A/N: I disturbed myself even more with this chapter. Yeah. (Written while listening to Magical Trevor)

Arael

Shinji Ikari watched the comatose girl through the plexiglass window. When NERV had salvaged what it could from the four Russian Evangelions, she had been found, miraculously alive. The youth pushed open the door and walked inside, listening to the steady beeps of the heart monitor and the inhale-exhale of the respirator.

Standing by her bedside, Shinji finally got a good look at her fine features. She had dark brown hair reaching her shoulders, a sharp face, and pale skin. A livid scar cut across her forehead, a gift from the 'thing' that Fuyutski called Eva Unit 05. Shinji caressed her cheek, feeling the soft, warm skin. His hand trailed down her chest, where he fondled one of her bosoms. He gradually unbuttoned her hospital gown, and her chest was left bare. Stroking it, he found it was warm too, and becoming firm. He was grinning all the while.

Shinji's demented smirk grew wider. He explored the sleeping girl, inch by inch. A stain spread around her crotch as the heart monitor began to beep faster. Shinji kneeled down, and whispered in her ear.

"I could violate you even further," he murmured. "I could screw you and leave you pregnant. Of course, you know all about violation, Arael." With that, Shinji left the innocent Russian. Mere hours later, her eyes opened, and they were red.

-

Shinji pushed open the apartment door. Inside, Asuka sat upon the couch, reading out of a newspaper. This was the first time that Shinji had seen her reading a newspaper, and briefly wondered why. Then, he remembered the lack of television.

He was making his way to his room when Asuka ambushed him.

"And where have you been?" she asked, accusatorily.

Shinji looked at her sidelong. "What do you mean by that?"

"You've been out since eight this morning, and now it's two," the girl replied. "Who have you been seeing?"

"Is that a hint of jealousy I hear?"

Asuka blushed bright red. "NO!" she shouted.

"Then why do you care?"

"Uh… I'm just curious!"

"I visited the Russian the hospital."

"What did you do?" demanded Asuka. "You have a bad track record with catatonic girls!"

Shinji shrugged. "I paid my respects." With that, he disappeared into his room.

-

"Someone definitely…" the technician coughed. "Touched her."

"Who?" said Fuyutski, looking at the young woman.

"That's the problem. An AT Field destroyed all cameras along the route."

"Excuse me?"

"We found signs of an AT Field Spike within all of the cameras. They had been shattered from within."

Fuyutski furrowed his brow. "Who could do that?"

The technician had no reply.

-

Ayanami's day began with the 1812 Overture. She did not particularly appreciate this piece of music, especially when it woke her up with cannon blasts. However, she was not one to go out of her way to deal with such annoyances, so she did her best to ignore the music and go about getting dressed. On the other hand, unlike certain people she had known, Sainman did not object to her walking around naked while she dressed. This was a small improvement over Ikari.

Stepping out in her new military uniform (a grey outfit that suspiciously resembled her school uniform), Ayanami glanced at herself in the mirror. Somehow, she did not like it. It was a deviation from what she was used to, a violation of an inner code of conduct that was not to be violated.

"It looks nice, Ayanami," remarked Sainman. She glanced at him, almost venomously.

They strode down the hall, in perfect step. They both took seats at the briefing room, and waited for it to begin. Another round of synch testing and training simulation. After this dull exercise, they were in for tests. It was just then that Something Happened.

It started as a blip on the radar, a few miles out to sea. Then, it was sighted off the coast of Philadelphia – a British fleet, carrying Evangelions.

Sachiel was launched posthaste. Rei still disliked the sickening feeling of flying in at mach six in a device formerly used to rain nuclear destruction on millions, but she repressed the feeling as usual and focused on the information coursing across through the Entry Plug's display. There was a battle to be fought.

The fleet began to open up on the shore. The Philadelphians scattered into ancient shelters as Rei returned fire. The exchange grew more vicious as more British ships pulled into harbor and aircraft roared overhead. Rei stood above it all, untouched by the shells and bullets. Her blood started to boil, she'd felt this before – and it was all over. Sachiel stumped into the harbor and started capsizing the ships one by one. Air strikes did nothing to slow her gruesome progress through the sea.

Suddenly, something tackled her from behind. Clawing blindly behind her back, she started fighting with the Brits' Eva, an orange machine with six eyes. Violently slashing it with claws and axe, she drove it back only to be assaulted by another one from behind. The violence flowed through her, around her, until she was death itself. Not even a third Eva slowed her down. Slicing off one of her attacker's arms, she started to growl incoherently and attack everything she saw. Her radio said something about a direct order to cease fire on the city, but she ignored it – this was Too. Much. Fun.

And then she blacked out.

-

Rei woke up. Sachiel was face down on the ground. Power was dead. The albino was dully aware of blood dripping from her mouth. She felt sick, and threw up on the controls. She was dully aware of the rage that had consumed her during the battle, and it scared her. Yes, best to just let her life slip away right here, ankle-deep in the half-drained LCL, just to let all of her blood drain to the floor.

Red – she had hated the color. However, that hatred had collapsed into a dull ache. Everything had fallen into that dull ache. Her profound dislike for the entire world order, her feelings of helplessness, it all came back to nothing. She was alone in a world that refused to care.

Sainman clambered onto Sachiel, still dressed in his dull black suit and gloves. He was angry his Eva had arrived too late to help, he was angry that those Conoway idiots hadn't helped, but above all else he was guilty that he could not save Rei from Sachiel.

Standing on the Angel, he grasped the superheated entry plug hatch and twisted it, ignoring the agony of his hands blistering. It flew open, and he poked his head inside. Horror gripped him – was Rei dead? – but her eyes slowly opened. He smiled, but not his mocking grin, but something warm.