[A/N] Okay, best apologise to you all. Between other fics, real life stuff and original works I'm writing, this ol' fic really has been sitting in a neglectful place. Needless to say, several loyal readers and more than a dozen tv troper's (yes it's been pointed out this fic has its own page there. That was a bizarre shock, trust me) have been prodding me lately to get off my lazy behind and get this one moving again. Let it never be said I don't yield to peer pressure and, despite popular belief, I did not delete the original 21 Chapters of this fic and have indeed still retained all of these in a single HTML file of which will be released back up on the site piece by piece rather than in a lump sum in the condition they were uploaded originally since the fic's origin which was back in 2004 and my technical skill was in it's infancy to say the least. All will be returned, it's time for this fic to be brought back once and for all, and I intend to make that happen…

It's been a long time coming, but let's hold off no more. Thus continues the much belated reupload of:

Eva Possibilities and Fusion Pandemonium

Chapter 7: Balance of Power (Pt. 1)

"Looks like todays the day…" sighed Misato as she stared tiredly out over the test area which would soon be occupied by the form of Evangelion Unit-00.

Her college friend who was now rapidly finishing some last minute preparations gave a distracted "Hmm?" in response, the only other sound in the room being the endless scratching of her pen on her clipboard.

But are you sure it's going to work this time? It's not going to look good knocking Rei back into the position she's just recovered from, you know."

Ritsuko didn't look up from her writing as she responded, "Come now, Misato, we're almost fully certain we've corrected all the errors in the synchronisation circuits, and based on the data collected from Shinji's synchronisation with Unit-01, I'm sure it'll all go fine this time round."

"I hope so. I just wish we had some kind of fully reliable safety mechanism in case something does go wrong, I mean our fail-safes weren't exactly reliable for Rei during the last incident," said Misato, her eyes still focused on the empty space in front of her.

"You had something in mind?" Ritsuko enquired, her pen pausing as she glanced up over the rim of her glasses, the suspicion dawning that her friend had been building up to this from the beginning of the conversation.

"Well, "she began, more than a little uncomfortably, "as a matter of fact… I do."

"Well?" prompted Ritsuko, twirling her pencil between her fingers as she regarded thecaptain.

"Well, here's the thing; I'm sure it'll work fine, but the thing is I doubt the commander will approve," Misato said.

"Oh?" Dr Akagi enquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Not after the incident with Trunks' father anyways…" Misato added.

"You're not serious are you?" demanded Ritsuko, scowling as it occurred to her exactly what Mistao had in mind.

"I'm not saying we ask that one," sighed the captain, "but I know with just one of the children there, just in case, we could use their power to catch the entry plug or restrain the EVA if necessary."

"You trust them?" asked the doctor after a moment's pause. It sounded more like an accusation than an actual question though.

"I think… I do. I mean, there was something about the other adult; Goku, he said we could rely on them if we needed their help and since Rei seems to already have formed a friendship with one of the children…" She trailed off, letting it hang in the air.

"You propose we let one of them into headquarters again? After what happened last time?"

"Ah, yes, you mean when they weren't acting in self-defence."

"…" The doctor remained silent at that; it was, after all, a very good point.

Misato let out a drawn-out sigh and paused to massage the bridge of her nose with her hand, "Well, I guess I'll just have to run this one up with the commander. How is he by the way?" she asked, glancing at the scientist.

"You know him, never one to be kept from his duty. He's still injured, but he considered himself fit to return to his command duties," said Ritsuko as she finished her final preparation schedule.

"We can trust them," said Misato, her eyes narrowed in thought.

"All of them?" She said, quirking her head round.

"It was a parent acting in defence of a child. You're telling me you wouldn't have done the exact same thing in his position?" Misato enquired back with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm not much the parent type…" Ritsuko commented, averting her head away from the argument she was losing.

"I'll just take that as a yes." Misato retorted icily before turning and leaving the scientist by herself.

"It's for Rei sir," Misato said in a gentle tone, finishing off her proposal to the commander, who sat as normal behind his desk on the command bridge. Well, normal with the exception he was sporting a bandage on his cheek, a sling on his right arm, some bandages over his ribs under his uniform and a new pair of his trademark tinted glasses, "I just think it would be wise to take all the precautions we can to prevent an incident like last time reoccurring", she added, disliking the silence the commander had fallen into ever since she started talking.

Gendo said nothing for a whole minute, he had immediately been about to dismiss the idea until she had reminded of him that his Rei could be injured yet again, and though he didn't want to admit it, he knew that the Saiyans had indeed been acting in self-defence at first. He made his decision:

"You propose letting all four of these non-terrestrials into headquarters?" he asked in a tone that strongly implied that it would be unwise for her to answer in the positive.

"No, sir, just Goten and his father," clarified the captain in a level tone.

Gendo thought about this for a second. If she had contemplated letting Vegeta into headquarters willingly then he would've dismissed it immediately (though to be fair he wasn't entirely sure how he would actually stop Vegeta if he chose to enter and they were unwilling to let him do so, but that was beside the point), but he knew Rei's opinion on Goten and, despite what others may think, he did listen to the opinions of others, he just rarely chose to act on them.

"Very well, on clarification I see no full reason to oppose your idea. You may proceed, Captain Katsuragi."

"Thank you, sir."

"But, captain…" he said bringing her to a solid halt as she turned to depart.

"Yes, sir?"

"You can consider them your responsibility."

"Understood, sir," responded Misato, grasping the veiled threat behind his words. Steeling herself, she turned and headed off to put her additional safety protocol into place.

Misato was on edge as she walked through the grassy area around the Saiyan's base camp. Her combat training kept her eyes flicking continuously around. All she could notice at first glance was the occasional blast hole, a few craters, a couple of discarded drinks cans and what appeared to be a small campfire area, else everything seemed normal with the exception of the two small dome-shaped houses which graced the landscape.

She walked up to the door of one of the houses and, after pausing nervously for a second and taking a deep breath, knocked on the door.

Seconds later the door was pulled open, Misato blinked as it appeared no one was there for half a second before looking down to find the wide, curious eyes of Goten staring back at her.

He cocked his head in confusion and blinked once before grinning widely and greeting her with an overenthusiastic, "Hi!"

"Hey there, Goten," replied Misato with a warm smile, somehow finding it difficult to be serious under Goten's innocent gaze.

"How are you today Miss…umm…" Goten stopped in mid-sentence, chewing on his fingernail as he realised he had misplaced a certain piece of knowledge in his not yet fully developed head. The request for a definitive answer came back negative. The only thing his brain could confirm was that she wasn't Rei, she was much too tall and bumpier around the middle. Therefore his brain picked the logical thing to do and selected the only other NERV-related name that had come up recently, "…Gendo?"

"Gendo is a boy's name, Goten," scolded Misato a little indignantly.

Goten scowled right back, "but you're a girl! You have those bumpy bits and you walk funny and don't smell bad."

"That's right, Goten. I am a girl." Sighed the Captain with considerable patience.

"Then why do you have a boy's name?" demanded Goten, his head starting to hurt a little.

"I don't!"

"But you just said Gendo was a boy's name!"

"My name is Misato, Goten." Snapped the Captain, deeply resisting the urge to wrap her fingers about his throat.

"Ohh, I remember now, you're Miss Misato! How are you today?" asked Goten as comprehension finally dawned, his brain immediately cataloguing 'the angry, bumpy NERV lady' alongside the correct name.

She dropped down onto her haunches so he wasn't craning his head up to look at her, "Just Misato is fine, and I'm fine thank you very much. Is your daddy in by any chance? I'd like to have a word with him."

"Sure, come on in, Miss Misato." Goten offered as he stepped aside to allow the woman entry.

"Just Misato, little guy," she repeated with a smile, ruffling a hand through his spiked hair eliciting a giggle from the boy as she entered.

"Dad!" Goten called as Misato entered, the form of Goku currently sprawled out asleep on the couch.

"Da-ad!" He repeated, this time bawling right into his father's ear, Misato rocked on her heels with a small grin as she watched the mini version trying to shake life into the much larger one.

"Wow, he's out like a light." Misato commented

"Yup! Only one thing to do in a situation like this…" Goten spoke, earning a curious look from Misato. Goten slipped up onto the couch and stepped onto his father's wide chest. Taking a deep, deep breath he bent over and shouted his father's only useable wakeup call right into his ear.

"DINNER TIME!" Goten shouted as loud as he could.

The effect was, of course, instantaneous.

"Dinner time?" came Goku's voice, his eyes springing open, and he shot bolt upright to attention with blinding speed, catapulting his unsuspecting son into the opposite wall in the process.

"Works…every…time," Goten stammered as he slid free of the now dented wall to fall flat on his back.

"Hey, it's not dinner time for another three hours. What's the big idea Gote- "Goku stopped mid-sentence as he registered the presence of Misato, who was finding the incident rather warming in its comic sense.

"Erm, hi there." said Misato, raising a hand nervously in greeting. She wasn't really sure how to approach this one to be honest, dealing with extra-dimensional aliens wasn't really covered in her officer's course.

"Hi, nice to see you again. What can we do for you?" Goku enquired, cocking his head curiously as he stood up and stretched his arms overhead to wake himself up a bit more.

"You see…Umm… Here's the thing… I was wondering if I could ask you a favour."

Goku shrugged, dropping down onto the couch, "Sure, ask away."

"Well, you see, a while ago we attempted to activate the prototype Evangelion unit," began Misato, deciding to just lay it all on the table.

"You mean Unit-00…" said Goku, nodding his head.

"That's when Rei got hurt!" Goten interrupted, pulling his head out of the refrigerator.

Misato's mouth opened and closed a couple of times, "Not sure I want to know how you came to know either of those facts…"

Goku just coughed nervously into his hand and glanced away, trying to look innocent. He wasn't the most adept liar so he failed magnificently.

"W-Well besides that you are right, and today…well… we're going to try again."

"Are you sure that's safe for Rei?" Goku enquired with a frown, folding his arms.

"That's the thing I came to ask you about. Now don't get me wrong, we think it's all going to be fine and all, but just to be safe…" she paused and inhaled a breath, "We'd like your help to get Rei safely out of Unit-00 in case it goes out of control again." Misato explained carefully and quickly in the same way one might remove a band aid.

"Daddy…" Goten said in a small tone, tugging gently on the cuff of his father's gi.

"I know, Goten, I know…" he said gently before turning back to Misato, "Of course you can count on us!" Goku exclaimed, patting his fist on his chest for emphasis, and spread his arms out as if it were the simplest and most unimposing thing imaginable, "Just tell us where you want us."

"Thank you…" Misato breathed with relief. "If you'd come with me, I'll give you a lift to headquarters." She said, beckoning to the door and her waiting car.

"You people drive too much. I tried learning how to do that once. Didn't end well…"

"Really? What happened?" asked Misato idly as she led them outside.

Goku cocked his head, "Turns out I wasn't very good, but it didn't matter in the end anyways."

"How come?"

Goku shrugged, "I remembered I could fly."

Misato inclined her head as she climbed into the front seat, "I should learn that trick, would save me a tonne in insurance. Turns out letting your car get almost crushed by an Angel and hit by the blast wave from an N2 Mine will make you lose your no-claims bonus."

Goku nodded as he opened the passenger door. Suddenly he hesitated, "Wait, better leave a note for Vegeta, we don't want him thinking something's happened. He's got quite a temper you know," Goku said as he scribbled a note down on a piece of paper.

"You don't say…" said the waiting Misato.

"Oh yeah I'm… umm… sorry 'bout that whole thing with Vegeta." Goku said with a smile.

"Yeah… So are we," she replied, eyes downcast slightly.

"Hey, it's all in the past now. I mean if Trunks could let it drop without blowing up your headquarters, I'm pretty sure the rest of us can," said Goku with a smile as he closed the passenger door behind him.

"That's good to hear."

"So how's Rei?" asked Goten

"Well why don't you ask her? I'm sure you'll end up bumping into her." she said, giving him a warm smile.

"Great!" Goten exclaimed in his usual overenthusiastic tone.

"Right!" Said Misato in a low voice, and Goku noticed the way she suddenly gripped the steering wheel with excitement, "Let's go then!"

And so Captain Katsuragi carefully and methodically drove off, keeping well within the speed limit and obeying all traffic laws like a good government official.

Actually no as, even if probability could go so far as to allow a single universe's Earth to concurrently contain dimension hopping aliens, monstrous creatures named after messengers of God, giant bio-engineered behemoths and secret societies ruling society as to fulfil an ancient biblical prophecy, it still couldn't go that far.

Needless to say, it was probably the first time in history anyone has scared two Saiyans into putting their seatbelts on.

"Dad, I really think you should've just used your instant transmission." Called Goten, gripping onto his own seatbelt as Misato swerved to avoid an unsuspecting cat that had been curled up on the sidewalk.

Goku was sat rigid, and laughed nervously, "No need, Goten, I'm pretty sure this is faster."

"I don't know what that instant whatchamacallit thing is, but I heard that." Said Misato, knowing when she'd been insulted as she swerved the car dangerously across the road and back again.

"Go! Go! Go!" Goten chanted happily, bouncing up and down in his seat as Misato drove on in her usual style.

Several minutes and eight speed-camera flashes later…

"You weren't kidding, Goten, this place is huge!" Goku exclaimed as the express lift went out over the Geo-front.

"Impressive, isn't it?" Misato said from her driver's seat. Goku's reply was little more than a silent nod of awe as he took in the vast sight of the Geo-front.

Little was said for several minutes as Misato led the two Saiyans through the depths of NERV headquarters towards the testing area, several section two agents noticeably swerving out of the way at the sight of Goten happily skipping alongside the Captain along with what appeared to be a much bigger version of the Saiyan who they had attempted to apprehend once before, and in the mind of security and military personnel, bigger usually meant badder.

Meanwhile…

Silently, two figures moved through the main pedestrian entrance to NERV headquarters, both heading to a mutual destination.

Rei Ayanami and Shinji Ikari had walked from school in perpetual silence, the only sounds either of the teens had really made that entire day was between Shinji and his two newly made friends in the form of Kensuke Aida and Toji Suzuahara…

Yesterday afternoon…

"What?" Shinji asked in his usual morally dejected tone, "If you want to go and hit me again, just go right ahead…"

"Quiet for a second okay, Shinji? This 'aint easy for me…" Toji said, putting himself into deep thought for a second, before shaking off his indecision as if he had suddenly planned this entire conversation.

"Right, I'm sorry ok!" He suddenly blurted out.

Shinji blinked, "Huh?" he asked, "For what?"

"For hitting you of course, you dimwit!" he replied.

"Don't be…" said the pilot in a faraway voice, "I deserved it."

"Hmm NO, you didn't!" He said with undisguised strain. It wasn't exactly easy for Toji Suzuhara to show his compassionate side and to admit mistakes at the same time.

"B-but…" began Shinji.

"Look, Shinji…" The teen jock cut in, his tone quietening suddenly, "My sister was right; I was wrong to blame what happened all on you. You saved our lives. When I think about it, she probably would've been killed if you hadn't done anything." He took a moment to pause and collect himself before continuing, "Besides… I've seen how this whole thing has been messing you up inside. I've noticed how much strain you've been under since you came here, and to be honest I didn't think it was possible for one person to become worse than what you came as…so…" He trailed off, glancing to the side.

"W-what?" Asked Shinji uncertainly, not quite sure what to feel never mind to say.

"You gotta hit me back, simple as that!" He explained, stabbing himself with his thumb for emphasis.

"Hit you?" Shinji suddenly asked with disbelief, "b-but I can't…"

"Shinji, come on, you have to. Don't run away from this one, I gotta have it squared out."

Shinji paused under that comment, realising there was no way out.

"O-okay, but only once!" He confirmed, glancing hastily around to make sure there was no one else in the classroom, unaware however of the class rep's half concealed presence behind the door.

"Okay." Toji said, standing up in front of Shinji and squaring his shoulders in preparation.

"He can be real embarrassing at times, can't he, Shinji?" Kensuke said with a grin from the side.

"Right…" Shinji said, standing up and pulling a fist back uncertainly.

"And don't you dare hold back…" Toji added quietly as the Third Child prepared to strike.

Shinji clenched his fist harder and struck, gritting his teeth as he swung his fist at the taller boy with all his strength, smashing him square in the jaw. There was a loud crack and the boy was thrown backwards over the desk directly behind him and into a somewhat unceremonious heap on the floor.

"Ohh, gawd. That one had to hurt!" Kensuke exclaimed rubbing his own jaw in sympathy.

"Hmm…" Toji hummed in thought as he rose back onto his feet as if mulling the blow over in his mind, "good one…" he admitted with a smile, a hand rubbing the red mark where he knew he would soon be sporting an impressive bruise. And, though he would never admit it, he was shocked that, for such a scrawny-looking guy, Shinji Ikari had a mean right cross.

"S-Sorry, I didn't think that would…" Shinji began.

"What are you saying? Like I said; no holding back."

"O-okay." Shinji said uncertainly, looking away with a small smile on his face.

Toji sighed, clicking his head from side to side, "Anyway, what you doin' for lunch? All I got's this psychotic military otaku as company, we could use a change." Toji said with a grin, ignoring the insulted face Kensuke made, though the boy was glad Toji had managed to make things clear with the new kid.

"I-I don't know, I usually eat alone and…" Shinji said quietly, looking away.

"Exactly! Now get your butt in gear and let's go! Oh, and by the way… what you got for lunch?" Toji said as he dragged Shinji off with Aida close behind.

"My god, Toji! Just how much do you need to eat?" Kensuke asked as he dragged up Shinji's and his bag along with all their lunches, Toji's requiring significantly more effort than both others combined.

"Oh, shut up!" Toji shouted as he smacked his friend on the back of the head as he dragged his new friend along; not noticing the solitary class rep standing with a small smile and a blush on her freckled cheeks as she watched the proceedings.

'He can be so nice when he wants to,' she thought for a second, blushing slightly redder, before entering the classroom in order to rearrange the desks which had been knocked over by Toji's little tumble.

The next day (aka. the present)

Shinji's mind was so preoccupied with thoughts at the time (which was sort of a reversal of roles in situations involving him and Rei) that he had totally failed to notice his proximity to Ayanami, who was now struggling to contemplate something to say to the pilot of Unit-01, as opposed to her being the one stuck in mental contemplation. She had missed several opportunities to talk with her colleague, mainly due to the Third child not being as solitary as he had been two days ago thanks to his two new friends.

"I do not understand…" Rei suddenly said quietly in her usual monotone. Shinji blinked once in surprise as his thought purposes were interrupted.

"Huh?" He enquired, passing back a curious stare to the First Child as she boarded the escalator behind him, "What don't you understand, Rei?"

"You are Commander Ikari's son, are you not?" She asked, as if it were a rhetorical question.

"Yes." Shinji replied somewhat bluntly with a hint of both curiosity and resentment.

"Why is it then that you talk that way about your own father? Do you not trust him in his decisions?" Rei asked, attempting to put in words what she had been going over in her mind for the past few weeks.

Shinji's response was much louder than he intended, but he didn't find himself lowering his voice, suddenly feeling that it was both a stupid and insulting question, though he had known the First hadn't intended it as such, "Why? You're asking me why?" he asked somewhat agape, turning fully around to make sure she got all this as he began counting things off, "He abandons me just after my mother dies," he began, counting on his fingers as he listed things off, "pays me no heed for over a decade. And then suddenly calls me back to tell me 'he has a use for me'!" He continued. "So what do I do? I risk my life for him piloting his stupid EVA!" He found himself leaning into Rei's face without realising it, "And then he uses me to do his own dirty work by fighting lost children for his own sick purposes! And now he's stupid enough to go around kidnapping them, virtually right in the face of their fathers –A man, lest we not forget, who we saw reduce an Angel to dust with his bare hand - and then nearly gets himself killed when said father comes looking!"

"And you ask me why? That… idiot," he shouted out, somehow all without barely taking a breath, gasping out the last word with the remainder of his strength as he slumped forward.

His chest heaved for air as if he had just run ten miles without stopping. The First child noticed as one or two stray tears fell from his eyes in the process, his right hand firmly clenched into a fist at his side as he finally, for one of the first times in his life, truly spoke his mind.

Rei had taken a step back in shock midway through the pilot's explanation.

"I…" Shinji said suddenly, taking a deep breath and standing up to his full height in order to look Rei directly in her crimson eyes before continuing "Hate him!" Rei blinked in surprise both from his words and the suddenly determined look in his eyes, different from the sheer look of anger and frustration a few mere seconds before.

She was about to say something back in response, but Shinji suddenly spoke again, in a quieter, more solemn and slightly emotional tone "But you know what? That's not the worst part about it…"

"What?" Rei prompted.

"It's that, no matter how much he makes me hate him, no matter what he does, what frustrates me the most… Is that I don't want to hate him!" he finished, his tone that of despairing exasperation. Rei's eyes widened in curiosity as he continued, "And yet, I hate him so much it makes me sick! Gyah, it drives me crazy just thinking about it!" He shouted out the last part, shaking his head with his hands on his temples, his legs feeling somewhat weak as several more tears began to fall from his eyes. His left hand used the escalator banister as if it were the only thing stopping his entire body from falling over.

He held that position until he reached the bottom of the escalator and just stood still in silence, more tears continued to fall as he let all his pent up emotions reach the surface, not noticing as Rei walked by him and stopped at his side, not even registering as her hand gently ushered him off the bottom of the moving walkway, if only for health & safety reasons.

Rei stared at the Third Child for what seemed like forever as he silently sobbed, his words cycling through her head over and over. And, thinking back to the incident with Goten, responded in the only way she thought proper. She brought up her right hand up flat, pulled it back, and brought it down over the cheek of the Third Child, not as a strike but, to the Third's sudden surprise, to softly and carefully caress it with her slender palm, brushing off several tears with her thumb as she did so.

Shinji froze. It was as if time had halted all around them. There were no tears, no sorrow, no despairing feelings. There was only her hand, and the feeling it made as her fingertips brushed over the edge of his cheek, a peculiar caring and warmth seeming to seep into him from the point of contact. His mind only barely registered Rei as she reached round into her school bag and pulled out an unused handkerchief.

"Here," She said, offering it to Shinji who, after managing to overcome the total shock in his system, managed to accept it.

"T-Thank you, Rei," he said as he brushed off any remaining tears that were present and returned it to Rei, who replaced it back in her bag.

Do you feel…better, now?" She asked unsurely, cocking her head slightly.

Shinji paused as he contemplated his answer. He found himself giving the First Child a warm smile "Yes, thank you, Rei…"

Rei nodded in simple confirmation as they both turned and walked off together towards the testing area in comfortable silence.

"Your reactivation experiment… Are you nervous, Rei?" Shinji asked with more than a hint of concern.

"I… do not know," Rei said, as she suddenly found herself feeling unsure of her own situation for a reason she couldn't currently comprehend.

"Well… I think you should ah…cheer up, Rei! And hope for the best. I'm sure everything will turn out okay this time." said Shinji in a small attempt to reassure the First Child as they stood face to face at the junction points leading to the locker room and the test area control module.

Rei could say nothing as she averted her gaze from him, unsure what to feel. This time she was the shocked one as she felt the Third Child's hand slip into her own. She was unprepared for the small gasp that escaped her throat as he gave it a reassuring squeeze as she met his eyes once more, the warmth there something she had never seen in anyone's eyes for her except the commander, only it was different. The commander looked at her, but in a way also not at her, she always felt that when he looked at her and smiled, it wasn't even her she was looking at. This feeling was different. It stirred something in her she couldn't place.

"Well good luck, Rei. You're strong… much stronger than I am. I'm sure you'll be fine." The Third Child said with strange confidence as Rei stared at their joined limbs and found herself gripping the Third Child's back softly in response, this was just as the announcement that the test was to begin in under fifteen minutes came bawling over the intercom.

Shinji suddenly slipped his hand out from Rei's grasp, blushing somewhat as he began to head off in the other direction towards the control room to watch the experiment, keeping his warm smile in place as Rei stared into his eyes, her hand subconsciously brushing together where he had held it. 'He is… warm.' She thought to herself as she stared at him. Rei then did something she had never done before for anyone else but the commander; as she looked back into Shinji's dark blue eyes… she smiled back.

Rei swiftly turned about and headed off towards the changing room.

Shinji however, now he wasn't doing much of anything, except perhaps standing with his jaw hanging open.

"Did she just…" Shinji found himself beginning to say out loud and then paused, frowning as if needing to confirm the word was actually correct "…Smile?" he gaped, before adding silently to himself 'at me?' as if it were the most important part.

"Did who just smile?" asked a familiar voice, startling Shinji out of his revere.

"Misato… I didn't see you there, are you here to-" he paused as he registered the presence of the two figures behind her. "Goten… and Goku? What are you two doing here?" He asked, more than a little startled the two had just waltzed into a high security area.

"We're Rei official safety guys for her experiment thingy!" said Goten happily.

"Safety guys?" asked Shinji, glancing at Misato with a raised eyebrow.

"Didn't you hear? I got approval from the Commander to allow them in to step in and help, should something go wrong with Unit-00 during the activation test. We don't want Rei getting hurt like last time."

"Really? That's great, but… shouldn't you tell Rei this?" Shinji asked, a slightly more relieved tone in his voice now.

"She'll be informed if she hasn't already. Where is she by the way?" Misato enquired, glancing about.

"You just missed her, she went off to get suited up," explained Shinji, pointing a finger back over his shoulder.

"Ohh, shame. I wanted to see her again," said Goten.

"Don't worry, you can see her afterward. Besides, I'm sure she'll be much happier to know you're here, Goten," explained Goku as they turned to walk towards the control room.

"What was it you were saying before we arrived, Shinji?" Misato asked as they walked on, tilting her head around to look at her charge.

"Oh, W-what? It was nothing, nothing at all," Shinji stammered quickly, suddenly finding the view ahead very interesting.

"Hey, are you blushing?" Misato asked, narrowing her eyes as her woman's intuition flared up and caused her to grin almost cat-like at the boy.

"N-no I am not! And stop teasing, okay?" pouted Shinji, scowling to hide the flush on his face.

"Like I said, you're too much fun not to tease. It would be a crime not to!" She said with a grin, earning a small growl from Shinji which merely elicited a laugh from both the Captain and Goku in response as they entered the control room.

"Status?" Asked Dr Akagi of Maya as she ran through the final checks as Misato, Goten, Goku and Shinji entered.

"Entry plug is locked and secure; we're all ready to go, ma'am" replied Maya.

"This is the second test control room, where you can monitor the experiment in case something goes wrong." Misato explained as the two Saiyans, plus Shinji, took positions at her sides in the centre of the control room to give the technicians enough room to continue moving about. Shinji took a position slightly further back and out of sight yet still fully able to see the proceedings.

Misato approached Dr Akagi as Goten wandered around pointlessly before stopping next to sub-commander Fuyutski's position. The little Saiyan hovered up in the air several feet to get a better view. Goku, however, hadn't budged from the spot he had stopped in when he entered the room, his eyes locked squarely ahead through the viewing portal.

Everything else seemed drowned out around the Saiyan as he kept his eyes trained on Unit-00's waiting form. His eyes narrowed at the hulking form.

Gendo's eyes followed Goku and Goten as they took up their positions, yet trained on Goku for a second before approaching him and stopping by his side, eyes focused on Unit-00 also.

"Are you aware of what your task is here?" asked Gendo, who kept his eyes locked with the single optical lens of the prototype EVA, "Is there a problem?" asked Gendo with a slight frown after getting no response for a moment.

"You okay, daddy?" Goten asked, breaking his father out of his half-trance.

Goku blinked, shaking his head slightly to clear it, "Wh-what? Yes, I'm fine…"

"What's wrong?" Goten pressed, sure his father had a feeling about something.

"It's just… I sense it. Even though it's totally inactive, I can sense it…" said Goku slowly, catching the attention of Gendo and Kozo.

"What, its ki? So can I." Goten said with a shrug.

"No…" breathed the Saiyan, "It's not that. It's just, when I focus on its ki, there's something else, something almost… aware. And I get the strangest feeling that, as I look at it…" Goku paused, in thought as his voice had taken on a slight edge and had, unbeknownst to him, attracted the attention of everyone around him,

"What is it, daddy?"

"…that it's watching me." He said in a puzzled tone, inadvertently gaining multiple spooked looks on the faces of many of the techs in the room and nothing more than a pair of narrowed eyes from Gendo, who suddenly began to second-guess allowing the Saiyan into headquarters.

"You can sense these kinds of things?" asked Fuyutski critically, earning nothing more than a minute nod from Goku.

"A-Anyway, I'm sure it's nothing, right!" Said Goku suddenly, trying to break the half-silence, rubbing the back of his head with a weak laugh.

"Indeed," agreed Gendo, nodding to the doctor as a signal to continue.

"Have all final checks been completed?" asked Ritsuko turning back to Maya.

"Yes, ma'am, all checks have been cleared and we're ready to continue," she confirmed as she turned back to her console, not able to help passing the occasional glance to the silent form of Unit-00 'now that you mention it…' she found herself contemplating morbidly.

"What did you mean, its ki?" Kozo asked from a side glance to the hovering form of Goten, a slight note of curiosity in his voice.

Goten hummed in thought as to how to phrase it, "Hmm, how would my dad say? Right, he would say 'every living thing has its own ki, or energy, from the smallest thing to the strongest warrior. The stronger the ki of something, the stronger it is in actual fact' we can use it to fly and stuff too. You just gotta know how to use it!" Goten explained to the elder ex-professor.

"I see…" the sub-commander replied as he contemplated the boy's words, his eyes finding it difficult to pull away from the empty space between the boy's feet and the ground, many of the other technicians also passing glances back as they passed.

"Are you ready?" asked Gendo with a sideways glance to Goku.

"Don't worry. If anything starts to go wrong, we'll get her out of there safely. You can count on us," Goku said seriously, immediately turning to his son and asking with a smile, "Ready, Goten?"

"Ready!" The boy responded, raising an enthusiastic fist.

'You would never think it just by looking at them…' the sub-commander contemplated as he watched Goten seem to bounce back and forth excitedly on his heels in the air.

"Open the feed to Unit-00," ordered the commander.

"Yes sir, feed is open," Maya replied as an image of Rei in the entry plug blinked to life in the top left of the monitor.

"Rei, all is prepared," informed Gendo formally. There was however the slightest soft edge in his voice as he addressed her.

"Understood," Rei said, before passing a glance and spying Goten floating next to the sub-commander. Her eyes widened an entire millimetre, which was quite an exclamation for her, "Goten?"

"Hi, Rei!" Goten shouted excitedly, waving to the pilot, startling Gendo who was standing in front of him.

"Why are..." began the pilot.

"They are here to help, Rei." The commander interrupted, speaking reassuringly, "Should anything go wrong this time, they are to immediately assist you from Unit-00. You will not come to any harm."

"Understood, sir" She replied, passing a glance at Shinji in the background who returned her look with a quick inclination of his head. Rei exhaled subtly as any of the hesitations that had crept up earlier evaporated.

"Are you ready, Rei?" The commander asked finally.

"Ready, sir," replied the pilot, gripping the controls, eyes forward.

Gendo pushed his glasses back up his nose and addressed the room, "Very well, we will now begin the Unit-00 reactivation experiment. Begin primary connections."

The atmosphere immediately changed. The look on Goten's face appeared far more serious and seemed to mirror to look his father now wore.

Gendo glanced to the side as he heard Goku clench a fist at his side and he swore he could almost hear the muscles tense up in the Saiyan's arm.

"Connect to main power supply," ordered Dr Akagi.

"Activation voltage is past critical point," responded Maya as information flowed across her screen.

"Is… is that good?" Goten asked after hovering up higher so he could mumble in commander Fuyutski's ear.

"All is fine for now," replied the commander, breaking neither his stare nor posture.

"Right, shift format to phase two," ordered the doctor to the techs as she monitored the readings carefully.

"Connecting pilot to Unit-00 and opening circuits," the two forward techs commented.

"Pulse and harmonics are all good. We're in sync" added Maya.

"No problems detected as of yet," Maya added.

Shinji had at this point walked forward a few steps to get a better view whilst Goku stood, staring intently as he monitored the EVA's ki signal as it began to build up.

"All nerve links completed." said one of the technicians.

"All central nerve systems are nominal," chimed in another, "no error correction required."

"All satisfactory up to 2590," Maya commented from her station as the tension built.

"Approaching critical mark; 2.5 more" said another tech as the final countdown to absolute borderline began.

A high pitched humming noise began emanating around the room, building in strength.

"1.7, 1.2, 1.0, 0.8, 0.6…" intoned Maya, Goku's eyes narrowing as he sensed the Eva's ki signal fluctuate minutely. He tilted his body, shifting his centre of gravity in readiness.

"Get ready…" Gendo murmured to Goku, who also stood with his eyes glued ahead. The Saiyan nodded once in acknowledgment.

"Get ready, Goten." said Goku in a low voice.

"Ready, Dad…" Replied the boy in a similar tone

"…0.5, 0.4…" Gendo stayed steady and frozen as the noise built up and the indicator approached the borderline.

"…0.3, 0.2…"

'Come on! Work… work!' Shinji (and most likely everyone else in the room) began mentally chanting as the indicator reached the stage marked 'border-line' and began wobbling over it.

"…0.1…" there was a loud bing as the indicator line passed the borderline, "…and rising. Absolute borderline breached; Unit-00 has been activated!" Maya announced loudly as the indicator stage screen became a mass of green.

"Roger," Responded Rei levelly, "beginning interlock tests now." She informed as everyone in the control room breathed a noticeable sigh of relief including, though with much more subtlety, the First Child.

Goten hovered back up again and asked up in Commander Fuyutski's ear "Umm… That's good, right?" The sub-commander sighed, his shoulders sagging slightly.

"Yes," he breathed in defeat, "That's good, Goten…" he finished with a slight roll of his eyes, wondering silently 'what is with this kid?'

"Great!" Shouted the boy a bit too close to the commander's ear, causing him to recoil slightly as the child dropped to the floor to run to his father's side, "Hear that?" Goten asked up to his dad with a smile on his face.

"Yup, guess there wasn't anything to worry about after all," Goku said, ruffling his son's hair gently.

"Excellent," Gendo began, turning to Goku "…Thank you for your assistance, it was most-" Gendo paused mid-sentence as the Saiyan's face suddenly shifted into a serious glare, "What?" Gendo asked, unsure and a little worried if the Saiyan warrior was frowning at him or something else. Before he could ask again, the Saiyan's head shot round upwards, staring at something that wasn't there in the distance.

"Dad…" Goten said in a worried tone, gripping his father's leg. Gendo and everyone else in the room were now watching the two Saiyans and wondering what it was on the wall that had startled them.

"I know, son…" Goku said, his eyes not moving from that one spot.

"What?" Gendo asked/demanded, really not liking to have to repeat himself. Goku's head turned back round to look at him. The look in the Saiyan's dark eyes gave the commander momentary pause.

"Something's coming…" He said simply in a quiet, yet serious tone.

"What, what's coming?" Fuyutski asked as everyone else listened in. The answer, surprisingly, came from Goten.

"It's an Angel…" he replied quietly, his answer causing everyone to gasp and turn their eyes to Goku who, feeling their stares upon him, nodded once in simple confirmation.

"But why haven't Trunks or Vegeta taken care of it?" Asked Goten.

"They're on the other side of the planet remember, Goten. I doubt they've noticed."

"Ohh yeah…" said the younger Saiyan, feeling slightly foolish for forgetting.

"That's impossible. How can you possibly know an Angel is approaching out of intuition alone?" demanded Ritsuko critically.

"Not intuition…" Goku said in reply, his mind still focused on the approaching ki.

"Impossible…" Dr Akagi repeated dismissively and was about to say something else, but was interrupted by the sound of the emergency phone-line ringing in the background. She quirked her head round to watch Commander Fuyutski answer it, the man's face remaining frozen and impassive until he hung up the phone.

"Well?" Gendo asked.

The sub-commander coughed once, "We've just received word of an unidentified object on a direct course for Tokyo-3, it… appears to be the next Angel." he said, and the room went into momentary, uncomfortable silence.

"Told you so!" Goten barked at the Doctor, who winced slightly and chose not to dignify him with a response.

"Fuyutski!" Snapped Gendo suddenly, his voice like a small thunderclap that called everyone in the room to attention, "Order the move to first stage alert. Rei, we're finished for the day, you can come back now," he ordered, his voice becoming slightly less demanding when he addressed the First Child.

"Umm…" Shinji began nervously, getting his father's attention, "…you're not going to use Unit-00, are you?" Shinji asked his father, his tone purveying concern as he did so.

Gendo narrowed his eyes at his son for a second before answering "No, she isn't ready to fight yet," Gendo replied, watching his son's reactions carefully and catching the subtle look of relief wash over his face. The commander filed away this sudden interest in the First's welfare by his son for future investigation but for now paid it no further heed.

"She won't have to be…"Shinji paused, his eyes narrowing, flicking once to Rei's and back, "I'll beat it," he said, and with a strange undertone of determination.

There was a brief silence in the room as Shinji turned to walk out of the control room.

"W-Where are you going?" Misato asked in a somewhat startled tone. Shinji passed a glance back before answering.

"To Unit-01, I assume you want me to beat that thing, right?" Shinji asked cocking his head curiously.

"R-right…" stammered the Captain, slightly surprised.

"Good, then we're all in agreement." Said the pilot as he spun round and headed off to change into his plug suit.

"Umm, is it just me… Or did that seem a little weird just then?" Misato asked, folding her arms.

"I know. He almost seemed… intent on piloting," Dr Akagi said in a slightly bewildered tone.

"Umm, that's a good thing though, right?" Goku asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I guess so… But I wonder what brought that on?" Misato asked, thinking deeply as she spoke.

"Doctor," The commander suddenly spoke in, snapping everyone back to attention, "Have Unit-01 prepped and ready for launch as soon as possible."

"It can be ready in less than seven minutes, sir," The doctor replied as everyone rushed off to do their required task.

Misato turned about and left, heading for the bridge with Goku and Goten.

Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away, Ramiel drew inexorably closer…

To be continued…

-XA-

[A/N] well, this took longer than expected, so I thank you for not lynching me due to the delays, am glad this one is back moving in full swing. As older readers of this fic may recall, this chapter was split in two, the second part should be out quite soon. Look forward to seeing you there.

See you all soon in Chapter 8: Balance of Power Part 2.