Hentai Shinji

by gmgurp666

Decided to try my hand at a M rated story. What if Shinji was introduced to a form of art other than music. This is for all those people who want more "suggestive details, wink wink nudge nudge". Hope you like it.

11. Chapter 11: Fire and Ice

Hentai Shinji Chapter 11: Fire and Ice

The next morning dawned bright and clear, casting a cheerful glow on the whole of Tokyo-3. This cheer was mirrored within the home of Shinji Ikari and company. They had all awoken an hour before the sky even started the gentle transition from the velvety blue-black of night to the brilliant sky-blue of day. During this time they had all enjoyed each other's warm companionship, and even managed to get a bath before heading off to NERV headquarters. Rei and Shinji were in the lead, not having to avoid much traffic during the early hours, with Maya and Ritsuko riding just behind, matching them move for move. A slightly farther distance was Misato in her car, keeping pace with a good safety margin. Her driving had calmed slightly since she had joined the loving embrace of the Ikari family, becoming both more considerate and less erratic. She blamed this totally on Shinji's good influence, as now she wanted to be sure that not only did she get to go home to her loved ones, but that every other person on the road got to as well.

The convoy neared the building where they would be departing from and slowed to pull through the gate in the fence surrounding the structure. Once inside the parking area they quickly pulled into the reserved spaces and powered down their vehicles.

Removing his helmet, Shinji said, "Misato, could you please have them pack one of my plug suits in with the other gear?"

The head of operations looked at him for a moment before deciding to ask the obvious question, "Are you expecting us to have trouble out there?"

He frowned, not wanting to cause any of them to worry, "Just a precaution. The Angel is still out there, but something about its AT field has changed. Like the frequency just shot up from a dull hum to an annoying whine. I just want to be prepared if it decides to get frisky."

"No prob." Misato said as she pulled out her phone and hit a speed dial.

Shinji helped Rei dismount and then followed and noticed the two young men being hassled by the guards at the gate. He walked over and greeted them, "Hey Kensuke, Toji. What took you so long?"

Aida checked his watch with a panicked expression on his face, "You did say 7:30, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I was just pulling your leg to watch your reaction." Shinji said with a friendly laugh.

Toji was craning to see the other side of the lot as they walked toward the building. "I thought you said Misato would be here?"

"When are you going to realize that Hikari likes you?" Shinji answered.

"I know she does. I noticed the stuff you were talking about. But how do I make a move without looking like an idiot? Especially if you're wrong and all those glances just mean that she's keeping a closer eye on me."

The pilot sighed in exasperation, "Just make the move already. If you don't she might get grabbed up by some other guy. And stop drooling over other girls. I swear you're as bad as Kensuke is about anything with more than a hundred moving parts."

Shinji rounded on his other friend and said, "On that note, try to keep the camera in your pants today. This is supposed to be a fun trip to help us escape the between-battle boredom of this place, and I don't want to be chasing you while you have a joy-gasm over every little thing."

Aida became slightly flustered, "Okay, Mom. I'll behave myself."

Shinji smiled at his friend and fished a disc out of his pocket. Tossing it to his friend he said. "Play this on your camera and see if that can keep you occupied."

The young geek swapped the disc in said device with the other and put the view finder to his eye. His eyes grew wide as he slowly scrolled through the content. After several seconds he lowered the camera and bowed deeply to his friend. "I'm not worthy to be known as your friend. Please teach me, sensei."

Shinji chuckled as Suzuhara looked confused, wondering what could be so shocking to have his long time friend behaving so strangely.

Finally Misato called from the door of the squat complex, "Are you three coming or are we going to have to send the chopper back for you."

Shinji smirked, "I think Kensuke is, but that's beside the point." He turned to his friends and said. "Race ya."

The three sped for the door that Misato was holding open for them.

ooo000OOO000ooo

Once the helicopter leveled off the pilot signaled that they could take their restraints off and move around. Shinji hit the button and stretched as the straps pulled away. "How long until we get there? I think I need a bit of a nap."

Maya patted her lap and said, "You can lay here for the three hours until we reach the convoy."

He stretched out and then curled toward her, placing his nose directly in the path of her scent as it gently lulled him to sleep.

The two boys sitting across from them watched in astonishment as their idol lounged in the lap of an attractive young woman. Just as Shinji's breathing leveled off into the slow rhythm of sleep Misato grinned, saying playfully, "I think we wore him out this morning. I still can't believe he was able to keep it up for so long."

Ritsuko smiled dreamily, and replied in the same tone, "He certainly does seem to have a great deal of energy since the last battle. What a nice side effect." She sobered almost instantly and continued, "But he is still human, and as such, requires the same things the rest of us do, including sleep. I doubt anything could crack his mind, not with what he's seen, but sleep deprivation might come close."

Misato looked thoughtful for a moment and then snapped her fingers, "Wasn't there some unveiling we were supposed to attend this week?"

"You mean the Jet Alone project?" Ritsuko asked. Misato nodded and the chief scientist continued, "The commander reassigned it to Hyuga and Aoba."

"I was wondering where they were," Maya said. "Why do you figure they went instead of you two?"

"Because the commander is unconcerned with the whole project. Until they can demonstrate the ability to project an AT Field they are not going to be a threat to our funding." Ritsuko answered.

Rei sighed, "Especially with our man trouncing the Angels so soundly. But I doubt they will ever find a mechanical means to defeat the enemy. The Eva is the only true weapon."

"That still means that you two will have to keep fighting. I hate this damn war." Misato spat.

"If this had never happened, we would never have gotten together. So I can't hate the war." Rei said serenely. "I am not saying that I am happy about it. But I would not change it. Not for anything."

Silence stretched out between them as the sentiment was shared by each member of the family.

Finally, no longer able to stand the lack of distraction, Kensuke drew his camera out again and put the view finder to his eye once more. His face went slack quickly, as his cheeks flushed.

After ten minutes he lowered the device and turned to his best friend. He said quietly, "You know, we should do something special for Shinji when we get back."

Toji whispered back, "Okay. But what?"

"I have an idea, but it will take some doing." Aida leaned in closer and began divulging the details of his plan.

ooo000OOO000ooo

Asuka was waiting impatiently as the military heavy lift helicopter circled once to match course and speed with the convoy. She scoffed and said, "So here comes the third child. Now I'll get to see what's so special about him."

"Take it easy Asuka." Kaji said from behind her. "If you go in there all guns blazing it will only alienate them, and you need to get along with these people. After all, you will be working with them."

"Then I'll show them what a real Eva pilot can do." She said arrogantly, heading down the ladder as the helo settled on its landing gear.

ooo000OOO000ooo

Shinji roused as Maya gently tapped his nose, saying, "Time to get up sleepy head."

Shinji grinned, and said "Nah, I'm comfy." as he wrapped his right arm around her and buried his face in her stomach.

Maya giggled as she was tickled by the action, enjoying the physical contact in both a platonic and non-platonic manner. The confusion of different forms of the same emotion caused her to shudder sensually. As she recovered she said, "Please stop that Shinji, or I might have to jump you right here. And I don't think these benches are really wide enough for it."

He released her and sat up, keeping his grin in place. The young pilot reached for the door handle and slid the well balanced piece of bullet proof metal and plexiglas out of the way. He then hopped down and turned to help the women out.

As Toji clambered out his precariously perched ball cap got caught by a gust of wind and was blown down the length of the vessel. He went chasing after it. Stumbling, he cursed the offending piece of fabric until it came to a stop, having reached an obstruction. The petite foot that had blocked the path of the article of clothing lifted up and ground the cap into the deck.

The young jock ran over and started pulling on the cap, with Shinji and Kensuke walking up behind. Kensuke was busy changing discs in his camcorder so he could grab some footage of the ponderous machines around him. Shinji on the other hand was concentrating on the red haired girl, whom he recognized from her picture as Asuka Langley Soryu, the second child and pilot of Unit-02. Just as he expected, a stray burst of wind lifted the girl's sundress almost over her head, giving all three boys and most of the deck crew a perfect view of shapely legs and slender hips, covered in matching yellow panties.

Also as expected, the girl exploding into a nearly blind rage at the three boys for accidently seeing her nether regions. She quickly swung her open palm and connected with Toji's face, issuing a gunshot like report across the smooth surface, causing many heads to turn. A second loud crack was heard as she repeated the attack on Aida. She then drew back for a third strike and started the swing.

To everyone's astonishment Shinji's hand appeared six inches from his face, stopping Asuka's arm cold in a vice like grip. He smiled at her and loosened his hold slightly, as if to release her. Then he twisted the girl's arm, causing her to spin, as he moved up behind her. Half a second later her right hand was clutching the back of her dress with Shinji's right arm around her waist, hand resting gently on he firm abdomen, pinning her free arm to her side. He leaned in to whisper, "One. If you don't want everyone to know what underwear you are wearing, don't put on a sundress and go out on a windy deck."

Asuka was shocked into silence by the suddenness of the role reversal as he continued. "Two. If you are stupid enough to wear the aforementioned article of clothing, don't get pissed at guys who do see your panties."

She began squirming, trying to free herself from the hold so expertly executed against her. Shinji squeezed her stomach and pushed her away, causing his hand to slide sensuously across her thinly covered skin as she spun away from him. He timed the release of her hand carefully, canceling most of her momentum with the slight pull. In the end, Asuka had returned to her previous position just as another gust came up from behind her, repeating the show for all concerned. She clutched her skirt, forcing it down as Shinji spoke once more, "Three. Don't pick a fight with random people, or one day you'll meet someone as good as I am, but not quite so forgiving."

He turned to rejoin his family, leaving Asuka to fume. The enraged girl called out, "Who the hell do you think you are? How dare you touch me? I'll have you locked up for assaulting an Eva pilot!"

Shinji glanced over his shoulder, saying, "Good luck on that last part. I'm Shinji Ikari." The only male pilot walked up to the women he had come to love, and wrapped an arm each around the waist of Maya and Misato. Maya in turn caught Ritsuko with Misato bringing Rei in close. The tableau then walked toward the command tower, leaving a spoiled, red haired brat standing with her mouth open, wide.

ooo000OOO000ooo

Kaji leaned against one of the stations laughing, clutching his side to help with the pain there. The rest of the bridge crew stared on in disbelief as a hardened agent gave such an unseemly display of humor at the scene that had played out on the flight deck.

Finally the operative recovered enough to speak, "I love it. That little tart finally got what she deserved, and from him of all people."

The admiral sitting in the command chair cleared his throat, "If you're done performing percussive maintenance of the equipment, would you please share the joke with the rest of us."

Ryoji straightened, instantly back in his persona, "Of course sir. That young man is Shinji Ikari, the third child. He just told Asuka a few of the facts of reality, all without doing any real damage. Just her pride was hurt."

The XO spoke up, "He's the only one that could do that without being looking for a job tomorrow."

"Nonsense," Kaji retorted, "Any of you could have stood up to her without having any chance of reprisal. It's just that you assumed the same thing everyone else has, and handle her with kid gloves."

The Admiral spluttered, "You mean to tell me that she doesn't have any sort of protection or authority."

"Not past making sure that she is always available to pilot. And the truly ironic part is that the one to finally stand up to her petulant behavior was the sixteen year old that she was thoroughly convinced was spineless." The agent answered.

The conversation was cut short by the appearance of the entourage that had departed the flight deck in the doorway leading from the open observation deck.

Misato frowned at the presence of her ex-boyfriend standing there looking as disheveled as always. She came to attention and saluted the grey haired officer, "Captain Misato Katsuragi, permission to board sir?"

The old man returned the salute and said, "Granted Captain. But let me ask, what brings you out to my fine ship this day?"

"Admiral, we have come to deliver the necessary components, should Unit-02 need to be activated." The tactical officer answered.

"I appreciate the gesture, but I don't really see the point. We have the entire Pacific Fleet here, and all the fire power that goes with it. What good is that overgrown doll going to be against anything that can withstand that kind of punishment?" The commander asked, trying not to sound condescending.

Shinji stepped forward and bowed, "Sir. I am Shinji Ikari, designated pilot of Unit-01, and I understand your confidence. But the arsenal at your command is not effective against an Angel, as it possesses a defensive technology that can only be neutralized by an Eva at close range."

The old man considered the child before him, noting his confident appearance, respectful tone, and mildly submissive stature. No matter how he tried, he could not find fault with any of it. And the fact that this information simply confirmed what he had already suspected made him more inclined to believe the youth. "Very well, I will have the cables connected to the reactor and the cargo ship with Unit-02 maneuvered alongside." He then frowned, "I just hope we don't need them way out here."

ooo000OOO000ooo

After the brief meeting with the command staff the NERV personnel adjourned to the mess hall, several decks below. Upon seeing the small elevator available for transit Shinji elected to take the stairs, with the rest of his entourage accompanying. When they reached the designated room they found Kaji looking slightly green with Asuka sitting just a little too close to him, and Toji and Kensuke with their heads together at the next table over.

The family all retrieved drinks and seated themselves across from the non-couple, with the two other teenage boys at their backs. Kaji decided to kick things off, saying, "So, tell me Shinji. Is Misato still wild in bed?"

All the women, except Rei, spluttered, some spitting out their drunks. Shinji waited for the noise of the reaction to die down and then started mumbling just loud enough to be heard, counting on his fingers, "In the tree and on the bench, that was in the courtyard. On the couch, loveseat and floor, in the living room, on the desk and ladder in the study, on the table in the dining room, the bath and hallway. Oh yeah," He said at last, with a snap of his fingers. Then he looked the agent in the eyes and said clearly, "Yes she is still wild, both in and out of bed."

Kaji almost didn't believe the youth's not so subtle boast, and then his senses reported in. This child was telling the truth, most of it anyway. And from the way the girls were acting toward him suggested that his ex was not the only one. Asuka took the whole thing too seriously, springing to her feet and shouting, "That's sick." Before she sprinted from the room.

Toji grabbed Kensuke's shoulder, restraining his weak willed friend as they both resisted the urge to bow to their friend and declare a lack of worth to be near him.

Maya commented serenely after she sipped her tea, "I think she doth protest too much. Especially with the way she was leaning against the rude guy."

ooo000OOO000ooo

Shinji and his entourage were enjoying a tour of the massive old ship, walking in a chain with him in the middle and the other boys trailing behind slightly.

They were in the engine room with the chief RO explaining some of the history of nuclear powered boats, "In fact, when the principle of nuclear power was first applied to an aircraft carrier they didn't know how many power plants to use. Incidentally the ship they chose as a test bed had eight boiler systems to provide propulsion, so they just decided to replace them all. During the initial speed tests they were adding the power from each reactor one at a time, to avoid over-taxing the hull." The brunet haired man paused for a moment and then continued, noting that he had their full attention, "When they brought the fifth reactor on-line the resulting speed began buckling the bow plates. Hell of a way to find out that they had about twice as much power as they could use, but the concepts were still pretty young."

Shinji winced and began rubbing his temple, obviously in minor pain. Ritsuko leaned in from the end of the line and asked, "You okay Shinji? The noise isn't bothering you too much, is it?"

The reference to the constant hum of all the generators in the next room made him think for a moment. Then his eyes went wide and he spoke, "No it's not that." He turned to Misato, "You remember that annoying whine I mentioned this morning?"

She nodded and he continued, "It's getting closer. We need to prepare."

Katsuragi nodded and headed out of the room, pulling her radio from her belt and informing the bridge of the situation.

Shinji looked at the RO and bowed, "Sorry to have to cut it short. But we have some pressing business to attend to." He turned and headed after the NERV captain, barely reaching the hatch before the battle stations siren started blaring.

ooo000OOO000ooo

Shinji walked into the bridge as Misato was speaking in a slightly condescending way to the admiral, "Listen. If we don't get the Eva up and running, this whole fleet is going to be destroyed."

The admiral retorted, "Even if we could get that toy up here, I refuse to be scared of any enemy that is so far away that we can't even pick it up on sonar."

Shinji cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention to him, "Sir. The Angel is coming, and fast. I can't be entirely sure, but I think it is moving underwater at speeds that would make a professional racing craft envious. We can probably minimize damage to the fleet, but only if we act quickly."

"What would you have me do? According to you none of our weapons are effective against this enemy."

The pilot shook his head, saying, "All you can do is get out of its way. And the best way to do that is to move as much of the fleet as you can to the port side of this ship. At the same time, maneuver the cargo craft with Unit-02 as close as possible. I can take it from there."

"How can you tell where the Angel is if we can't even pick it up?" The old man asked, fearing he was quickly losing control.

Shinji smiled in the way that Misato found not quite so annoying anymore, "I can tell what direction it is coming from. And if we can get the Eva powered up and battle ready, I can distract that thing and keep it from plowing through this fleet on its way here."

"Very well." The admiral sighed for the second time that day, resigning himself to the fact that this young man was probably his only hope. From what he had heard about him, that just might be a pretty good hope though. He started barking orders, carrying out Shinji's plan, or at least the part he knew.

As the ships maneuvered slowly to place the super carrier on the outer edge of the formation the huge cargo ship with the covered form of Unit-02 was brought alongside. Shinji made his way down to the flight deck, waiting patiently while the formation was reorganized.

He heard steps behind him and turned to see the fiery redhead storming toward him, a fierce scowl on her face. When Asuka finally reached him she said, "What's this I hear about you trying to pilot my Eva?"

"I'm going to use Unit-02 to lure the Angel to this ship. Once here I plan to engage it however possible." He explained calmly.

"Well you can't." She stated hotly, obviously restraining the urge to take another swing at him. "I'm the only one who can sync with my Eva."

Shinji realized that, despite how much training she had received and how much time she had spent with the Eva, she still did not understand. He sighed in resignation and said, "Fine. If you want to come along and help, you can."

Asuka was about to berate her fellow pilot when a small duffel bag flew past her head and was nonchalantly caught by him. He looked at Misato and said, "Thanks. And you might want to get hers as well."

The Captain smirked and tossed a second bag at the other pilot's feet, saying, "Thought she might try to get in your way." She then walked over to Shinji, ignoring the indignant glare she was receiving, and kissed him firmly and deeply. As they broke she said, "Do be careful. We still have so many places in that big house we haven't done it yet."

He smiled, "I will. Don't I always?"

Misato then turned and walked away, determinedly not showing any more of the concern she felt every time he went into combat. When she slipped through the hatch Shinji began stripping, saying, "You might want to get changed." He then pulled his plug suit out of the bag.

Asuka stood there with her mouth open before screaming, "How can you be so blasé about this? And how can you just assault my eyes with your naked body?"

He smiled as he slid his legs into the suit, "There's not really any good that will come out of getting upset by the situation. And I haven't received any complaints about this body so far. Maybe you should get your eyes checked when we get to Tokyo-3." Shinji pressed the button on his wrist, causing the charred black suit to form to his body, the thin red trim tracing his lines perfectly.

The calm demeanor of this boy was driving her crazy. She spat, "At least turn around while I change. I don't want you getting a free show."

He finally let some emotion show in his voice, unfortunately for Asuka it was mirth as he said, "Listen girly. We don't have time for your shit. Now get changed or I'll leave you here and go take care of this myself."

Asuka was getting really mad now as she turned her back on him and pealed her sun dress off her shoulders. His infuriatingly calm tone returned as he continued, "And, it's not like I haven't seen women naked before. It may not be exactly like your equipment, but I have seen similar and better."

At these words she saw red and spun around to shut this wise ass up with a slap to the mouth. Her hand instead passed through air and then her center of gravity shifted as her leg was knocked out from under her. By the time she recovered from landing on her barely padded bum Shinji was once again standing, looking impassively down at her half naked form. He said, still just as calmly, "Would you please stop fooling around and hurry up. I haven't got all day. I want to get the Eva powered up before my headache gets too much worse."

She fumed as she sealed her plug suit and depressed the button to cause it to form fit to her. Once she was done Shinji glanced over his shoulder at the approaching ship, judging the distance by eye. As he turned back around and said, "Looks like about thirty feet across and fifteen down."

"Yeah," She said. "We need to wait for them to set up ladders since we can't take the shuttle while their maneuvering."

"Takes too long." He said as he reached and picked her up.

She instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck while screeching, "What are you doing?"

Before she could ask anything else Shinji walked ten feet away from the edge and turned to face the nearing vessel. He shifted his metabolism, flooding his system with adrenaline, and took off running. His right foot landed just on the edge and he pushed off with all his considerable strength. They were propelled into a low arc, Asuka screaming in fear even as he pivoted in mid air to orient himself between her and the cargo ship. They landed on one of the loose sections of canvas covering the giant bio-robot, decelerating quickly to a full stop before sliding down to the deck.

Several of the crew rushed over to help them off, taking the still yelling girl from his arms as he said, "When she comes out of her hysterical fit, tell her I'll be in the Eva."

As he ducked under the enormous tarp one of the crew said, "I think I would be having hysterics too if I had just had that kind of ride. Who is that guy anyway?"

Another member of the crew answered, "That is Shinji Ikari." At the blank look on his shipmate's face he elaborated, "He is the only human to ever go up against these things. If anybody else had tried that little stunt I would have been surprised as hell to see them pull it off. But as it's him, not really."

The first objected, "You can't tell me you expected that."

"No, and the fact it was him doesn't make it any less impressive. Just not surprising."

ooo000OOO000ooo

Shinji popped the hatch covering the security panel and tapped in the access code. This triggered the back of the Eva to open and the entry plug to rotate out. As he twisted the handles on the emergency hatch he thought, 'Why did they have to humor her by painting it red?'

Once inside he overrode the insertion sequence and started altering settings. By the time Asuka climbed into the cylindrical control interface he had the language changed over to Japanese and was going through the first parts of the system initialization. He said, without looking up, "Close the hatch behind you. I want to get moving soon."

She did as she was told and he triggered the insertion sequence as soon as the tube was sealed, causing her to go tumbling around the smooth surface.

As Asuka righted herself she screamed, "What did you do that for?"

The lights started flashing through the standard startup sequence and Shinji seemed to relax, sighing, "Ahhhh, that's better."

Asuka swam up to him and attempted to hit him on the head. Her fist sluggishly passed through vacant, liquid filled space, while he leaned forward to check a few settings. Then he initiated the final neural connection and felt a variation of the usual emotional burst that accompanied. Shinji responded and felt time slow as his surroundings dissolved.

When he could see again he found himself sitting on the edge of a cliff overlooking a beautiful grassy valley. On his right was Asuka, looking confused by the experience, and on his left was the woman he assumed to be her mother. He turned and bowed his head, saying, "Mrs. Soryu. It is a pleasure to finally meet you."

"And you, young Ikari. You have grown since the last time we met." The woman replied.

Asuka's voice was trembling as she said, "Mother. Is that really you?"

The elder redhead nodded, holding her arms wide for her daughter. "It is. I have missed you so much Asuka."

Shinji rolled back from the edge as the young girl flung herself at her mother. He allowed them a moment of bonding, remembering how it had been for him, before he cleared his throat, "I'm truly sorry. But our time is short, and we need to know what we can about the mind of Unit-02."

"Shut up baka. I don't know how you did this, but I'll never leave this place." Asuka said in a watery voice.

Kyoko patted her on the back soothingly, saying, "Don't be so rude dear. He is right, we don't have very long." She turned to Shinji, "The mind of this Eva is just as violent as the others, but better restrained. It is also very resentful of being subjected to a petulant child all these years."

Asuka gasped, "But that is how they told me to control it. How was I supposed to know?"

"You could have tried harder to understand its needs." Shinji said. "But it doesn't matter. I will try to deal with it, as I have released the controls on its rage."

The sky darkened and a harsh wind blew through the mindscape. Suddenly a flaming shape appeared behind him, lunging toward the other pilot. He interposed himself and grabbed the figure's arms, denying the heat of the flames. This caused him to take no damage from them, as this was a shared reality. He spoke calmly, "The child will not be taunting you this time. Now you deal with me, and I will help you."

The Eva snapped at him, sending tongues of flame past his face, "What do you know, human." The raspy voice was distinctly human, sounding like a much harsher version of Kyoko.

Shinji sent images of his previous battles, along with the fiery emotions that accompanied them. The Eva considered this for a moment before stepping back, the flames dying to reveal a misty form in a feminine shape. It spoke again, this time in a more normal tone, "You have done much for my sister. Because of this I will give you a chance."

The exchange ended with the blurry figure running back into the woods that bordered the grassy clearing. Shinji turned to the elder Soryu and said, "I think we should be going."

She nodded and held up her hand, saying, "Take this with you." Two small blue orbs drifted up from her outstretched palm and headed for the children. As the information entered them it detailed everything she knew about the situation, including the current Angel.

The mindscape shattered at that point, returning the pilots to the cockpit. Asuka was weeping silently, lost to her emotions. He reached out and drew her close, saying soothingly, "I'm sorry we couldn't stay, but I'll take you back soon."

She pushed away and snapped, "How can you know what it's like? How dare..."

Whatever the next question was Shinji would never know as he sent wave after wave of images and emotions through the telepathic link to his fellow pilot's mind. He watched her turn white as his pain burned away all of her rage, leaving her an empty shell filling quickly with despair. He cut off the flow suddenly, letting her recover for a moment before he said, "You see don't you? We are more alike than you could possibly have imagined."

She simply nodded momentarily unable to speak. He motioned Asuka over and settled her on his lap, showing her how to sit so they could both be comfortable while piloting. Then Ikari initiated the last power connection, bringing the Eva fully to life.

The giant red form of Unit-2 rose out of the pool of coolant and stood with the torn canvas tarp wrapped around it like a cloak, pulled up to hide its head. Any who looked at it felt an inexplicable sense of loss and despair that drove them to hide. By this time the Over the Rainbow had come close enough for the transfer to commence.

Shinji still had primary control of the Eva, since Asuka was recovering from one too many mental shocks in too short a period of time. He leapt into the air, arcing high over the deck of the carrier and landing relatively lightly. He positioned himself for the power connection and sighed in relief as the timer stopped counting down.

With plenty of power to spare he leaned forward and whispered, "We need to fight now. Would you like to participate or watch?"

She whipped her head around and smirked at him, "You're not gonna get rid of me that easily."

He sighed and said, "In that case you may want to brace yourself. I'm going to release my control on our sync ratios."

Once again Asuka's mind was assaulted, this time by the three other consciousnesses sharing the link with her. A window popped up to their right and she could see their sync level rocketing from seventy percent to around one-thirty. It plateaued there and Shinji smiled, "That should do it, now to get that thing's attention."

The aircraft carrier lurched to a stop suddenly as an elliptical barrier appeared around it. The bubble of protected reality was thin skinned, Shinji having stretched the AT barrier to its limit, and would not withstand much pounding, as he knew. But the massive outpouring of energy achieved the desired effect, obscuring the signature of Adam and focusing Gaghiel's attention onto Unit-02.

Five hundred meters from the super carrier a plume of white spray shot over a hundred feet into the air as the Angel surfaced and accelerated. In under a minute it cleared the open distance and leapt into the air.

Shinji snapped the AT field back to a skin tight layer of folded space that was its impenetrable default setting. The huge tan form of the Angel landed on the deck, crushing several of the aircraft stored there. The giant flowed toward its enemy, mouth open to reveal a solid row of long pointed teeth. At the back of the elongated mouth was the dull glow of an S2 organ.

The beast flopped down on the Eva in an attempt to crush its foe. Shinji braced against the massive blow and felt the deck buckle, causing them to tumble into the tower. The great maw flashed forward and this time it was Asuka's reflexes that directed the Eva to grab hold and restrain the monster.

Shinji asked, "Can you hold it?"

"Not a problem." Asuka replied, in her element at last.

"Good, because I'm about to shift the AT field."

She was about to ask hotly about his sanity when her shoulder pauldrons opened, presenting two Progressive knives. The full strain of the gargantuan forces pressing on the Eva came to bear on her as the protective barrier morphed and reshaped itself. Both of the Prog blades floated smoothly out of the holders and hovered before the struggling Eva as Shinji held his hands out past his co-pilot. The retractable metal extended and started glowing the tel-tale pink of an active AT edged blade. Then he twisted his arm clockwise and the weapons rotated to point right down the enemies throat.

The red-haired pilot ground out through clinched teeth, "Could you hurry up? I can't hold it all day."

Shinji grinned and closed his fist, sending the two energy sheathed blades toward their target at nearly sonic speeds. He had sent them out at different angles, designed to hit both sides of the core, hopefully splitting it like a melon. At the last moment Gaghiel shifted and one blade passed through the Angel's flesh, blowing a huge hole through the entire creature, sending bits of meat and fluid over the flight deck. The other Prog knife sank about a foot into the glowing orb, wedging itself in as its AT field connection was severed by distance.

The Angel writhed and twisted away from the pain, seeking a return to the water. As it turned, one of the long teeth in its distended jaw caught on Unit-02's right arm. The impossibly sharp tooth went straight through the armor on the arm and slid out the other side, firmly locking the Eva onto the enemy.

Asuka screamed and grabbed her arm as they were bodily dragged into the water by their fleeing foe. Shinji was feeling the pain but, given his current situation, decided putting an arm around the over reactive girl could be bad for her health.

Both the huge organisms went into the water, causing the Eva to relay even more pain as the wound was torn further due to the resistance of the liquid. From inside the entry plug Shinji was running diagnostics. Determining that despite being completely submerged, they still had full mobility. According to the operating manual, underwater operations required special equipment. He pondered this irregularity for a moment before being interrupted by Ritsuko's voice saying, "It's because of your heightened sync ratio. Without that you wouldn't be able to move at all."

The video window showed several people looking at them as the Eva continued its descent. Misato said, "So when were you planning to stop being dragged along and actually end this?"

"Oh," Shinji responded, "You want action, do you? Then tell her to stop screaming in the link. It's hard enough to concentrate without all the flack I keep getting from the redhead."

"You shouldn't even be here." Asuka retorted. "This should be my show."

"How exactly would you be dealing with this situation? Seeing as how Unit-02 couldn't even move if I wasn't here providing a link for you." Shinji snapped back.

"Okay children." Ritsuko interrupted. "As cute as the couple bickering is, you really do need to finish this quickly."

"Fine." Shinji said. He focused his thoughts and began to glow a soft red.

"What are you doing?" Asuka asked with fear in her voice.

He just kept concentrating on the desired effect, not allowing the irate girl to distract him. Suddenly both Eva and Angel started pivoting around their juncture point as the human weapon's AT field mirrored that of the alien, but in the opposite direction.

Gaghiel opened its mouth and jerked, freeing itself of the hindering presence and allowing its escape. The massive form dove and accelerated in a wide arcing turn that would bring it back to the Eva at high speed.

As the Angel approached it opened its mouth, revealing the S2 organ with a Prog knife still embedded in a shallow grove. Shinji took advantage of the opening and placed a small AT barrier right inside the creature's unnatural maw.

The Angel struck the field, forcing the knife the rest of the way in. The Angel bellowed sparks as its life-giving organ was pierced. With no further energy the massive bulk of the dead alien gently coasted to a stop, floating neutrally before the Eva.

Shinji reached out with the AT field and grabbed hold of the carcass, drawing it in close. He said over the connection to the surface, "You can pull us up now. It's over."

The auto wind on the power cable was activated, bringing both Eva and Angel smoothly to the surface.

ooo000OOO000ooo

At the docks that serviced Tokyo-3 a large group of NERV personnel were awaiting the arrival of the UN Pacific fleet that had been tasked with delivering Unit-02. The Section 2 agents were being wary of anyone getting too close to the area, while the techs were just trying not to look so bored.

During the final docking maneuvers the techs moved forward with a huge crane to begin the unloading of the inert Angel. The massive bulk of the alien was ceremoniously placed into a giant crate that was then moved to the rails that went down into the geofront.

After Gaghiel was loaded the techs proceeded to unload the Eva. While this was going on the passengers from NERV disembarked and made their way over to the cars that had been sent for them.

About half way their Misato said, "I can't believe that Kaji ditched us just before the Angel showed up. I would have expected him to have grown up over the years."

Shinji smiled, "He had his orders, and he followed them exactly. But that's still no excuse for running when we were only a few hours from making port. Until you consider what he was really escorting."

Ritsuko spoke up, "You knew he was sent to bring Adam to Japan?"

"Not at first, but I sensed the first Angel leave with him." Shinji answered.

Just as Misato was about to make a comment on the character of her ex-boyfriend a loud shout was heard from behind them, "Hey! Third Child!"

Shinji turned to see Asuka hadn't even bothered to change out of her plug suite. The irate pilot was storming toward him as he answered, "What can I do for you Asuka?"

"You can drop dead!" The redhead roared as she took a swing at the male pilot.

He ducked under the attack and twisted, sweeping his attacker off her feet. For the third time that day Asuka's pride was injured by not being able to even phase the smug asshole standing over her. She silently swore right there that she would never forgive him for this. Even if part of her did think he was cute.

Shinji looked down at her and said, "I think we've had enough fun for today. If you're done trying to replace me as the alpha male, which you have the wrong plumbing for, then we need to get home. That battle took a lot out of me."

She fumed as the rest of the group walked away, except for Rei. The red eyed girl reached down and hefted Asuka bodily to her feet, saying, "On that note, we have prepared a room for you at our home. You will be staying there as a ward of the Tactical Director."

"Who is this we?" The furious girl growled out between clinched teeth.

Rei cocked her head and wondered why the second child was being so slow to pick up on the meaning of her words, "Misato, Ritsuko, Maya, Shinji, and myself. Technically the house belongs to Shinji, but we all live there." She said the last part with a slightly dreamy expression on her face.

"That's just sick. You're all just perverted degenerates. How can the government condone such a blatant sex cult? And how can they let children be involved?" Asuka spat.

"It is a most efficient arrangement. This way we can all be notified at the same time and make our way to Headquarters together. This helps to eliminate any confusion. As for the relationship that exists between us, everyone in that house, save you of course, is legally an adult. And being the only hope for victory in this war has its privileges."

Ritsuko called, "Should we just send the car back for you two? The Shin man is getting pretty hungry, and I want to get dinner over with as soon as possible." She said the last with a mild lilt in her voice to indicate indecent events she had planned for the night.

Shinji shook his head and sighed, "A hero's work is never done." While Toji and Kensuke once more resisted the urge to bow and declare their lowly status.

ooo000OOO000ooo

Thanks to my wife for prereading this for me.