akagi suffocate. She took two steps forward, standing in Shinji's line of sight, locking eyes with him.

"Ikari-kun," Rei spoke lightly, forgoing the title of Pilot for the first time since their meeting, "we are trying to help you. Let her go."

Shinji's eyes flickered back and forth between the two women. His mouth worked, no sound issuing from it the first several times, until he finally managed to choke out a questioning "Aya...nami?"

"Yes. It is me," the girl said, looking into his eyes intently. "Ikari-kun, please, try to remain calm. We are here to help you."

"She... she..." Shinji's mouth moved wordlessly again, his eyes starting to lose their strange discoloration. "She... hurt me..."

"I know. But now we are escaping. I need you to let her go."

Tense seconds passed by, the only sound between the three of them were Ritsuko's strangled attempts to breathe. Finally, Shinji's arm went slack and he slumped forward. Rei raised her arms quickly and steadied him while Ritsuko stepped backward, doubling over and inhaling with a deep, pained groan. "Ayanami," Shinji rasped, his voice now sounding weak, very much unlike his previous rage-filled growling, "what's... what's going on?"

"I do not have time to explain everything to you, Ikari-kun. Right now, I am attempting to take you away from some people who may seek to harm you. You will have to follow my lead unless you wish to be captured."

Shinji's eyes widened in surprise, the sedatives beginning to wear off and the realization starting to sink into his addled brain. "We're... escaping? Leaving NERV? But you-"

Rei cut him off. "We do not have time to waste. Do you trust me, Ikari-kun?"

Shinji looked up into Rei's eyes, as if looking for some indiscernible quality that she would not be able to fathom. The boy remembered what she had done for him, leaping into the path of death itself to keep him alive-and now she was potentially doing so a second time. That day, they had saved each other. She owed him nothing, yet she still risked everything to keep him from those who would do him harm. That gave Shinji his answer, and he nodded. "I trust you."

Rei smiled at him, only the second time she had ever done so. "Good. Then we need to keep you hidden."

Author's Notes: Well, close to one year in between updates. I guess it's better than last time but it still kinda sucks.

Things are starting to heat up in this story, but unfortunately with my working schedule writing time's sparse these days. I'll just say that it'll come when it comes.

Prereading for this story was done by Scout, as usual.

Coming up next issue: Thunderbolt!