EVANGELION: REWIRED

By Anguirus1955

Disclaimer: Neon Genesis Evangelion and all related characters therein are the intellectual property of Studio Gainax and Hideaki Anno.

This episode of REWIRED is going to be a bit of a horror-themed episode. This episode will also feature a new Angel, named Eve. I've named the new Angel Eve because... well, honestly it was just the first thing that popped into my head.

Music I listened to while writing this episode includes Neon Genesis Evangelion OST 1 - 3 (1995 - 1997) by Shiro Sagisu, Evangelion S2 Works (1998) by Shiro Sagisu, Evangelion Wind Symphony (2009) by Shiro Sagisu and Masamichi Amano and Yoichi Murata, Titan A.E. Original Score (2000) by Graeme Revell, John Carpenter's THE THING (1982) by Ennio Morricone & John Carpenter & Alan Howarth, and Blue Gender (1999 - 2000) by Kuniaki Haishima.

Please note that listening to this music while reading the story is not a requirement. I simply provide this as a little something extra to help enhance the reading experience, if you the readers so wish to do so. Most of this music can be found and heard on YouTube or any number of anime soundtrack websites.

Sudden and Suspicious Disclaimer: I also advocate the purchasing and obtaining of official soundtracks through legal means.

Music From Neon Genesis Evangelion OST 1 - 3 (1995 - 1997): Misato, Ritsuko, Rei-I, Asuka Strikes.

Music From Evangelion Wind Symphony (2009): F2 - Preview Of Next Time Take 1, E01 - Decisive Battle, E01 - Decisive Battle TV ReMaster, E05 Fast - The Beast TV ReMaster.

Music From Titan A.E. (2000): Start Running, Keep Running, Earth Is Never Lost/Mother Drej.

Music From John Carpenter's THE THING (1982): Burn It, Fuchs, Bestiality, Main Theme - Desolation, Humanity Part 1, Shape, Solitude.

Music From Evangelion S2 Works (1998): E5 - Fast Tempo, Rhythm Only, E-2 Without Brass, A-16 Theme of NERV, E-1 Decisive Battle.

Music From Blue Gender (1999 - 2000): Escape ID, Marine, Key, Tetany, Preset, Amal, Sign, Milankovitch, Blue, Cure, Random Worm, Dead Tech, Nothing.

Track Order Listing - All After Opening Theme And Before Ending Theme

01. Misato (School in the morning), 02. Shape (First encounter), 03. Random Worm (Misato begins her search), 04. Burn It (Horrific discovery), 05. Start Running, Keep Running (Chased by Eve), 06. E-2 Without Brass (Trapped by Eve), 07. E01 - Decisive Battle TV ReMaster (Montage of LNG construction), 08. Marine (Final chase), 09. E05 Fast - The Beast TV ReMaster (Showdown in the hangar).

Music After Ending Theme

10. Preview Of Next Time Take 1.


OPENING THEME: A Cruel Angel's Thesis (Director's Edit - Ayanami Version), Performed by Megumi Hayashibara


Episode 11: Eve Of Terror


Tokyo-3 High School, Wednesday, March 18, 2043

After putting her things at her desk, Hikari Horaki made her way over to the doorway of the class room and watched as her fellow students slowly entered the room. She looked down at the checklist she'd made and marked off each student who entered the room, occasionally glancing down at the bottom where a new name was listed. She soon heard the loud and boisterous voices of two particular students as they neared the room, prompting her to step slightly out of the doorway to watch them.

"Yeah, yeah, I hear ya, Red!" Toji Suzuhara grumbled as Asuka hounded him. Asuka had a flustered and angry look on her face as Toji rolled his eyes at her. "All ya ever do is harp on me when I screw up," Toji said gruffly as he entered the class room.

"Then pay more attention! Or maybe you don't need my help anymore, Mister Big Shot!" Asuka barked at him as she followed him into the class room. Standing at the doorway, Hikari watched as Asuka continued nagging Toji all the way to his desk, before she noticed a girl with dark red hair sitting in the back.

Hm... I don't remember seeing her come in. Wait, aren't we supposed to be getting another student or pilot from overseas? That's right, we are, but she's supposed to be an American. This girl looks completely Japanese. She must be someone I just don't pay much attention to, Hikari thought as she noticed that the red-head appeared completely Japanese, unlike Asuka and Mari, both of whom had definite Anglo-features present on their faces.

Hikari silently watched as the rest of the class entered the room in small numbers, with Kensuke, Shinji, and Rei soon entering the room together. "And my dad says that the new pilot should be starting school with us today," Kensuke said with a grin. In the back row, the red-headed girl raised an eyebrow as she caught parts of Kensuke's statement.

"Really?" Shinji asked him. He hadn't heard anything about a new addition to the pilot roster. Then again, he rarely ever asked about that kind of thing anyway.

"Yeah, and she's supposed to be American," Kensuke replied, causing Asuka to turn her head in his direction.

"What's this about an American?" Asuka asked him.

"Oh, the new pilot who's joining you guys is an American," Kensuke said as he turned to look at the German girl.

"We're getting another Eva pilot?" Toji asked him curiously. The city already had four Evangelions and pilots protecting it. In Toji's mind, adding a fifth one just seemed a bit excessive.

"Great, and they're an American," Asuka grumbled. Everyone looked at her curiously. "What?" she asked as she noticed their stares.

"Well... you sound kind of upset by the fact that the new pilot is American. Why is that such a big deal?" Shinji asked her curiously. Sure, he'd heard about the various stereotypes regarding Americans, but since he'd never met any in person, he'd tried keeping an open mind about such things, especially now with two foreigners, Asuka and Mari, fighting alongside him and Rei in the war against the Angels.

"There are three problems with having an American pilot. They'll be overpaid, oversexed, and over here," Asuka spat, referencing an old saying that European Allied forces had held about Americans all the way back in World War II.

"Watch it, Kraut," came a female voice from nearby. Asuka turned her head to look around the room for the source, knowing that it had to be the American pilot, but she saw no one who looked remotely American, or even half-Japanese, apart from Mari, who wasn't even in the room. Confused, she asked the others if they'd heard the voice as well.

Looking around the room, Rei noticed the red-headed girl sitting in the back. After making sure that Asuka was looking away, she nodded her head at her, having encountered the girl at NERV HQ on Sunday after Commander Ikari had returned. Mana silently nodded her own head in acknowledgement of Rei before turning to look away, prompting Rei to do the same.

"Yeah, but I don't see anyone who could've said it," Shinji said, believing just like everyone else that the American transfer student would be either wholly or partially white, much like Asuka and/or Mari. Meanwhile, back over in her seat, the red-head rolled her eyes as the last of their fellow students entered the room. Walking in just behind fellow students Kiyone Hagino and Senna Makube, Mari Illustrious Makinami stopped in her tracks and sniffed the air, forcing fellow student Ichiro Mafune to step around her to get to his seat. Still sniffing the air, Mari soon looked over in the new girl's direction and tilted her head.

Walking over closer to the girl, Mari leaned in to sniff her. "What the hell are you doing?" she asked Mari in bewilderment, catching the attention of everyone in the room as the teacher stepped inside. Mari grinned as she took a big whiff of the red-headed girl, prompting her to lean back to get away from her.

Leaning in closer, Mari soon saw the dog tags partially hidden under the girl's uniform top, further confirming her suspicions. "LCL," Mari said quietly to the girl, causing her eyes to widen considerably. "I can smell it on you. Welcome to Tokyo Three... Kirishima-san," Mari whispered to her with a smile. Her breath caught in her throat at just how quickly she had been found out, and all without having to say a single word.

Meanwhile, in the front of the room, Hikari walked over to the teacher and handed him her list of students. "Oh, so the new girl didn't show up yet?" he asked Hikari. "No, not yet, Ichiba-Sensei," Hikari said. "Ah, well. Maybe she got lost? New kids tend to do that," the old man said with a shrug and an unconcerned tone of voice as he walked over to his desk.

Hikari then turned to face the rest of the class. "Rise. Bow. Sit," she said firmly, forcing Mari to return to her seat and give the red-head a chance to breathe. "Okay, so... we were supposed to have a new student joining us today, but... apparently she isn't coming," Hikari said. The red-head raised an eyebrow at her curiously.

Asuka frowned and rolled her eyes. "Typical. Americans can't do anything right," she muttered under her breath.

Soon, Hikari saw the girl in the back raise her hand. "Yes, Miss... uh?" Hikari asked as she tried to remember the girl's name.

"Kirishima. Mana Kirishima" the girl replied, smirking as she said her full name in a manner not unlike a famous movie character.

Kirishima? That's supposed to be the name of the American transfer student. Wait a minute... SHE's the American!? No way, Hikari thought to herself in confusion. "Y-Yes... Kirishima-san?" Hikari asked.

"I've been here since the doors opened. So, please don't mark me as absent," Mana requested.

"You're... the American transfer student?" Hikari asked her, bewildered by the fact that this American looked 100% Japanese.

"Uh... yeah. Why do you look so confused by that?" Mana asked in response.

Just about everyone in the class was now looking at Mana in shock. Soon, several students started whispering to each other, while Mana noticed one particularly geeky boy with glasses blinking at her in surprise. She quickly focused her attention back on Hikari.

"Did you expect me to be some blonde white chick with big boobs when you heard that the new student was going to be an American?" Mana asked. Several of the boys in the class silently nodded their heads in affirmation.

"N-No. Not at all," Hikari lied. "I... um, anyway, thank you for joining us, Kirishima-san," Hikari said, flustered, before she grabbed a stack of papers from the teacher's desk and started handing them out to her fellow students. When she reached Mana's desk, she frowned.

"Kirishima-san, why didn't you wait and introduce yourself to the class like the others did when they arrived?" Hikari asked her quietly. Mana tilted her head in confusion.

"Um... I dunno. I didn't think it would be that big of a deal. You know? I kind of thought you'd just read out everyone's names from a sheet and I would respond when you called mine out," Mana said sheepishly. "I didn't mean to make a scene," she added.

Hikari nodded her head with a sigh. "All right then. Well, how well can you read Hiragana and Kanji? We do have spare worksheets in English, but they're mostly kept in storage," Hikari said to Mana.

"Well, my father used to teach me Kanji before he died, but after that, my mother just taught me Hiragana," Mana replied. Hikari nodded her head in understanding. "So... I can understand Hiragana, but... I'm going to need some help with the Kanji," Mana added.

"All right. I'll get you a help-sheet for that. When you're given a new laptop for class, you'll also find some Kanji-to-Hiragana guides on the school server as well," Hikari said with a nod.

"Okay. Thank you," Mana replied with a smile before Hikari resumed passing out the sheets to the rest of the class. Well... this should be fun, Mana thought to herself as she noticed Asuka glancing back at her with a frown. She timidly waved a hand at the other red-head, who curtly nodded her head in acknowledgement before turning around.


The Appropriately Nicknamed Eva Pilots' Apartment Complex, Later That Evening...

Walking up the stairs, Mana sighed as she held one strap of her backpack while holding onto the rail with her other hand. She glanced down at her uniform with contempt. She hated the fact that she had to wear a uniform to school. I feel like a fucking robot, looking just like everybody else. Still... I guess it helps me blend in with the crowd, Mana thought to herself as she made her way up to the floor where her new apartment was located.

As she continued walking, she started singing to make herself feel better. "You got the touch! You got the power! Yeah!" she sang with each step she took. "After all is said and done, you never walk, you never run, you're a winner!" she continued, a smile growing on her face with each lyric.

"You got the moves, you know the street! Break the rules, take the heat, you're nobody's fool!" Mana sang to herself. "You're at your best when the going gets rough! You've been put to the test and it's never enough!" Mana continued singing with a grin as she continued walking up the stairs.

Upon reaching the landing, Mana noticed Asuka and Toji talking to each other animatedly as Mari opened the door to their apartment. Soon, Asuka noticed Mana out of the corner of her eye. Mana narrowed her eyes at Asuka as she began walking near her. "Guten tag... Sohryu," Mana said in German to the other red-head.

Asuka paused her conversation with Toji to glare at Mana. "Guten tag... schlampe," Asuka spat in return. Mana stopped walking and engaged in a staring contest with Asuka.

"What is your problem with me?" Mana asked the other girl in Japanese, her eyes narrowing at her in contempt.

"I don't need to tell you, Mana," Asuka replied tersely.

"Bullshit. You've been avoiding me or sending glares my way ever since you discovered that I'm an American. I want you to stop it. I ain't putting up with that, comprende?" Mana retorted as she stuck a finger in Asuka's face.

"I'm your superior officer, Mana. My rank is Warrant Officer, and last I checked, you were only just promoted to Corporal a few days ago," Asuka retorted. "You don't get to give me orders," she added with a glare.

"So? I may be your subordinate, Warrant Officer, but since your behavior problem has taken place away from the base in a civilian location, I'd like an apology right now while we're still off duty. Chain of command has no meaning out this way, so let's hear it," Mana demanded firmly.

Asuka scowled at her in response. "Look, Mana, I don't owe you..."

Furthermore, as I am your subordinate, mocking me does nothing to ensure my loyalty to you or my willingness to obey your orders.

Rei's words came back to Asuka in full swing before she could mouth her retort. "Okay... I'm... s-sorry. As your superior officer, it is my duty to set an example for those under my command. So... do you accept my apology?" Asuka asked Mana.

Mana looked her up and down before sighing through her nose. "Apology... accepted," Mana said skeptically, not entirely convinced of Asuka's change of heart.

"So, Mana, you live here too?" Mari asked nonchalantly as she turned around after opening the door. Mana nodded her head in response.

"Yeah. I was assigned to this building by the Commander. Inspector Kaji and Section Two have been helping me move in," Mana replied.

"Wait... how come we haven't seen you at all until today then?" Mari asked her curiously.

"I've either been unpacking my stuff or I've been at NERV doing sync tests since I've arrived. I haven't had much time to do anything else until today," Mana explained, finally taking her gaze off of Asuka, before focusing her attention on Toji. Hm... I wonder how I can get under her skin without raising tensions between us again? "So... Suzuhara-san, right?" Mana asked the boy.

Toji nodded his head. "You and Sohryu-san here seem pretty close. You're her boyfriend, I take it?" Mana asked him.

Toji's eyes widened and he stuttered a response. "W-What!? N-No! I-I'm not her b-boyfriend!" he sputtered as a blush rose to his cheeks. Asuka's eyes also widened at Mana's question, a faint blush also rising to her cheeks.

"Ha!" Mari snickered jovially. "Although, with the amount of time you guys spend together, I'm surprised no one's said anything yet or started any rumors. Actually, now that I think about it..." Mari started, causing Asuka to reach out and place a hand against the brunette's mouth.

"No! I'm tutoring Toji here," Asuka said. "He has trouble with math, so I've been tutoring him for the past few months," she explained hastily. Mana nodded her head.

Really? Cause from the way you reacted... eh-heh, I wonder... "So... I take it that means you're single, then?" Mana asked as she turned to face Toji, putting on a smile and leaning in towards him, batting her eyelashes cutely at him for effect. Toji blushed and gulped in response and glanced between Mana and Asuka nervously.

"Uh, well-" "He doesn't need a girlfriend right now!" Asuka interjected in a suspiciously fast manner. "With all of the trouble he's having with his studies, the last thing he needs is a girlfriend to throw him off-track!" Asuka added, stepping in between Toji and Mana before shoving a finger into Mana's face.

Mana raised two hands into the air. "Hey, whatever you say, Sohryu," Mana replied with a knowing smirk. She totally has the hots for him... or she's in denial. Although... does he have a thing for her too, or is it one sided? Nuh-uh. Look at her! There's no way any boy could spend a few MONTHS being tutored by her and not feel SOMETHING, especially given how chummy they both seemed just before she noticed me, Mana thought to herself as she slowly backed away from Asuka and Toji.

"So, Makinami... are you single?" Mana asked jokingly. Mari smiled seductively at her and licked her lips in response, causing Mana to widen her eyes with a slight blush. "Uh... I was, you know, just joking around when I asked that," Mana said with a nervous chuckle.

"You shouldn't tease me like that," Mari said with a smile. "I might take you... seriously," she added, still smiling. Mana couldn't tell if the bespectacled girl was joking or not. At least Sohryu is easy to read. Makinami, however... she seems more reserved and... calculating? Maybe I'm just reading too much into things. Then again... maybe not, Mana thought to herself as she noticed how Mari's eyes kept watching her as she backpedaled down the hallway.

"Uh... see you guys tomorrow!" Mana called out hesitantly as she made her way down the hall to her apartment. She quickly took out her key and opened the door before closing it shut behind her.

Back at the doorway to the Kaji/Sohryu/Makinami apartment, Mari started to snicker, before she burst out laughing. "Oh, man! Did you see her reaction!?" Mari asked as she held her sides. "Oh, she did not see that coming!" Mari added before she stepped to the side to let Asuka and Toji step inside the entrance of the apartment.

Taking off their shoes, Toji looked at Asuka curiously. "So... what was that all about?" Toji asked Asuka.

"Despite knowing Mari as long as I have... there are still plenty of times when I can't tell if she's being serious about something or just joking around," Asuka admitted as she led Toji through the entrance hall and into the kitchen. "She's kind of scary that way," she added. Toji nodded his head in agreement.


The Geofront, Tuesday Morning, April 21, 2043

Standing out in the open space near a section of pipes burrowed into a cavern wall, Ritsuko Akagi frowned as she noticed the spots of rust along various sections of pipe. Most of the pipes carried water and various gases to and from NERV HQ, along with a handful that were connected to a geothermal power plant several kilometers away from Tokyo-3. However, mere spots of rust were not the reason that Ritsuko had been called out from her lab to walk around the floor of the Geofront.

Standing next to her were several workers and technicians, all of whom had several pieces of monitoring equipment set up near the pipes. Looking at the data on the pad in her hand, Ritsuko scowled before glancing at one of the foremen. "How long has this little problem been going on?" Ritsuko asked the overweight man.

"I was only told about it yesterday. I sent some guys out to do some water testing to be safe, and when they got the results back, I called you. There's some kind of... I dunno, weird acidity to the water in various spots, but it's like it's movin' or somethin'," Foreman Kanzaki explained.

"I mean, acidity doesn't move around through the water like an object. It remains constant until it gets filtered," he added.

"And that's why you called me out here? Because of this?" Ritsuko asked him in annoyance.

"Well, yeah. I mean, you're one of the smartest people workin' here, so why not ask you for help?" the foreman replied.

"Sempai, we've found no traces of the reported acidity," Maya Ibuki called out from a nearby terminal. Ritsuko and the foreman walked over to the younger woman and looked at the screen of her laptop. "There's nothing in the water right now. All of the PH levels are normal," Maya said.

"But my guys found something in the water! I have the tests to prove it!" the foreman exclaimed in frustration. "I can show you when and where they took the tests! They recorded everything!" he added.

"Alright, Maya, when we get back inside, set the MAGI to start scanning the water systems for signs of unusual PH levels," Ritsuko said. "Gentlemen, I'll leave the rest to you," Ritsuko added before walking away. She had some sync tests to observe later in the afternoon, in addition to work regarding the next pilot candidate for Unit 03. While it would be several months until Unit 03 was ready for deployment, possibly even a year, Ritsuko wanted to get a head start on choosing a pilot for the Eva.


Inside NERV HQ, Level B-40, Two Hours Later...

Three NERV technicians walked over to a section of pipes near a storage room. "Okay, so this is where the second filtration monitoring system is located. We just need to turn it on so the MAGI can collect the data, and then we're finished," Technician Agito Kaneko said as he led his two comrades into a storage room.

"What's that smell?" Technician Haruka Ozawa asked as she reached for a light switch. The room's lights slightly blinked on, flickering for a moment. "Oh... mildew," she said as she noticed some wet cardboard boxes underneath a dripping pipe.

Ignoring the stale smell of the room, Agito briskly made his way over to a control box near a pipe, opening the cover and pressing the manual power button to turn it on. During the construction of NERV HQ, several sections of the place were hastily put together following 2nd Impact, and some sections had computer systems that were not directly controlled by the MAGI, meaning that they had to be handled manually in order for the MAGI to access them through the structure's computer network, much like that one really important but annoyingly unreachable printer found in nearly every office building on Earth.

While waiting for the monitoring station to come online, Technician Reiji Wakube noticed something strange on one of the pipes nearby. Walking over to it, he inspected it by leaning forward. There appeared to be an odd viscus substance covering the pipe, along with a small hole. Yet, nothing was coming out of the hole. As he turned around to get his comrades' attention, he noticed something moving in a corner by some equipment racks.

Reiji walked over to the racks, with Haruka noticing him quickly. "What are you looking at?" Haruka asked Reiji.

"I don't know. I thought I saw something," he replied as he walked over to the equipment racks and started walking through them. He scanned the wall for shadows and he turned on his flashlight, just befoer he saw something roll under a rack nearby.

"Okay, monitoring station is up and running," Agito announced. "Come on, guys, let's get outta here," he added as he made his way toward the doorway. He then noticed Reiji crouching by the equipment racks. "Hey, Reiji-san! We're going!" Agito called out as Haruka made her way over to the doorway as well.

"Just a minute," Reiji replied, causing Agito to furrow his brows. "I saw something move over here," Reiji elaborated.

"It's probably just a bug or something. The bug traps down here are probably all expired and need replacing. We'll call pest control to come down later," Agito said, rolling his eyes.

"I don't... I don't think it's a bug," Reiji said as he got down onto his hands and knees to shine his flashlight under the rack. "What the?" he asked before he pulled away from the rack and grabbed a small thin pipe from nearby.

"Reiji, leave it. I don't wanna stay down here any longer," Agito said in annoyance.

"Just let me see what this is real quick," Reiji responded as he slowly inched the pipe forward under the rack. He watched with baited breath as the pipe made contact with the strange lump under the rack, before he pulled it back,noticing how the lump was now stuck to the pipe as he pulled it out and stood up. Holding the pipe up for his co-workers to see as he stepped out from around the equipment racks, Reiji walked over to them.

"See this?" Reiji asked as he held the pipe out in front of them. On the end of it was a strange red blob. Haruka frowned in disgust at it.

"Looks gross. Just put it down and let's go, Reiji-kun," Haruka said.

"Alright, just let me-whoa!" Reiji exclaimed as the blob began moving along the pipe. He tilted the pipe downward, but the red blob continued crawling towards his hand, defying gravity before it lunged forward, latching itself onto Reiji's hand, causing him to drop the pipe onto the floor with a clatter.

Reiji cried out in fear and pain as he felt his hand begin to heat up as the strange substance began covering his hand. "Shit! Help me get it off! Help me-aah!" Reiji cried out as he felt his skin being dissolved. He looked down and watched as the blob began to pulsate.

"Reiji!" Haruka cried out as her friend staggered around the room, smacking his hand against the wall in an effort to remove the blob from his arm. The blob soon began stretching to cover his wrist, and Reiji cried out louder. He ran past Haruka and Agito into the hallway, and they quickly followed after him.


Pilot Locker Room, NERV HQ, Hours Later...

Stepping into the locker room, all of the pilots began to undress, except Shinji as he made his way around the other side of the lockers before he started undressing. In the main area, Mana and Asuka were both undressing next to each other. "So... I haven't really bothered asking until now, but... how many Angels have you killed so far... Warrant Officer Sohryu?" Mana asked Asuka as she pulled down her underwear and took off her bra.

Asuka turned around to answer her, pulling down her bra as well, revealing that both girls had the same bust size. "I've killed two so far. One on my own, and the second as part of the team effort," Asuka replied.

Mana nodded her head in response as she stepped into her yellow and black-striped plug suit. "I've only killed one so far, and that was part of a team effort," she said as she zipped up the suit and activated the cuffs. "So, how many times have you cross-synchronized with another Eva?" Mana asked as Asuka finished getting into her own red plug suit.

"Several dozen," Asuka replied curtly as she pressed the button on her cuff to activate the form-fitting function of the plug suit. "How many have you done?" she then asked Mana in return.

"Only a couple dozen. It's been a while since I've sat in someone else's Eva," Mana replied as she scanned the room, noticing that Rei was already finished while Mari was just finishing up with her new pink plug suit. The bespectacled girl smiled as she cupped her breasts before letting go to watch them bounce.

"Sweet, this suit actually fits my measurements," Mari said with a grin. "Hey, Shinji! Wanna see how my new plug suit fits me!?" Mari asked teasingly. Asuka rolled her eyes at Mari.

"Uh... is that a trick question?" Shinji asked as he stepped around the lockers, already clad in his blue and white plug suit. Rei watched Mari approaching Shinji with a faint look of uncertainty on her face, as though she were unsure of how to feel about what was happening.

"Nope. Just look here!" Mari exclaimed as she grabbed her boobs through the plug suit and jiggled them in front of him. Shinji's eyes widened as he blushed, while Rei subtly frowned as she watched Mari tease the boy. "Beautiful, aren't they?" Mari asked him teasingly.

"Uh... [gulp] Y-Yeah. R-Really... b-beautiful," Shinji stuttered. Boobs... boobs... boobs... I wonder if she's unshaven like Rei? Wait, no! Don't have those thoughts in the locker room... at least not while you've got company, Shinji thought to himself as he began to feel himself reacting to Mari's teasing.

"Oh-ho!" Mari said as she glanced down with a cheeky smile. "Looks like somebody likes what he's seeing!" Mari teased as she noticed the tent in Shinji's plug suit. She then looked back up at Shinji's face. "Want some help with that?" Mari teased him, causing Rei to frown at her in the distance.

"Mari, that's enough!" Asuka snapped at the other girl. "We've got a cross-synchronization test to take! Shinji doesn't need to be distracted, or else Doctor Akagi will have us all stay even longer than necessary to get more readings or whatever she thinks she needs to do," Asuka reprimanded.

"Oh, come on! I'm just having some fun," Mari pouted, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"Warrant Officer Sohryu is correct," Rei said as she walked up to Mari, a small frown marring her face. "There is no need to cause all of us to stay here longer than necessary just so that you can... t-tease Corporal Ikari with your body," Rei said, a slightly aggressive tone entering her voice, causing Mari to widen her eyes as she picked it up, before a smirk crossed her face.

"Ikari, go over to the shower and take care of that before the test starts," Mana suddenly spoke up. "Get it out of your system," she added. Everyone looked at her strangely.

"What? Back at Second Branch, if I got aroused when seeing Wagner naked, I would go into the shower and take care of myself before the test started, and he would do the same if he got aroused by me," Mana said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Besides, you two both have a point," she added, pointing at Rei and Asuka, "I don't wanna be stuck here longer than necessary because Doctor Akagi wants to make up for data that got messed up early on due to Shinji having a woody from Mari teasing him," Mana elaborated.

"Or... I could just think of something... un-erotic and deal with it that way," Shinji suggested.

"Oh yeah? Like what?" Mana asked him as she put her hands on her hips. "You're surrounded by four attractive girls your age wearing skin-tight material that doesn't even hide their camel toes. What can you possibly think of that might kill your boner right now?" Mana asked him with a skeptical expression on her face.

"Uh... my father?" Shinji replied.

A thoughtful expression soon crossed Mana's face. "Actually... that might just work. Okay, Ikari, picture your father naked," Mana said, prompting Asuka's jaw to drop in disbelief, Rei to raise her eyes subtle bewilderment, and Mari to frown in disgust. Shinji closed his eyes and focused. In seconds, his tent collapsed, just before his eyes shot open and his face blanched as he ran over to the nearest toilet stall, where a wretching sound was soon heard before the toilet was flushed. "Damn, that really did work," Mana said in astonishment.

Mana then turned to Asuka with a grin. "Hey, Sohryu, picture Commander Ikari-" "NOT HAPPENING!" Asuka snapped before she stormed off. Mana giggled in response to Asuka's reaction. She then looked over at Rei.

"No," Rei said sharply as she walked past Mana, following Asuka out of the locker room. Mana soon noticed that Mari was still present as Shinji exited the toilet stall and briskly rushed past her to catch up with Rei and Asuka. Mana grinned as she stepped closer to the other girl.

"Hey, Makinami..."


Meanwhile, In The Control Room...

"Uh-huh. Right," Misato said into the phone. "Well, is anyone else available to go find them?" Misato asked. "Negative. We've already sent down three other people and they haven't come back either. I think we should call security to check this out," Technician Daisuke Matsuoka said over the phone.

"No, I'll go check it out myself," Misato said before hanging up. She then turned to look at 2nd Lieutenant Makoto Hyuga, whose computer was slowly running a maintenance checkup on itself. The man let out a bored sigh. "Hey, Hyuga?" Misato asked him.

"Huh?" Makoto asked in response as he looked over at Misato.

"How long will it take for that to finish?" Misato asked Makoto. He glanced at the computer screen before looking back at Misato.

"Uh, well, I could cancel it now if-" "No, don't do that. Just tell me how long it'll take to finish," she interrupted him.

"Uh... Its got at least another hour to go," Makoto replied as he checked a small timer in the corner of the maintenance program's window.

"Okay, since you'll be free until then, I need you to come with me. There's something I need to check on downstairs," Misato said. Makoto slowly nodded his head and stood up, while 2nd Lieutenant Shigeru Aoba glanced over at him and Misato from his station. Shigeru watched as Misato and Makoto exited the room, before he shrugged his shoulders and went back to fiddling with his guitar as he waited for his own station to finish its maintenance tune-up.

"Hm... where's Inspector Kaji right?" Aoba soon wondered out loud.


The Kaji/Sohryu/Makinami Apartment...

"Ugh..." Kaji said tiredly as he laid in bed, holding a hot/cold pack to her forehead. He soon grabbed a tissue to blow his nose again before he fell back against the bed. "I hate getting sick," he muttered to himself as he deposited the used tissue into a nearby trash can. "I... I feel like shit," he muttered to himself.


Back In NERV HQ...

"So, what exactly are we checking out?" Makoto asked Misato as he followed her down the hallway.

"Six technicians have gone missing downstairs. There have been no alarms sounded, but I'd like to check it out myself. Of course, I don't intend on going down there alone," Misato explained as she grabbed her sidearm and checked it before putting it back in its holster. Makoto looked down at his own holstered sidearm, which he had thankfully never had to use since completing NERV's mandatory defense training.

"So... what do you think might've happened?" Makoto asked Misato as they neared an elevator.

"I'm not sure. Like I said, no alarms have been sounded. Hell, maybe they're having an orgy," Misato said with a chuckle as she and Makoto stepped inside the elevator. Makoto rolled his eyes at Misato's joke while she pressed a button to select the floor they were heading to.

"If they are... wanna join 'em?" Misato asked Makoto with a glint in her eyes. Makoto chuckled nervously in response before shaking his head. "Aww, don't be such a spoil sport. Besides, you'd get to see me naked," Misato teased, doing her best to hide her feelings of growing uneasiness regarding the missing technicians.

Makoto blushed at the thought, before letting out a whistle. Seeing Misato naked was something he'd fantasized about on plenty of occasions, but then again, so had most of other males, and some females, at NERV as well. "See? Not such a bad idea after all," Misato teased playfully. "Don't worry, though. I'm just messing with ya. After we find the missing techs, why don't we get a bite to eat at the cafe on level eight? Their coffee might suck, but at least the sandwiches are decent," Misato suggested.

"Yeah. That... that sounds good," Makoto said in agreement as the elevator descended. The duo soon entered an uneasy silence as the lights on the elevator's button panel moved downward. A sense of wrongness and dread began to slowly well up inside of Misato. Makoto simply felt a bit uneasy, but he also was beginning to feel that something was wrong as he and Misato neared their destination.

When the elevator finally stopped, the doors opened to a modestly-lit corridor. Stepping out into the hallway, and seeing the ugly green paint on the walls, Misato led Makoto down the path that the technicians had been deployed to. The hallways were are properly lit, so Misato immediately discounted the idea of the technicians injuring themselves in the dark.

"Okay, there should be a security substation down here somewhere. We can make our way over there and have the security guards check the feed for the missing techs," Misato said as she and Makoto walked down the quiet corridors.

"Shouldn't there be more people walking around this level?" Makoto asked as he looked at the accumulation of dust and cobwebs in certain corners of the corridors. "I mean... I know not a lot of people are stationed on this level, but... it seems a bit too empty," he added uneasily as a pit began to form in his stomach.

"This place needs to be cleaned, that's for sure," Misato quipped as she looked around. She led Makoto through a few more corridors before they reached the security substation. Walking inside without needing to slide her ID card through the reader, Misato paused. "That... shouldn't have been so easy," she noted warily.

She looked around the room, noting that the lights were still turned on, but no one was in the room. She did, however, notice a hat lying on the floor, along with a flashlight and a holstered gun. Stepping closer to the discarded weapon, Misato saw that the holster's straps were still in place. "What the hell?" Misato asked uneasily before she noticed another discarded gun on the floor.

"Makoto... call for security from the upper levels," Misato said with a gulp.

"What's wrong?" Makoto asked, not having noticed the discarded weapons yet.

"Please, just do it. There should be a communication console over there," Misato urged as she soon noticed an ID tag lying on the floor. Makoto nodded his head and made his way over to the nearby phone, picking it up and dialing security. Meanwhile, Misato unholstered her pistol and checked it again before keeping it in one hand.

As Makoto called security, Misato began looking around for more clues as to what had happened. There were discarded weapons on the floor, but there was no blood. There was no sign of a struggle. It was as if the guards had just decided to drop their belongings and leave for no apparent reason. It just didn't make any sense.

It was just... wrong. Something was very wrong here, and Misato felt a chill going down her spine as she walked over to the wall of security monitors, checking for signs of activity in the various corridors on their level. There were a handful of janitorial staff sitting in a small break room near one of the elevators on the other side of the level, but otherwise no one else was there.

"Security says they'll be down here with six guards in just a few minutes," Makoto announced after hanging up the phone. Misato looked over at him and nodded her head in affirmation.

"Good. We'll stay here until they arrive," Misato said before she looked back at the security monitors. For a split second, she thought she saw something moving on one of the monitors.

"Did you see that?" Misato asked Makoto. She pointed at the wall of monitors.

"Huh? See what?" Makoto asked her was he walked up next to her. "What did you see?" he asked he as looked at the screens, seeing nothing unusual.

"On one of the monitors. I thought... I saw something move," Misato said, scanning the other screens for further signs of movement.

"Do you think it was one of the missing technicians?" Makoto asked her.

"I... I don't know," Misato said uneasily.

A FEW MINUTES LATER...

"Lieutenant Takashima here, Ma'am," a gruff looking man said as he entered the security substation, holding an MP5 in his hands. Makoto looked at the weapon nervously.

"Uh... you think we're going to need that kind of firepower? We're just looking for some missing people," Makoto said. The rest of the guards were also carrying MP5 submachine guns.

"Security guards don't just drop their weapons and disappear without a trace," Takashima said in response.

"He's right, Hyuga," Misato said in agreement. "There's something going on down here, and we're going to find out what it is," she told Makoto before looking at the guards. "Now keep in mind, a lot of the techs here are civvies. Don't open fire unless someone is actually pointing a gun at you and trying to kill you, understand? We still don't know where everybody's gone to or why they've disappeared in the first place," Misato said.

The eight people quickly split up into teams of two, with Misato sticking with Makoto as they walked through the corridors of the storage level. The halls were eerily quiet as they walked past empty room after empty room, occasionally passing by one of Ritsuko's fabled wine rooms, where the scientist often kept fine wines stored for special occasions, among other projects of hers that no one dared touch without a hazmat suit. "This is real creepy," Makoto whispered to Misato as they turned a corner.

"I know," Misato said in response. Soon, the duo came across an alcove, where something dark caught their attention. "What is that?" Misato asked nervously as Makoto pulled out a small flashlight and shone it on the strange mass, illuminated two boots connected to pants. It was a body.

"Oh no..." Makoto whispered somberly. "We found one of the techs. But it looks like someone killed them," he added in dismay as he looked at the uniformed body slumped against the wall of the alcove, their wrinkled uniform covered in dust and dirt. Their hands were missing, and the body looked as though it had been down there for... quite a long time.

"No, I... I don't think this is one of the missing techs," Misato said as she studied the state of the corpse. Makoto raised an eyebrow at looked at her curiously.

"No?" he asked her as he glanced back at the body. The corpse was definitely wearing the uniform of a NERV technician.

"No," Misato said, shaking her head. "Look at him. See all of the dirt and dust on him? And look at how decayed he is," Misato said grimly. "I don't think this guy was killed by anyone at all. In fact... I think this poor bastard came down here, got lost, went mad, ate his hands, and then died," Misato said. "And not necessarily in that order," she added as an afterthought.

"Wait... how long has he been down here?" Makoto asked her. Misato simply shrugged her shoulders in response. "Right. I guess... we should keep moving," Makoto said uneasily as Misato led the way once more.

STORAGE ROOM C-03-08...

Sergeant Kanazawa held her SMG tightly in her hands as she swept the room, looking for signs of a threat and the missing technicians. Behind her, Private Kisaki checked several racks of steel and PVC pipes for signs of the missing technicians. "Private, what's your status?" Kanazawa asked her partner.

"Nothing to report," Kisaki said as he glanced around, until he heard a dripping sound. He looked around in confusion, not seeing any water pipes running through the room, until he saw something dark drip on the floor next to him. "What the..." he trailed off as he looked up at the ceiling.

His eyes widened at the side of the pulsating red blob above him, before it released its hold on the ceiling and dropped down onto him. "Hyaaaa!" Kisaki called out, alerting Kanazawa, who rushed over to him. "K-Kisaki-san!?" she asked in fear and confusion as she saw the red blob covering her fellow guard. He tried pushing his hands out through the mass, but it only stretched like plastic wrap against his struggles.

His voice sounded like a suffocating man as his head became more visible, his skin starting to stretch as Eve pulled herself over him. Kanazawa watched in horror as Kisaki was dissolved in front of her, his screams turning into sicks gasps and gags as his entire body and uniform were dissolved and absorbed by the red blob, his bone structure collapsing and his skin falling inwards before being melted away as his blood mixed with the red of the blob.

Kanazawa raised her gun and fired at the blob, before it shot out a tendril of sorts and wrapped it around the weapon, pulling it from her hands and tossing it away. Kanazawa backed up in fear, before the red blob shot forward, knocking her onto her back as it slowly crawled over her legs. Kanazawa cried out as she felt her uniform dissolving, before the blob's mass made contact with her legs and feet, and she let out a scream of horror and pain as she grabbed her radio and called for help.

A few minutes later, when Lieutenant Takashima arrived with Private Kagayama, Kanazawa was already being absorbed, with only one arm sticking out from the mass. Takashima grabbed her arm and tried to pull the woman out of the red mass, only to watch in horror as the forearm pulled away from the rest of the bicep, spurting blood everywhere as Takashima fell back, dropping the arm as the large red blob pulsated and grew larger.

Private Kagayama raised his MP5 and opened fire at the mass, the bullets spewing forth but doing nothing to harm it. "Lieutenant, let's get out of here!" Kagayama shouted as Takashima pushed himself off of the ground and and retreated, quickly closing the door behind them and locking it.

The sound of footsteps soon reached the two men's ears as they saw Privates Agimoto and Ozawa heading in their direction, followed by Misato and Makoto. "We heard gunfire!" Ozawa exclaimed, glancing between the door and his fellow guards. "Where are Kanazawa and Kisaki?" he asked Takashima.

"They're dead! That... thing ate them!" Takashima replied fearfully.

"Thing? What thing!?" Misato asked him.

"It... it was... s-some kind of blob! A red blob! It... it just dissolved Kanazawa like a sugar cube in coffee!" Takashima explained.

"I shot at it with my gun, but it didn't do anything to it. The bullets just passed through it," Kagayama said in dismay.

"But we have it trapped in there, right?" Misato asked them. The two men nodded their heads, until the door started to creak and groan, and they saw something thin moving out from under the space between the door and the floor. "Oh shit!" Takashima cried out in fear as he backed away from the red substance creeping out from under the door.

"Run!" Misato cried out as she and Makoto turned tail and ran, while the other guards did the same as the door soon burst open and the red blob spilled out into the hallway. Glancing over her shoulder Misato's eyes widened as she saw the red blob reach out and grab Private Agimoto with a red tendril and pull him into itself, his terrified screams echoing in the hallways through her ears. "Don't stop running!" Misato cried out to Makoto as they ran side by side.

Glancing back over his shoulder, Makoto saw the other guards open fire at the creature, only for an orange hexagonal field to protect it this time. "It's an Angel!?" Makoto blurted out in surprise. As the guards retreated behind a corner, the red Angel began moving in the direction where it had heard Makoto's voice.

"It's a what!?" Misato asked Makoto incredulously.

"An Angel! It has an A.T. Field!" Makoto explained hastily as he and Misato ran through the corridors.

The duo quickly turned a corner, hearing the strange wet sound of the blob moving behind them. Makoto glanced over his shoulder again to see the reb mass hurdling towards them. "Oh shit!" Makoto exclaimed as he and Misato kept running, turning another corner. A janitor up ahead saw them and tilted his head in confusion.

"Hey, what's going-holy crap!" he exclaimed as he saw the red mass behind them. He quickly turned around and ran away, closing a modular door behind him and sealing the corridor off from the monstrosity. Misato reached the door and pounded her fists on it.

"No! Open up! Let us through!" she cried out, before Makoto grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the door. The duo quickly ran in the other direction, turning a corner just as Eva reached the junction in the hallway behind them.

"Come on! We gotta keep moving!" Makoto exclaimed as he and Misato whizzed by the Angel, dodging a red tendril as it tried to grab them. The Angel quickly retracted the tendril and simply began hurdling itself down the corridor in pursuit of its prey.

Passing by a sign on the wall, the duo kept running, occasionally glancing back over their shoulders at their red pursuer. They soon turned another corner, near another storage area, this one lined with supplies for the various food courts inside NERV HQ. "Up ahead, there's a freezer! The door will seal itself completely!" Makoto exclaimed as he and Misato ran for their lives.

Upon reaching the door, Misato entered an access code and the door slid open, letting the two of them inside. Makoto slipped on the floor of the freezer and tumbled forward, smacking into a rack of frozen desserts and boxes of meat. Behind him, Misato hit the button to close the door, just as a red tendril shot forward, causing her to back up with a frightened shriek.

"Shit, shit, shit!" Misato swore as the tendril swiped at her, missing by centimeters as she slipped and fell back onto the floor. Pushing herself back from the red tendril, Misato scooted over to Makoto as she watched the red mass slowly enter the freezer, pushing itself against the sliding door as it tried to close itself. Misato gulped as the Angel prevented the door from closing all the way.

Grabbing Makoto's right hand, Misato squeezed it tightly as she held out her pistol with her other hand, before she remembered that the Angel had an A.T. Field, and so the bullets would be ineffective against it. This is it, Misato thought fearfully. She glanced over at Makoto as he watched the Angel try to squeeze through the door, fear written all over his face.

"M-Misato, I just want you to know... if we don't make it, it's been an honor to know you," Makoto said with a gulp. Misato nodded her head as she inhaled with shaky breath, squeezing Makoto's hand tighter in her own. "S-Same here," she replied shakily with a grimace as she watched the Angel try to force its way into the freezer.

Sending out a tendril, the red mass touched the cold floor and immediately retreated as small pieces of itself fell out of the tendril, crystallizing on the floor. Misato and Makoto both watched in fear and amazement as the red blob retreated from them and allowed the door to seal itself properly. The duo sat there in confusion for a minute, before Misato slowly let go of Makoto's hand and pushed herself up off the floor, re-holstering her gun in the process.

Slowly stepping forward, Misato glanced down at the crystallized pieces of the Angel on the floor, before looking back over at Makoto. "Did... you saw that, right?" she asked him. Makoto nodded his head in affirmation.

"It... it's affected by the cold," Makoto said.

"Yeah, it is. Look at these," Misato said as she crouched down and pointed at the crystalized pieces of the Angel. "They're frozen solid," she said in amazement. "Now if only we could find a way to trap it in a freezer," she added.

"Actually, maybe we should find a way to get out of here first. That thing may not like the cold, but we aren't exactly dressed for it either," Makoto said with a gulp as he stood up and crossed his arms to try warming himself up. "Oh, here! Take this," Misato said as she took off her jacket and handed it to Makoto, revealing her black outfit underneath.

"Actually, I think you need it more than I do," Makoto said as he pointed down to Misato's bare legs. Misato looked down and then glanced back at Makoto's face with a slow nod of understanding as she put the jacket back on.

"So, do you think it's waiting for us to open the door?" Misato asked as she walked over to the door and prepared to open it.

"I hope not," Makoto replied. Misato nodded her head in agreement before reaching forward to press the button to open the door from the inside. She and Makoto both gulped in anticipation as she stepped back and waited for the door to open.

When it finally slid all the way open, the duo saw that the hallway was clear. Slowly tentatively, Misato and Makoto stepped out into the hallway, checking for signs of the red Angel. "I don't see it anywhere," Misato said quietly.

"How far is the nearest elevator?" Makoto asked her.

"Um... Not too far. I mean, the people up at the cafes and food courts need to be able to grab stuff quickly, right? So the nearest elevator shouldn't be too far from here," Misato replied as she and Makoto closed the freezer door behind them and slowly crept through the corridor, passing doors to other freezers and coolers along the way.


Observation Laboratory B09-004...

Ritsuko looked down at the data in front of her. "Okay... Shinji seems to synchronize rather well with Unit Four-Beta," Ritsuko noted before she moved on to check the others. "Hm... Sohryu does okay in Unit One," she noted before checking on Unit 00. "No success with Kirishima in Unit Zero? That's not entirely unexpected," Ritsuko said as she looked over at 1st Lieutenant Maya Ibuki.

"Yeah, but we'd have hoped that it would start playing nicely with others by now," Maya responded. "I mean, it did let Shinji pass the borderline during the last cross-synchronization test," she added. Ritsuko nodded her head in agreement.

"Yes, but only by a single percentage point," Ritsuko added before she looked at Unit 05. "Rei seems to be doing okay in Unit Five, all things considered. Then again, Unit Five is a production model, so it's not as finicky as Unit Zero," she added before checking on Unit 02. "Makinami doesn't seem to have any trouble synchronizing with Unit Two. I should have put her in Unit Zero or Unit One instead," she said to herself as she remembered that Mari had synchronized with Unit 02 plenty of times prior to being transferred to Japan alongside Asuka.

"So, should we have them switch later, or should we-" Maya was interrupted when the Angel Alarm went off.

"ATTENTION! BLUE PATTERN DETECTED! ATTENTION! BLUE PATTERN DETECTED!" the automated voice blared over the intercom.

"Oh shit! We have to get the pilots back into their proper Evas!" Maya cried out, just before the door to the lab slid open and Misato and Makoto rushed in.

"Misato! What are you doing in here!? There's an Angel Alert!" Ritsuko cried out.

"I know! But it's not one the Evas can fight!" Misato exclaimed.

"What do you mean?" Ritsuko asked her in confusion.

"It's inside the base! It's down on Level B-Forty!" Makoto blurted out.

"It's where!?" Ritsuko gasped in shock.

"It's... inside the base," Makoto said as he caught his breath. "It's this big red blob, and it just keeps getting bigger as it eats everything in sight!" he added. Ritsuko and Maya both looked at him in bewilderment.

"Hey! What's going on out there!?" Mana's voice could be heard over the com system. "There's an alarm going off! Why aren't we being sortied?" she asked.

Misato rushed over to the com station. "Kirishima-san, this Angel is inside NERV HQ itself. You can't fight it in the Evas," Misato relayed.

"What!? How the hell did it get inside the base!?" Asuka asked over the com.

"We don't know!" Misato replied.

"Major Katsuragi, please report to the bridge immediately," the voice of Gendo Ikari boomed over the intercom. Misato quickly took off the headset and rushed over to the intercom panel nearby. "Negative, Commander! The Angel is inside NERV HQ. It's currently stuck on level B-Forty, but if we don't do something soon, it'll find a way up here!" Misato exclaimed over the phone.

"All personnel, please stay clear of level B-Forty. We have a containment breach on level B-Forty. Again, please remain clear of Level B-Forty until further notice," Gendo said over the intercom.

"Thank you, sir," Misato said over the phone.

"Major, I expect you to find a way to neutralize this threat before it can reach Terminal Dogma. If you cannot do so in the next twelve hours, we may be forced to evacuate the facility and activate the Armageddon Protocol," Gendo replied over the phone. Misato knew what that meant: the complete destruction of NERV HQ and possibly even Tokyo-3, to prevent any Angel from making contact with Lilith. It was a Scorched Earth policy, and one that was to be used only as an absolute last resort.

"I understand, sir. I'm with Ritsuko right now. We'll think of something," Misato said into the phone. "I hope so, Major. Do not disappoint me," Gendo said before hanging up. She then turned to look at her companions. "We have twelve hours to cook up a plan or else the Commander will initiate the Armageddon Protocol," Misato relayed.

Everyone's eyes widened in shock. "So, what can we do? I mean, we've seen this thing's A.T. Field in action," Makoto said in response.

"Yes, but we also know something that even its A.T. Field apparently can't counteract," Misato said with a grin.

Makoto's eyes widened in realization. "The cold!" he exclaimed as he remembered what had happened to the Angel back in the freezer.

"Hey, what's going on out there!? Someone answer me!" Asuka shouted over the com. Everyone ignored her.

Ritsuko shook her head. "Okay, both of you slow down," she said. "Let's start over, okay? Tell me everything from the beginning," Ritsuko demanded.

"Is anyone gonna tell us anything? Hello!?" Mana asked over the com. She was ignored as well.

Makoto and Misato both took turns informing Ristuko and Maya of what they had witnessed. By the end, Maya was thoroughly horrified, and Ritsuko was bewildered, but also contemplative. "I see... yes, cold temperatures would make sense for something so amorphous," Ritsuko muttered.

"Um... should we stay in our Evas? Is it okay for us to leave? Hello!?" Shinji called out over the com. Everyone ignored him too.

"But we don't know where its core is located," Misato said. Ritsuko raised an eyebrow.

"Actually... from what you've described, it's possible that the Angel's entire body is its core," Ritsuko surmised. Misato and Hyuga both looked at her incredulously.

"Say what now?" Misato asked Ritsuko.

"Yeah, that doesn't make any sense," Makoto added.

"Hyuga, nothing about the Angels normally makes any sense," Ritsuko countered. "However, this does mean we know how to beat it. What we need to do is freeze the organism in its entirety, and then destroy the solidified object as quickly as possible," Ritsuko said.

"Okay, but how do we do that?" Makoto asked her. Ritsuko placed a hand under her chin as she entered a state of deep thought while pacing around the room.

"Hm... ah-ha!" Ritsuko announced. "I've got it!" she stated as she turned to look at everyone.

"Okay, what've you got?" Misato asked her.

"Liquid nitrogen!" Ritsuko said. Everyone looked at her curiously. "Liquid nitrogen! It'll be fast-acting, so we won't need to worry about the Angel getting away as long as we hit enough of it at once," Ritsuko explained.

"Can anyone hear us!? Hello! Is anyone paying attention to us!?" Mari called out over the com.

"Alright, but... how do we hit it with liquid nitrogen without freezing ourselves?" Misato asked Ritsuko, ignoring the pilots' shouts over the com system.

"Oh, I know!" Maya exclaimed, causing everyone to look in her direction. "We'll make some liquid nitrogen guns! We'll hook up some specialized hoses to portable canisters of liquid nitrogen and take care of the Angel that way!" Maya elaborated.

"Okay, and do we have the supplies for those up here?" Misato asked the younger woman.

"Maybe for one or two, but to make more, we'd need to go down to... level... B-F-Forty," Maya said as realization dawned on her. "Oh... shit," she swore, startling everyone. No one had ever truly heard Maya swear before now, not even Ritsuko.

"Well... as long as we can make one liquid nitrogen gun, we have a chance. Let's get started, and then we can use that gun to protect ourselves while heading down to the supplies for more of them," Ritsuko finally said.

"Is anybody listening to us!? Is anyone there!? Will someone fucking answer me!?" Asuka shouted over the com, prompting Misato to finally stomp over to the com panel. "Yes, we can hear you! Now shut up and stay in your entry plugs until further notice!" Misato snapped.

"Okay, how long will it take to make the first liquid nitrogen gun?" Misato asked as she turned around.

"Um, maybe an hour?" Maya responded. "First, we need to get to a workshop. We should have some supplies in one of the other labs on this level, so let's get moving," Maya said as she took the lead. Everyone followed her out of the lab and into the hallway.

"We're gonna be stuck in here all night, aren't we?" Shinji asked over the com.


Montage of Liquid Nitrogen Gun (LNG) Being Built

Makoto, Misato, Maya, and Ritsuko all enter a storage room and begin grabbing the parts listed by Maya, who drags Ritsuko over to a room fill with large container of liquid nitrogen, grabbing some safety gloves and goggles as the duo carefully load the canisters onto some carts.

Various security guards keep their eyes on the openings of air vents and the lights above elevator doors, gripping their guns fearfully.

Entering a workshop, Makoto, Maya, Misato, and Ritsuko begin setting various parts onto some tables as Maya oversees the construction of the two weapons.

Gendo and Fuyutsuki sit in the control room, both of them glancing around at the various technicians working at their stations, before the notice Shigeru Aoba looking up security footage on his terminal.

Misato helps Makoto attach a hose to a pipe with a metal ring.

The five Eva pilots sit in their entry plugs with worried expressions on their faces. Even Rei wears an expression of unease as she anxiously awaits any information from the outside world regarding the newest Angel.

Maya and Ritsuko adjust some nobs on the liquid nitrogen canisters as they prepare to attach a harness to one of them.

Makoto tightens a wrench around a nozzle before Misato takes the wrench and slams it onto a bug crawling on a table nearby.

On level B-40, Eve slowly moves around through a corridor, searching for more prey.

Maya and Ritsuko adjust a trigger mechanism on the first LNG before they hook it up.

Inside the Eva hangars, Mana ejects the entry plug of Unit 00 before climbing out, with Asuka doing the same with Unit 01. The other pilots remain in their entry plugs.

Sweat pours down Misato's face as she tightens a bolt on the hose attachment to one of the guns.

Makoto glances up at a clock nervously as he adjusts his glasses.

Maya adjusts the straps on the harnesses for the weapons before smiling in satisfaction.

Finally, the two Liquid Nitrogen Guns (LNGs) are finished, with Misato and Maya both wearing the harnesses holding the canisters against their backs. The guns are in their gloved hands, with long hoses and nozzles and proper triggers with trigger guards. Maya and Misato glance at each other with grins plastered on their faces.

End of Montage


"Okay, let's go put this thing on ice," Misato said with a grin, causing Makoto to roll his eyes and groan at her lame pun. "What?" she asked him defensively. Makoto just shook his head in response.

"So, what exactly is our plan here?" Ritsuko asked as she took a drag from a cigarette she had mysteriously procured at some point.

"Well, we're gonna find the Angel and freeze its ass. Then, we're gonna... um, we'll... oh dear," Misato said with a groan. Ritsuko raised an eyebrow at her friend. "Even if we freeze it, how can we destroy it without spreading it everywhere?" Misato asked as panic began to set in.

"Well, we can transport its frozen body to a secure location and figure out what to do from there," Maya suggested.

"Um, how do you intend to transport its body? This thing is pretty big, and with how many people its eaten, I don't think it's going to fit in one room, even when frozen," Makoto pointed out to them. Misato and Maya both sighed in frustration.

"Well, we'll need to lead to to some place that's both large and mostly unpopulated, or least rarely visited by anyone other than maintenance personnel," Ritsuko said thoughtfully.

"Uh, the Eva hangars are hardly ever used," Makoto pointed out.

"Makoto!" Misato said, aghast. Ritsuko and Maya both noticed Misato's use of Hyuga's first name, but paid it no mind given their current situation. "We can't do that! That'll put the pilots in danger!" Misato continued.

"Actually, Misato, he may be onto something," Ritsuko said thoughtfully. Everyone blinked at her in confusion.

"What do you mean?" Maya asked Ritsuko curiously.

"Well, since this is an Angel we're going up against, it'll have an A.T. Field, right?" Ritsuko asked as she glanced between her co-workers. Misato and Makoto both nodded their heads.

"Yeah. It started using it after getting shot. That means it learns pretty quickly, I guess," Makoto said, nodding his head.

"Right. Therefore, to increase our chances of success, we need to have its A.T. Field properly neutralized, or else it might find a way to block the effects of the liquid nitrogen before we can fully freeze it," Ritsuko said. "Therefore... we should lead it to the Eva hangars, where even one Evangelion activating its A.T. Field should be enough to neutralize the opposing field of the Angel," she concluded.

"But what about the pilots!?" Misato cried out in concern.

"As long as they remain in their Evas, they should be fine," Ritsuko said confidently.

"Um, how do we lead it there without it attacking anyone else?" Makoto asked.

"We'll seal off the doors and hallways so that only one path remains from floor B-Forty to the Eva cages," Ritsuko said. She quickly took out her cell phone and called Commander Ikari, causing everyone else to adopt a puzzled expression.

"Wait... she has the Commander's cell phone number... on her own cell phone?" Makoto asked Misato quietly. Misato simply shrugged her shoulders. "I mean, I guess she probably works as his physician at times, but... why doesn't she just use one of the com stations?" Makoto asked, just as Ritsuko hung up her phone.

"All right, we have the Commander's cooperation," Ritsuko said as she stuffed her phone into her pocket. "But... there is still one problem that remains," Ritsuko added.

"And what's that?" Maya asked her.

"We have to lure the Angel to the hangars. We don't know how long it will take for it to..." Ritsuko trailed off as she saw something red dripping out of a pipe nearby. She raised an arm and pointed at the slowly forming blob on the floor nearby, causing the others to turn to look at it with fear in their eyes.

"It... it... it pushed itself through the pipes!?" Maya asked incredulously.

"Let's just hope that it can't split itself into multiple copies like the Seventh!" Misato quipped as she took a step back and aimed the LNG at the slowly forming blob on the floor.

"No! Don't shoot at it in here! We need to lure it to the Eva hangar!" Ritsuko exclaimed.

"Right!" Misato replied as she and the others backed away from the red Angel blob as it grew in size. Eventually, the entire creature had exited the pipes, filling up a large portion of the room before the four NERV personnel retreated. The Angel took the bait and followed them out of the room, pursuing them through the corridors.

"Is it following us!?" Maya asked as she ran alongside Ritsuko. Makoto glanced back over his shoulder, only to see a wall of red chasing them.

"Yes! Yes, it's fucking following us!" Makoto exclaimed in terror as he picked up his pace. The sound of boots and shoes hitting the floor echoed through the corridors as the four of them fled from the red blob. The sounds of panting could also be heard every few seconds as the group ran for their lives.

As Eve started to gain on them, the four soon turned a corner, momentarily gaining distance before Eve followed them yet again. Eve slid across the floor, ceiling, and walls with horrifying grace, like a demonic wave of gelatin. "Oh hell, it's catching up to us!" Ritsuko cried out as she glanced over her shoulder.

"How much further to the cages!?" Makoto asked as he felt his leg muscles burning.

"Not much! There! Just up ahead!" Maya called out as she saw the signs on the wall for the Eva cages.

As soon as they reached the open door, the foursome made a sharp turn and entered the hangar, running across the platform to the other side. Ritsuko and Makoto stood behind Misato and Maya as they turned around and aimed their LNGs at the doorway, waiting for the red Angel to arrive. Looking up at Unit 00, Ritsuko soon saw that the entry plug was in an ejected position, with the hatch opened.

"What the!? Where's Kirishima!?" she asked as she looked around, before glancing up at the control booth window to see two recently-showered and dressed red-headed pilots talking to one another behind the safety glass window. She glanced over at the other Evas in the hangar, seeing past them thanks to the retracted divider wall. Unit 01 was also in the same state.

"Those stupid! Dammit! We need to make our way further down!" Ritsuko called out, before taking out her cell phone and dialing the extension to the com station in the observation lab.

Up in the first room, Mana heard the phone on the wall ringing, before she glanced out the window to see the four adults running for their lives as a red blob began to push its way through a door to the hangar. She raced over to the com panel and picked up the phone. "Hey, what the hell's going on!?" Mana asked into the phone.

"What are you doing out of your Evas!?" Ritsuko's angry voice asked over the phone. "Um... we didn't want to spend the night in there? Look, just tell me what you need me to do," Mana replied over the phone.

"Call up the other Evas on the com station and tell them to deploy their A.T. Fields now! I'll explain later!" Ritsuko replied sharply. Mana nodded her head and held the phone to her shoulder before glancing at Asuka.

"Warrant, call up the others on the com and tell them to deploy their A.T. Fields on the double! Doctor's orders!" Mana called out to Asuka, who widened her eyes before rushing over to the com station.

"Shinji, Rei, Mari! You guys need to deploy your A.T. Fields ASAP!" Asuka barked over the com.

"But why? I thought Misato said we wouldn't be able to-" "Just do it!" Asuka interrupted him.

"Affirmative," Shinji replied, still somewhat perplexed, at least until he used his Eva's sensor system to see the four adults running from the red blob on the walkways. "Deploying A.T. Field now!" Shinji announced, causing Unit 04-B's A.T. Field to manifest itself with a blur in the air.

"Enemy A.T. Field neutralized," Shinji reported over the com. "Good! Stand by for additional orders!" Asuka responded before glancing over at Mana and nodding her head.

"Doctor, Eva Unit Four-Beta has deployed its A.T. Field," Mana reported. "Good! Misato, Maya, get those guns ready!" Ritsuko shouted over the phone.

Back down on the walkways, the four adults continued running until Ritsuko tripped, her heels finally giving up. "Sempai!" Maya called out before rushing back to cover Ritsuko. Maya stood in front of the older woman with her LNG aimed at the Angel, finger on the trigger.

"Get away from us, you bitch!" Maya spat as she sent a stream of liquid nitrogen directly at the red blob. Misato soon joined her and sent another stream of the stuff at the Angel, hitting the bottom of it first to impede its movement. The Angel recoiled as it felt itself slowly being frozen, its outer layer solidfying first. It tried to lash out with a tendril, but Misato froze it with her LNG before focusing on more of the creature's mass.

The Angel flailed about with ever shrinking tendrils as it was slowly solidified by the coverage of liquid nitrogen. It tried to shift itself backwards, but it was too stiff. Its body was becoming too round and hard for it too move properly. Soon, the Angel was a hard sphere on the walkway, its color turning to pink from the liquid nitrogen as it sat frozen in the shadow of Evangelion Unit 01.

"Hey... we did it!" Maya exclaimed joyously. "We did it! We did it!" she shouted triumphantly as she clutched her LNG in both hands.

"Yes!" Ritsuko cried out as Makoto helped her to stand up. She then held her phone up to her mouth to speak, before Mana's voice interrupted her.

"Doc? Um, I'm not too much of a scientist, but there's some weird activity in Unit One. I know there isn't anyone inside of it, but... you may want to back up from it," Mana said over the phone.

"What do you mean? What kind of act-" Ritsuko was interrupted by Unit 01 raising an arm and opening its mouth, letting out a breath that threatened to blow everybody down to the floor.

The giant cyborg's hand soon rose and fell upon the large pink ball on the walkway, beore lifting it up and placing it in the cyborg's mouth. "W-What the!? What's it doing!?" Misato asked in disbelief and bewilderment as she and the others watched Unit 01 close its mouth, smashing the frozen Angel before grinding it up with its giant molars and teeth as it chewed.

Unit 01 then swallowed and ran her tongue over her teeth to gather any remnants of the former Angel before she returned her arm and hand to their usual position. Letting out a small sigh of satisfaction, Unit 01 nodded her head slowly. She then glanced down at the four people on the walkway with a strange look in her eyes, before she returned to her passive state of inactivity.

Everyone was silent for a minute as they processed what they had just witnessed. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Misato broke the silence caused by this most unusual event with what was perhaps the most normal response possible. "What just happened here?"


ENDING THEME: Everything You've Ever Dreamed, by ARIANNE


PREVIEW OF NEXT TIME

On the next episode of EVANGELION: REWIRED, Toji receives some shocking news, just as Tokyo-3 and the rest of the Geofront are plunged into a blackout. To make things worse, the Angel Matarael arrives the same day as the blackout, meaning that it's a race against time to get the Evas up and running before the Angel can break through the city's defenses. But what if NERV can't restore power or launch the Evas in time?


Author's Notes: And that was episode eleven! Wow, that was quite a... weird one, wasn't it? So, yeah, this episode is a combination of ALIEN (1979), The Blob (1988 Remake), and that episode of NGE where Iruel took over the base's computers. Of course, I have replaced Iruel with Eve in this instance.

As you can probably tell in this episode's beginning segment, Asuka is being paired with Toji for this story, while Shinji and Rei are still developing their relationship. Also, Makoto and Misato are getting closer, albeit much more slowly than the pilots.

I hope everyone enjoyed reading this episode.

As always, please be sure to let me know what you think of the episode and/or story so far in your reviews.