Part 4

"You must understand, Mr. Kaji, that Miss Langley's files were transferred mostly over to Princeton upon transferring."

"Uh-huh, well, are you sure there wasn't anything that you have that could help us?" Kaji replied, frowning, hoping to fool the old woman into going into one of her British cabinets so that Kaji could simply investigate the entire school system. Surely Star Aran's folder was in this large room somewhere, this room filled with drawers that rose to the ceiling, draws as wide as the room, bins upon bins of history where, no doubt, some information on Star Aran resided. Sure, there were computer databases, but there he could be traced. That is where Ritsuko and Maya failed. A university like Oxford would no doubt keep physical and digital records of all their students.

"We are quite thoroughly sure," the nameless, plain looking woman advising him stated, "Now, if you want information, I advice you go to Princeton, where we transferred just about everything."

"Just about implies there's something left over."

"I apologize for my poor choice in words," the woman replied flatly, glancing through her glasses at the investigator, "But I don't know what to tell you. We have nothing of use to you people." Why couldn't the stupid woman simply distract herself examining tea leaves or going to Hogwarts or whatever it was British people did? Kaji wanted to just tear this room right down and look through every file himself, but, alas, he could not so long as he wasn't granted permission.

Wait a second. Didn't he have the legal ability to do things without permission?

"Well, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to do a little research on my own," Kaji chuckled, plucking a pair of keys from the woman's fingers, her eyes widening in shock, as the agent undid the first shelf, conveniently one starting with "A."

"Wait, you don't have permi-that's not even her drawer!"

"Maybe someone made a mistake and put Asuka's documents under A."

"If someone did that, they'd be fired immediately for incompetence!"

"Well, maybe you should trim the fat from the school more often. Or, alternatively, off of your hips."

#

"You're saying she's getting off easy. What does that mean?"

Rei glanced at Pilot Aran as he coughed into his hand, his pale skin glistening with sweat as he smiled, sweetly. Judging by the trembling motion traveling up his limbs as he began to speak, the Fourth Child had begun to grow ill. It was probably unwise for him to travel about in a t-shirt at school, and yet he chose to ignore his illness as though it weren't there. Rei wanted to inform the pilot he was neither indestructible or immortal, but chose not to point the obvious out to a man clearly too stubborn to listen.

"Well," Pilot Aran began, clearing his throat loudly before continuing, "isn't it obvious that she's still a jerk to Shinji? Do you really think she learned anything at all if she's still being so much of a-cough!-ass?"

"I'm not sure I understand how Pilot Sohryu is connected to a donkey," Rei said, seriously.

"It's a figure of speech," Pilot Aran mumbled, waving off her question as though it didn't matter as he stared, unfocused, into her eyes, "Look, what's important is that Pilot Sohryu, Asuka, stops bugging you."

"Bugging? I thought she was like a donkey, but now she's an insect?" Rei replied, somewhat confused, yet not betraying her true thoughts. Indeed, she knew enough about the lexicon to understand what words meant what, even if they were slang, but, alas, perhaps by frustrating Pilot Aran, he'd leave her to solitude, where she could avoid the germs he continued to cough into his arms and hands, germs he seemed to ignore to wash away or clean, germs that squirmed silently on his skin. Rei had no issue with viruses and bacteria, but, alas, he himself was starting to resemble a giant virus metaphysically. After all, was Rei not sick in a different way because of this boy? All this talk of vengeance and violence.

Just earlier that week, Rei went along with Pilot Aran under the pretenses that this would somehow manage to teach Pilot Sohryu a lesson. Though Pilot Aran seemed to overlook it, there was a melancholy tint in the German girl's eyes, a tint that seemed to send an odd sensation through Rei's chest, much like when you walk out into a rainstorm, only to acknowledge how, if you had thought logically, you would've brought a raincoat or umbrella to save yourself from the onslaught of water. Alas, this current emotion was akin to that, albeit much stronger, soaking her straight to the bone with pain.

What name did this sensation have?

"You know what I mean," Pilot Aran finally mumbled, running a hand up his sweaty brow, "Jesus, I need a drink. Thirsty as hell. Look, this is important, so, uh, we need to take the spotlight away from Asuka again next battle, okay?" Despite this soaking emotion filling Rei's body, she nodded. "Good, well then, Rei, I was wondering, if you weren't too busy, maybe we could hang out later."

"I need to see Dr. Akagi later today."

"What for? Can't you skip?"

"That is not an option."

"Tell her it's important."

"She won't accept that reason."

"Let me talk to her.

"Not an option."

"If you insist."

"I do."

#

"So do you have any new info on that egg the Fourth Child brought in?" Misato asked, sipping a cup of beer heavily as she approached Ritsuko from behind. Before them were hundreds of computers, with only an eighth of them occupied by technicians, before a large mechanism surrounding the egg of the Eighth Angel: Sandalphon. The blonde haired scientist ran a hand over her eyes as she removed her eyeglasses. As she rested her eyes, she sighed for a moment, glancing up at the ceiling, before pouring a cup of coffee down her throat. "Well?"

"To be honest, Captain, nothing new. I'm surprised, but it seems as though the Angel actually died during the age reversal process," Ritsuko sighed, "It seems that, by suddenly shrinking all the organs, the AT Field forgot to restore the bodily hormones meant to mature the Angel, and thus kept it perpetually frozen at the embryonic state, which, for all intents and purposes, means all we know about is one other stage of the angel's development. Granted, that's more than we knew before, but it doesn't teach us how Angels develop, or how they grow, or what have you. All we do know is that the angels start off as embryos, and some of the premature organs and how the core is present at whatever stage the angel regressed to. Still, we don't know how long it takes to reach this stage, how long it takes for the angel to mature, or anything like that. To be honest, it's like finding a goldmine only to find that the mine's full of fool's gold. Completely worthless."

"All is not lost yet, I hope."

Misato turned at the odd, old sounding voice, as a new figure emerged from the shadows. All at once, a creepy feeling filled the purple haired woman's chest as this new man entered the chamber. He was not dressed in militaristic attire, but rather a long, flowing dark robe, a massive cross hanging gently above his solar plexus as his aged form entered. He wasn't that old, perhaps mid-fifties or early sixties, and, while his flesh sagged slightly under the weights of time, his hair peppered, more weight than black, he held himself like a gentleman just growing into adulthood. His tall, slender frame was somehow unsettling, as though he were a specter rather than a man.

"Uh, right. Who exactly are you, sir?" Misato asked, confused at this clearly Western man entering the confines of a high-security Japanese military base. Did he just wander here like some old geezer, looking for his house only to stumble upon a base where-no, that wasn't possible. The doors required security cards, so clearly he was either invited here or, now, worked here.

"I am Infidee Ondorf, Pilot Aran's personal sponsor, one could say," chuckled the man dressed in priest's robes as he entered the room, hands behind his back as he stared down at the egg, "I do say, these are extraordinary machines here."

"Now hold on just a second here," Ritsuko stammered, stepping in front of Mr. Ondorf, hands outstretched, "You don't have clearance to be in this room, so you need to-"

"I have clearance to be everywhere," Ondorf replied, flashing a badge from within the confines of his cloak. Misato recognized the card as having the same sorts of emblems and symbols as Commander Ikari's card, and, to her horror, even more. Ritsuko's eyes widened as she stared at the card, her eyes specifically focused on one symbol in particular, a weird looking triangle with seven eyes along the side, four on one side and three on the other. It looked pretty cool, but just staring at that symbol seemed to be enough for Ritsuko to back away, cleaning her glasses as though to prove that badge hadn't simply been a smudge.

"Well, as you can see, we're pretty far along with examining the egg as best we can, but we can't determine how it grows or what have you yet," Ritsuko replied.

"My good lady, surely you realize the truth about how the Angels develop already," Ondorf chuckled, his voice deep and with a slight tremble, as though to establish both strength and frailty simultaneously.

"What are you saying?" Ritsuko asked, slowly.

"Angels are born from the womb of God, of course."

"Uh-huh. Look, I don't want to have an argument of faith, but God is not a scientific reason for anything."

"Why not? Can you prove God does not exist?" Ondorf asked.

"No, which is why it's not science! Scientific theory is falsifiable, but God isn't. Ergo, science and religion are two separate things. I've met a lot of scientists who're huge believers in religion, but, right now, we're looking for biochemical reasons for development, not religious statements, alright?"

"But can you not prove God has an impact on-?"

"No, I can't! Look, I appreciate you're trying to help, but our studies on the Angels have nothing to do with science-er-God. Alright?"

A look of frustration crossed Ondorf's eyes, but, with a chuckle and an understanding smile, he replied, "I understand. I will leave you to your work. Take care, gentle-women." As he left the chamber, robes dancing in the air, Misato exhaled, shaking his head. Figured there'd be a religious nutball onboard. Acts of God were all well and good, but at the present time, they didn't need a Messiah so much as a victory.

And, so far, Pilot Star Aran had failed to really succeed at anything without stealing triumph from someone else.

#

"So does this mean I'm officially on the fighting roster again?" Asuka asked, clenching her fist tightly.

"Yup, all your burns are healed, so you're free to do as you please," the nurse at the table said before walking away, leaving Asuka grinning silently to herself. She flexed each finger, smirking. She had been hurt for so long the sensation of simply moving her hand without a flash of pain was an uncommon emotion. Sure, she felt a little weak, but regardless, she was ready to fight, ready to kick Angel ass. That douche Aran had hogged the spotlight with Wonder Girl for too damn long. Now it was time to reclaim the stage, as she rightfully should. After all, she was an elite pilot, and even that asshole couldn't take that away from her.

"Pilot Sohryu, you have a visitor."

"Huh? But I'm almost gone-ah, well, send her in." As expected, Hikari walked in, smiling softly as she entered the plane chamber, plopping herself down on a seat at the German girl's bedside, smiling ever so slightly. Asuka grinned too at her dark haired friend's freckled face. "So, how're you feeling?" Asuka asked, "You look like you just won the lottery or something."

"Well, no reason," Hikari replied, averting her friend's gaze as a blush crept up her list.

"Aw, c'mon, you can tell me."

"Well, it's nothing big or anything, but, uh, I think I have a-a-"

"A crush?" Asuka asked, grinning slightly.

"Yeah, kinda." Though Asuka herself never saw the beauty of essentially finding a member of the opposite, immature, disgusting sex attractive, unless that someone happened to be Kaji, the redhead could appreciate the joy in finding a special someone to date, or to fall in love with. Regardless, she was happy for her friend. She truly was. She imagined who the lucky bachelor could be. Definitely not that asshole Star. She'd be crazy if she fell in love with that creep. Maybe it was that guy who sat beside her-nah, couldn't be. He had no personality. It was almost like he was just there to be part of the scenery or something.

"So who is it?"

"Well, do you know-yeah, of course you know-oh, I'm so embarrassed." Hikari hid her scarlet face behind her hands, her freckles standing out even behind her digits.

"C'mon! Just tell me already! You're driving me crazy with all this suspense!" How embarrassing could it be? What? It wasn't like she had some sort of strange fetish or something for anthromorphic animals or swallowing people whole, so how embarrassing could it possibly be to confess her crush? Couldn't be that bad, could it? Unless it was a complete idiot, how bad could it possibly be?

"Well, you know Toji, right?" Hikari peeked behind her fingers, only for her to stare at the German's slack jawed, wide-eyed, mortified face. In her shock, the school rep hid her face behind her hands again, smiling sheepishly as she masked her face with scarlet, the blush even running up the backs of her hands. Asuka didn't care how weird she looked. The news that her best friend had a crush on one of the Three Stooges, specifically the one that took pleasure in calling her a Nazi, now that was just too much for her to accept just at once like that!

"You're not serious, are you?" Asuka stammered, wide eyed.

"I am."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"You're not just messing around, right? This is the real deal?"

"I think so."

"Are you on drugs or something?" The redhead stammered, "I mean, he's so stupid, and he's an idiot, and he-and you-and me-and he-and-just what's going through your head?"

Hikari inched backward, blushing still as she tried to articulate her no doubt incoherent emotions. After all, any romance between someone as smart and cool as Hikari and Toji the idiot was just too much for ordinary words to coherently relay. "Ya see, I know he looks stupid and all that, but I honestly think that, underneath all that-"

"There's a bigger idiot."

"Lemme finish," Hikari replied, her voice changing to sound much like a mother correcting a little, ungrateful child. After Asuka paused for a moment or two, Hikari continued. "Well, a few days ago, I saw these kids making fun of Shinji, you know? I think you were out for a period having your burns treated, so you didn't see this all. They weren't making fun of him to his face or anything, but were just calling him really wimpy and all that. Well, Shinji didn't hear anything, but Toji did. I was about to tell them to knock it off, too, and right when I walked over, Toji had already approached them, and handled the problem."

"Handled the problem? Whaddya mean by that?"

"Well, he punched them across the face outside of the classroom."

"And he didn't get in trouble?"

"Well, I kinda didn't report the incident." This was so unlike her friend. Ordinarily, if someone spoke out of line, she'd threaten to report them, but now she here she was, overlooking a major incident like someone getting beaten up all because she liked some guy? This was out of character for her, but, at the same time, Asuka couldn't help but smile a little. It didn't seem like her to do something like this, yet Hikari seemed so happy on the inside, so giddy, that she had done something good for someone else by not reporting their misbehavior, but more than that, it was for someone she liked, a romantic interest. After all, Asuka didn't have anyone to really feel all too strongly for, except for Kaji, so she never was put in that kind of situation, where she could help the person she loved.

Right?

"Do you have any crushes, Asuka?" Hikari asked, smirking.

"Huh? Oh, nope, none for me," laughed Asuka, "I don't think I'm really the type to do something like that, you know? Plus, all those disgusting pigs at our school aren't good boyfriend material."

"Oh, I thought you had a crush on a certain someone."

"Who?"

Hikari giggled. Something about that giggle made Asuka's lips tighten in anxiety. It was the type of giggle someone had before informing you that you failed a test, or the laugh a sadist doctor trying to look normal and restrained had when they realized they needed to perform surgery without some sort of pain killer. "Well, I always thought you had a thing for Shinji, really. I mean, you two are always together, and-"

"That's because we work together. Seriously, though, you don't really think I'd end up dating that stupid idiot, do you?" laughed Asuka, waving Hikari's suggestion off as ludicrous and insane, "Seriously, me and the idiot? C'mon, you can't-you are serious, are you?" Hikari's face had that bashful grin still plastered on, a key piece of evidence that not only she had thought that the two of them were an item, but that she still believed Asuka had a crush on that black haired, skinny idiot. "We don't have anything in common, and we argue all the time. C'mon! The next time you're gonna pair me up with someone, at least make it someone halfway attractive and manly."

"But you really like him. I can see that. Besides, he's such a brave person for going into that Eva, even if he doesn't show it."

"Hey, I pilot the same thing! It's not that hard."

"Well, yeah, maybe, but we all know you're tough. Him? He doesn't look it, but I think he's just as tough as you are."

"Please don't say that," Asuka sighed, "The last thing I need is to be put on his level."

"Look, it isn't that big of a deal," Hikari replied, smiling, "I mean, let's face it: it's not like you two hate each other, right?" Asuka was about to rebuttal that statement when she thought about it. She didn't hate Shinji, no, not at all. Occasionally she'd be a little intense or cruel to him, but hatred? No, certainly not. Maybe a little jealous from time to time, but hate? That was such a strong word, too strong to describe her emotions for him. Far too strong. It might even be too great to describe that idiot Rei, but, alas, she wasn't sure about her yet.

"Maybe you're right."

"I know I am. Hey, do you want to get out-"

Sirens flared.

#

"Another Angel already?" Misato sighed, running her hands over her face as she glanced over at Ritsuko.

"Not quite," Ritsuko replied, frowning slightly, "I'm not entirely sure WHAT'S happening, but there's something going on in the volcano we found the Angel egg in. We think it has something to do with the Angel, or maybe the age regression of the angel, but, regardless, the creature inside that thing is generating a Yellow Blood Pattern."

"What does that mean?" Misato asked, eyebrow raised.

"Well, do you want the long answer or the short one?"

"Short, please."

"We don't know what the fuck we're doing."

"That sounds about right," Misato sighed, "I'll just call up the children."

"I have already taken the liberties of doing just that." Misato glanced over to see Ondorf emerging from the shadows, a slim smile on his lips. God damn that idiot, taking Misato's responsibilities into his own hands. She didn't care if he was above her in rank: she enjoyed calling people down to help her out. It was a personal sense of satisfaction. It kept her from feeling too much like a screw-up, and here this guy was, taking that one, simple joy out of her life. What was he? Who did he think he was? She didn't care if he was a high ranking member in the UN or something, she wanted to just swear him off.

"Wow, he's more proactive than you are, Captain," Ritsuko chuckled.

"One more word, Ritsuko. That's all I need right now."

#

"Dammit, if you say 'I'm sorry' one more time, I'll kick you."

"Alright, I'm s-er-right." Shinji should've known by now not to just talk so much. Half of the things she said to Asuka just pissed her off more, so why even bother talking to her? Well, then again, half of the time the two of them had some pretty interesting conversations, so really it was more like playing the lottery with better chances. Sometimes he'd win and have a bit of fun talking to someone who wasn't nearly as intense as she'd like to seem, but other times, she'd end up dealing with a girl mad. Today, it seemed to be the former of the two.

As the elevator rose higher into the air, Rei staring off into the distance blankly, the scarlet haired girl glanced over at Shinji, a glint in her eyes. "Just be grateful I'm in such a good mood," Asuka grinned, her plug suit squeaking slightly as she stretched her arms into the air, the fabric pulling against her breasts, "I mean, no more burns, Star sick in the infirmary, things finally seem to be looking up for me, ya know what I mean?"

"How is Star being sick a good thing?"

"Well, we don't need him for anything around here. He's just flashy."

"Didn't he save us twice from the Angels?" Shinji asked.

"Jesus, for a boy, you sure are pathetic. Lemme spell it out for you: we would've won the first time without him. Second time he just used some Deus ex Machina pulled out of his ass, but the first time he just stole victory from under our noses, kinda shamelessly at that. He's no hero: he just has good luck."

"I guess, but still, he did make an Angel age backwards. That's kinda cool."

"Parlor tricks, Shinji. Parlor tricks."

Soon enough, the three children had reached the platforms to board the Evas. As they boarded their great mechas, Shinji felt a twinge of confusion fill him. The scarlet haired girl had, for a moment, been so harsh and critical of him, but now they were talking as though they had been friends for years as opposed to a month or so. It was odd, but Shinji felt free to talk to her, as though there weren't any walls separating them apart, as though they were old friends from years ago. It was a rather good feeling, to say the least. Comforting, soothing, dare he say it, even happy.

The Evas were brought up by airlift over to the volcano, every second anxiety springing into Shinji's heart. Piloting an Eva was always a painful experience in some form or another. After all, it was possible Shinji could die again. He thought back to the first time he entered an Evangelion. It felt like an eternity ago, despite only being a matter of months in the past. There he was, confronting a great monster, pain filling every nerve in his body, horror at the prospect of dying in a battle he didn't even understand. Such an experience had never reoccurred, and yet, whenever he allowed the familiar, thick LCL to fill his lungs, he queried how long that calm might last. Was this peace, or was it just a dull pause before the typhoon blew in?

Was this paradise, or hell?

"Alright you three, listen up!" Misato's voice spoke as her image appeared before Shinji's field of vision, "There is a strange, unidentified creature living in the volcano. We don't know what it is or where it came from. Ritsuko believes it may uncover a secret as to how the Angels reproduce."

"How they reproduce? You mean they might have mating patterns?" Asuka stammered, "But what do they do? They all look genderless, except for the Fourth Angel."

"You never fought the Fourth Angel," Shinji stammered, confused.

"Dummkopf! I looked at footage! The thing looked like a giant schlong!"

"Asuka, don't say that. You sound like a-not very polite person," Misato replied.

"Oh, coming from the woman who teases Shinji about taking advantage of you? Yeah, like I sound whorish next to that," Asuka laughed.

"That was low."

Eventually, the great robots were deposited before the volcano, staring up at it. Asuka glanced around, mumbling, "So, what's the plan?"

"We left a few weapons behind you," Misato's voice said. Shinji glanced over his shoulder to see numerous guns sticking out of the ground, their barrels pointed toward the heavens above. They reminded Shinji of the sword in the stone, the blades Arthur needed to draw before harnessing ultimate power. Smirking at his own imagination, he drew out the first weapon he could find: a gigantic Progressive knife. This weapon, however, was larger than any progressive knife he had ever seen, at least half the length of the Eva's torso, it bore more in common with a katana than anything else, except sturdier looking, almost mighty. He wasn't complaining about the differences, however. Either way, it was powerful.

Asuka seemed more practical, however, as she drew out two Positron Rifles, one in each hand. Rei glanced over from Unit-00, withdrawing a massive Gattling gun. "Pilot Sohryu, the kickback from those two weapons makes it incredibly hard to use. I don't believe that's the best weapon to-"

"Oh, put a sock in it! I haven't done anything all week, and I'm ready to rumble," Asuka laughed, a grin on her lips. Shinji could see her face from the monitor, her smooth, graceful skin twisted around her lips as she chuckled to herself, ready to fight, ready to rumble right then and there. She looked almost like a hellbound angel, ready for a brawl, ready to tear their foes apart and scatter their fragments to the winds. Shinji felt his heart accelerate as he stared into her face, his lips curling into a smile as the very earth below him trembled, flames and fire surging outward into a great inferno of hell.

"What the hell!" Shinji stammered, leaping backward in terror as the volcano exploded into the air, the upper layers torn aside. Lava seeped out below them as the sky turned black with ash vaulted high into the air. Shinji stared as a single, great hand tore out from the opening of the mountain, prying open the mountain as a second hand aided the former. Slowly, a great beast rose from the ashes from the depths of the Earth, a horned beast with the head of a great boar, yet possessed a body more akin to a lion. Indeed, its magma mane even resembled the King of the Jungle's own signature hair. However, other than that, it resembled a man in all except posture, for, as it leapt out of the mouth of the volcano onto the ground, it stood on all fours, roaring a squealing battle cry as it glared at the opposition, fire snorting out from his malformed nostrils.

"That's no Angel," Rei mumbled, indifferently.

"No shit, Sherlock!" Asuka snapped, aiming both Positron Rifles forward, "Well, let's see if the bastard bleeds!" She pushed down on the triggers, her arms flying wildly backwards as the kickback of two massively powerful guns forced against her. Shinji watched as the red mecha regained its balance and footing, and also watched as the positron blasts ran headlong into an AT Field, tearing through it as it collided into the beast's shoulders. Alas, however, the beast remained erect, standing into the air fiercely as it squealed yet again, darting toward Asuka with the force of a brute.

Shinji watched, helplessly, as the creature collided headlong into Unit-02, the guns flying out from her hands, as it was forced into the ground. The poor mecha struggled to push the beast off of it, but, alas, it forced both of the red machine's arms to the ground as it roared into the air, dominating it in strength. The demon leaned in closer, teeth bared, its rows of sharp canines oozing silvery saliva. As it was about to dive headlong into Unit-02's skull, a shower of bullets rained down upon its side. The creature squealed in pain as Unit-00's Gattling gun ran out of bullets, and Rei was forced to load a second round.

The demon, however, seemed to take note of this.

Abandoning Unit-02, the beast turned toward Unit-00, running straight for her. Despite loading a new round of bullets, and firing them headlong at the beast's face, the massive lion-like bore continued to progress forward, as though the bullets were just as annoying as Sakura petals flying into his face. No, Shinji couldn't just let both Asuka and Rei be injured by that beast. He had to be a man, just like everyone told him to be.

With the speed of a jet engine flying through the atmosphere, Shinji leapt forward, katana raised high above his head as he slashed down across the beast's lower belly. The pig squealed as blood was drawn, albeit only a little. The molten life-fluid peppered the ground, melting it instantly. Indeed, even the katana began to sizzle and melt in Shinji's hands. He cast it aside, withdrawing a new one from the pile of weapons. Right next to that katana, Shinji noticed, was a rocket launcher. He smiled, softly, as he withdrew that weapon as well, holding it against his shoulder with the katana in the other.

He had a plan.

The demon pawed the ground before sprinting right at Shinji. He held the katana right before him before drawing back his finger on the trigger of the rocket launcher. His rocket soared forward into the air. As the projectile collided straight into the beast's snout, Shinji kicked off into the air, launching Unit-01 high above the beast. The purple machine arched majestically over the pig-like beast, sword raised above his head, as he threw it down straight into the crown of the monster's skull. Unit-01 landed safely behind the beast as the force of the explosion forced the katana to drive straight down the beast's hide, his own magma blood thinning out and even melting the skin before the blade.

The blade stopped midway through his body.

The boar demon did not fall.

"What the hell?" Shinji stammered as the beast turned on his heal, roaring at the top of his bloody lungs, liquid spewing out of his body, splattering over the ground onto Unit-00's gattling gun. The weapon melted in her hands as she dove backward, evading the range of the death liquid. Was there no stopping this beast? Shinji had just severed through nearly every vital organ he could possibly hit. He was spewing blood everywhere. Why did this beast still glare at him so passionately? Why did it refuse to fall? Why didn't it just die!

The demon darted forward, roaring loudly as the magma blood splattered everywhere. This was it. He was done for! He acknowledged this even as he felt a foot collide sidewise against his face, throwing him backward. Unit-02 stood above him, holding him down as magma blood flew into the air, showering over them. Her AT Field sprang to life, the magma sizzling against it, but never penetrating it. The demon, unable to stop, ran headlong into the volcano, tumbling back into its ripped open depths. Shinji noticed that the reason Asuka didn't simply push him out of the way with her hands was due to the fact that she was holding onto two Positron rifles, one in each fist. She leapt back into the air, guns pointed down, as she soared over the magma pit as the beast tumbled down into its infinite, bright depths.

After a satisfying splatter of impact filled the air, Asuka fired.

Upon impact, the magma ignited. Shinji had only seconds before the entire mountain range exploded upward, hellfire spewing into the atmosphere. He darted backward as the ground was ripped into the air, levitating above the lava before growing molten and liquefied, just like the molten rock spewing into the atmosphere. Had it not been for his AT Field, the Eva's metal hide would have seared and sizzled along with the rest of the Earth and metal around it, the weapons now nothing more than simply part of the explosive lava.

As the eruption settled, however, all Shinji had on his mind was one thought.

"Asuka! Where are you? Are you alright! Asuka!"

She had been so close to that wave of molten rock and fire. Was she ensnared in it? Did she fall victim to her own attack? She had been so eager to show off, so eager to prove herself the best. Had she gone the ultimate step and died, simply to preserve her own title as an elite pilot? In Shinji's eyes, she was an elite. She was one of the best, and she didn't need to prove it so veraciously as she did. She could relax a little bit, hold herself back. After all, she was one of his closest companions right now, and he could not, would not, risk saying good-bye to another person he didn't want to part ways with.

Not like his father.

As the volcanic ash settled, a single figure emerged from the darkness. It was a tall beast, covered in black ash but still visibly red, its four eyes glowing in the darkness. Shinji's lips curled into a triumphant grin as he darted for her, eyes wide with jubilation. "Asuka! You're alive! Thank God, I was so worried you were caught in that explosion! Asuka!"

"Can you shut up, idiot?"

#

As Asuka washed away the volcanic ash that remained stuck in her hair, behind her ears, under her skin, she sighed, staring up at the ceiling. Sure, she had won. Sure, she managed to prove her heroic nature to the world as a whole, but there was one blaring flaw with her victory that screamed at her, one that made everything so God damn frustration. She wanted to punch something hard, something really hard, yet lacked the strength to clench her fingers together into a powerful, mighty fist, all thanks to those idiots!

Why did he save her first?

Why did Shinji just let that monster land on top of her like that? Didn't he realize she was in danger? Why didn't she help him? Sure, he had helped her before during that dancing fight, but that was then and this was now? Was it that Rei had successfully finished her last mission? Was it that Rei was a flawless woman? No, that couldn't be it. Who'd ever love that damn doll? Who could love those soulless eyes? That vacant face? That stupid, ugly face of hers that she just wanted to punch again and again and again and again!

And then that stupid freak had the nerve to save her? Oh, as though she needed saving, that bitch! That freak had to protect her from the big-bad pig monster, and leave her behind to suffer, huh? That freaking shit-eating kiss-ass! She felt so eager to just shove the German girl's face in the ground, wasn't she? Oh, well, don't mind the German elite pilot here. No, everyone focus in on that weakling! That pathetic Rei!

"Jesus Christ…"

#

"So what the hell was that thing?" Misato asked Ritsuko, slowly. She stood at Ritsuko and Maya's side, staring at both of them as the bridge emptied. Commander Ikari had already departed with Fuyutsuki, discussing something urgently with him as Ondorf pursued, clearly unwelcome yet still pressing his nose into their business regardless. She found herself wishing Kaji were here to break the silence with a joke, but he was still at Oxford for whatever reason. Probably looking into Star's past, or something.

"Well, the hell should I know," Ritsuko sighed, "It wasn't an Angel, yet sure as hell wasn't any recorded animal we've ever seen. It's wavelength looks like its somewhere between a human and am Angel."

"Well then, what's it gonna be called? A half-angel?"

"Maybe it's a demon?" Maya suggested from below.

"I remember reading that half-angel and half-humans in the Bible were called Nephilim, but that sure doesn't roll of the tongue too well," Misato said.

"Where'd you hear that?" Ritsuko asked.

"College."

"You took a theology class?"

"Yeah. Best class to have a hangover in because everyone was asleep," Misato giggled, "Well, I'll leave the naming process to you guys."

"Oh, I have more pressing matters. You see, Rei's weekly check-up is coming up at the end of this week, so I have to set up the equipment for that, and the Evas sustained some exterior damage. At least Star's out of the hospital, now, so that's good-"

Suddenly, the fax machine burst to life. Misato turned toward the machine, a look of horror in her eyes, as a piece of paper emerged, slowly. She recognized the emblem on the top of the page. It was an emblem she had seen quite frequently lately through all her paper work, or at least all her excess paper work. She felt like breaking down into tears as she read the all-too-familiar name plastered on top of the official document.

"MARDUK REPORT"